Ninja Jobs

What Ninja Jobs does

Ninja Jobs is a privately held cybersecurity executive search and recruiting firm founded in 2013 and headquartered in Vienna, Virginia. The firm specializes in placing cybersecurity professionals into mission-critical roles across the leadership-to-technical spectrum, including CISO, CSO, CIO, Chief Security Architect, Cloud Security Specialists, SOC personnel, and Cybersecurity IT Auditors. Its stated client base spans Financial, Insurance, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical/Life Sciences, Biotech, Telecommunications, Education, Software, Government, Legal, and IoT sectors—essentially any organization with a digital-asset protection mandate.

The company operates as a professional services recruiter rather than a software product business. Service offerings include Executive Search, Contingent Recruiting, Contract Staffing, Retained Search, Staff Augmentation, and a specialized Growth Equity and Venture Capital Recruiting line introduced post-acquisition. Pricing is quote-based, consistent with industry norms where fees are calculated as a percentage of placed-candidate compensation or as project-based retainers. The core operating technology is described as "advanced technology combined with dedicated, industry-embedded recruiters," but no proprietary software platform, AI/ML capability, or data assets are disclosed. Go-to-market is relationship-led enterprise field sales, supported by recurring presence at major cybersecurity events (RSA, Black Hat, ISC West, SANSFIRE, InfoSecWorld, SecureWorld) and trade publications (SC IT Security News, Homeland Security Publications).

In 2023 NinjaJobs was acquired by Direct Recruiters Inc. (DRI) and now operates as part of DRI and the broader Starfish Partners family of recruiting firms (which also includes Kaye/Bassman International, Innova People, Raymond Search Group, and HireMinds). The combined DRI/NinjaJobs team is led by Partner Matt Jacobs together with Managing Partner Ryan Lange and other partners across Government, Energy, and Security practices. The standalone headcount is in the 1–10 range. No revenue figures or funding events are publicly disclosed.

Name

Ninja Jobs

Legal name

Ninja Jobs

Website

https://ninjajobs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ninja Jobs is a specialized executive search and recruiting firm placing cybersecurity professionals—ranging from CISOs to cloud security engineers—into client organizations across financial, healthcare, government, and technology sectors. It was acquired by Direct Recruiters Inc. in 2023 and operates within the Starfish Partners family.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Executive Search and Recruiting Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Cybersecurity Staffing (BPACADAC)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity recruiting
• Executive search
• Talent acquisition
• Cybersecurity staffing
• Security recruiting

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Executive Search & Recruiting Services: The company generates revenue through professional recruiting and executive search services, placing cybersecurity professionals across executive leadership to specialized technical positions. Services include contingent recruiting, contract staffing, retained search, and staff augmentation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NinjaJobs is a specialized cybersecurity executive search and recruiting firm that identifies and places cybersecurity professionals across mission-critical roles ranging from executive leadership (CISO, CSO, CIO) to specialized technical positions. The firm was acquired by Direct Recruiters Inc. (DRI) in 2023 and now operates within the DRI/Starfish Partners family of companies, serving clients across Financial, Insurance, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical/Life Sciences, Biotech, Telecommunications, Education, Software, Government, Legal, and IoT sectors. Services include executive search, contingent recruiting, contract staffing, retained search, and staff augmentation.

Product overview

NinjaJobs, a subsidiary of Direct Recruiters (acquired in 2023), provides cybersecurity executive search, recruiting, and staffing services. The company operates as a unified offering combining executive search, contingent recruiting, contract staffing, retained search, and staff augmentation services, specializing in placing cybersecurity professionals across industries including Financial, Insurance, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical/Life Sciences, Biotech, Telecommunications, Education, Software, Government, Legal, and IoT sectors. DRI and NinjaJobs serve both clients seeking to fill mission-critical cybersecurity positions and candidates looking for career opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Services

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Direct Recruiters Inc. (DRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, NinjaJobs was acquired by DRI (Direct Recruiters, Inc.), strengthening the company's footprint in cybersecurity executive search, recruiting, and staffing. Together, as market leaders, DRI and NinjaJobs cybersecurity teams identify and place top talent across mission-critical roles.
• Starfish PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarfish Partners has built and fostered a family of companies including Direct Recruiters Inc., Kaye/Bassman International, Innova People, Ninja Jobs, Raymond Search Group, HireMinds, and Starfish Partners Foundation. Starfish Partners represents the parent organizational structure encompassing DRI and its subsidiaries.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• SecurityRecruiter.com / CyberSecurityJobs.com: Online job board and community focused exclusively on cybersecurity hiring, used by employers and candidates; operates a marketplace-style model that competes for entry- and mid-level cyber placements NinjaJobs targets.
• Innovative Talent Solutions (ITS): Cyber and information security staffing specialist focused on cleared and cleared-eligible talent, serving federal and commercial clients with contingent and contract staffing — overlapping customer base in government and security-adjacent verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Direct Recruiters Inc. Parent organization of NinjaJobs and a multi-vertical executive search firm spanning Energy, Healthcare, Industrial, Security, and Technology. Overlapping practice area breadth means it competes and collaborates with NinjaJobs on cybersecurity mandates.
• Korn Ferry (Cybersecurity Practice): Global leadership advisory and executive search firm with a dedicated cybersecurity function placing CISOs and security executives at Fortune 500 enterprises — competing for the same retained-search engagements at the top of the market.
• Heidrick & Struggles (Technology / Security Officers Practice): Global executive search firm with a Technology and Security Officers practice that places CISOs and security leaders — competing with NinjaJobs in the retained, board-level cybersecurity mandate segment.

Direct peers

• CyberSN: Dedicated cybersecurity recruiting and staffing firm specializing in placing cyber professionals across engineering, architecture, and leadership roles — the closest pure-play competitor to NinjaJobs with overlapping services (contingent and executive search).
• Kaye/Bassman International: Sibling firm within the Starfish Partners family; a national executive search firm with cybersecurity and technology recruiting practices — overlapping capability and target buyer base makes it a closely related peer within the same umbrella.
• Raymond Search Group: Starfish Partners family firm covering technology, cybersecurity, and security-related executive search — comparable niche focus and overlapping candidate/client pools within the DRI/Starfish ecosystem.
• JMJ Philip: Specialist executive search firm focused on technology, including cybersecurity and information security leadership, serving similar CISO/CSO-level mandates through retained and contingency models.
• HireMinds: Starfish Partners family member specializing in technology and cybersecurity recruiting — overlapping target customers and service offerings (contract and full-time placement).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ninjajobs
• Xx.com/TheNinjaJobs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ninja Jobs