Specialty leaderboard · Updated Nov 11, 2026
Insurance recruiters, Chicago
Fee models, from the firms' own websites: 1 hybrid. Together they advertise 433 open roles.
Insurance & Actuarial firms ranked
| Rank | Firm | Focus | Fee model | Terms | Open roles | Index score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Smith Hanley Associatessince 1980 | Market research and consumer insights, data science, actuarial and commercial analytics | Not stated | Not disclosed | 60 | 72.7 |
| 02 | Ezra Penland Actuarial Recruitment | Actuarial, catastrophe risk, predictive modeling and insurance leadership recruitment | Hybrid | Not disclosed | 135 | 72.1 |
| 03 | S.C. International | Actuarial, insurance, benefits administration and analytics recruitment | Not stated | Not disclosed | 58 | 67.9 |
| 04 | Insurance Recruiting Solutions | Insurance, actuarial, underwriting, claims and insurance-sector finance and technology recruitment | Not stated | Not disclosed | 82 | 54.8 |
| 05 | The Jacobson Group | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 49 | 48.2 |
| 06 | The Jonus Group | Insurance, actuarial, underwriting, claims, brokerage and related professionals | Not stated | Not disclosed | 10 | 41.6 |
| 07 | The Network Groupsince 1986 | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 41.3 |
| 08 | Hobson Associates | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 39 | 41.0 |
| 09 | Ikon Searchsince 2021 | Insurance, risk, compliance and professional corporate staffing | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 29.6 |
| 10 | DW Simpson | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
- 01Smith Hanley AssociatesMarket research and consumer insights, data science, actuarial and commercial analytics72.7Not statedNot disclosed60 open roles
- 02Ezra Penland Actuarial RecruitmentActuarial, catastrophe risk, predictive modeling and insurance leadership recruitment72.1HybridNot disclosed135 open roles
- 03S.C. InternationalActuarial, insurance, benefits administration and analytics recruitment67.9Not statedNot disclosed58 open roles
- 04Insurance Recruiting SolutionsInsurance, actuarial, underwriting, claims and insurance-sector finance and technology recruitment54.8Not statedNot disclosed82 open roles
- 05The Jacobson Group48.2Not statedNot disclosed49 open roles
- 06The Jonus GroupInsurance, actuarial, underwriting, claims, brokerage and related professionals41.6Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
- 07The Network Group41.3Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- 08Hobson Associates41.0Not statedNot disclosed39 open roles
- 09Ikon SearchInsurance, risk, compliance and professional corporate staffing29.6Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- 10DW Simpson23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
Score built from public signals · Fee model from firm websites · Terms reported by firms · Terms never affect the score
The index is free to read and free to be listed in. Our sponsor makes that possible, and has no say in any ranking.
How these firms are scored
Rank here is within Insurance & Actuarial. Every score is built from public signals and measures specialisation and activity, not a guarantee of service quality. Terms, claiming and sponsorship never change it.
- Specialist focus
- 40%
- Market activity
- 35%
- Track record
- 25%
What Insurance firms charge
Market context · Fee survey
Collecting responses. No market range until enough firms answer.
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Hiring in Insurance & Actuarial?
Describe the role once. We route it to the Chicago firms that specialise in it, and they reply with their approach and terms.
Post a brief →Insurance recruiters in Chicago: questions
How do insurance recruiters in Chicago charge?
Of the firms ranked here, by their own websites: 1 hybrid. Most agencies charge a percentage of the hire's first-year base salary. Contingency recruiters are commonly quoted at around 15–25% and are paid only when you hire; retained and executive search firms often charge 25–35%, paid in stages as the search progresses.
How are insurance recruiters ranked here?
Rank is within this specialty only. The biggest factor is specialist focus: the share of a firm's open roles that are in this field. Hiring activity and track record make up the rest. No firm can pay for placement.
Should I use more than one recruiter?
For contingency roles many employers brief two or three firms at once. Retained searches are exclusive by design. Posting one brief here sends it to the specialists and lets you compare their approach and terms before you commit.