MARBLEHEAD — The Select Board hopes to hire Marblehead’s next town administrator by October, beginning the search process this week to ensure a smooth transition before Town Administrator Thatcher W. Kezer III retires Dec. 31.

Select Board Chair Dan Fox said the board is working backward from its goal of having a new administrator in place by the time Kezer retires on Dec. 31.

“If we’re looking to have a new administrator by year-end, likely someone is going to have to give a couple months’ notice,” Fox said. “So we’re looking, in theory, to hopefully end this process or hire someone by October.”

Fox said the board’s immediate priority is seeking quotes from firms specializing in municipal executive searches to assist the town throughout the hiring process.

“Our first step is to really start to look for quotes for services, someone to hire to help us with the search,” Fox said. “I think that’s really our first step here, is to bring them in and to work with them.”

Kezer said hiring a search consultant will not require a formal request for proposals because the anticipated cost falls below the state’s procurement threshold.

“It’s going to be about $15,000,” Kezer said of the cost for a consultant. “So, it’s just seeking quotes. It’s an administrative process.”

The procurement office will obtain bids and scopes of work from firms specializing in municipal executive searches before the Select Board decides which firm will oversee the recruitment process.

After selecting a firm, Fox said the board will determine whether to establish an interview committee to assist with the hiring process, similar to previous town administrator searches.

“I don’t think we have to decide that tonight,” Fox said. “I think we can discuss that next.”

Fox emphasized that this decision was intended to establish the overall timeline, which could be adjusted once a search firm is selected.

“This is a very general timeline,” he said. “I think probably some of these changes on the timeline once we decide who we want to use.”

Select Board member Jim Zisson said he had initially believed the process was already underway, but supported moving forward with the timeline.

“I thought it had already been started, but that’s fine,” Zisson said.

No formal vote was required because seeking quotes is considered an administrative function.

Kezer announced last month that he will retire effective Dec. 31 after serving as town administrator since June 2022. His departure will mark Marblehead’s fifth transition in the town administrator’s office since 2018, following the tenures of John McGinn, Jason Silva, McGinn’s interim return, and Kezer.

Fox previously credited Kezer with helping guide the town through significant financial challenges, including the passage of the town’s multi-year operational override, and said Kezer will continue serving through the end of the year while assisting with a smooth transition to his successor.