Senior Associate, Executive Search

Carlin Hall; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Carlin Hall is recruiting a Senior Associate for its Financial Services practice to run day-to-day retained searches, reporting to Partners. This delivery-first role offers immediate client exposure and ownership of end-to-end searches.

You will build target lists, interview at senior levels, draft candidate reports and present to boards, with a clear path to Principal for career development.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years in retained executive search or equivalent FS recruitment.
• Experience with C-suite or board-level searches.
• Delivery-focused with client exposure from day one.
• Able to work alongside Partners and Associates.
• Comfortable building market maps and candidate reports.

Responsibilities

• Project-manage multiple retained searches end-to-end.
• Build target lists and market maps across banking, asset and wealth management, insurance, private markets and fintech.
• Lead candidate approaches and in-depth assessment interviews.
• Write candidate reports and shortlist presentations.
• Present progress updates to clients and manage day-to-day relationships.
• Contribute market intelligence to pitches and new business development.
• Mentor Researchers and Associates on searches.

Skills

Retained executive search

Financial Services

C-suite / board delivery

Business development mindset

Stakeholder communication

Education

Strong academics

Job description

Our client is a fully retained executive search firm that competes head-to-head with the SHREK firms for board and C-suite mandates, without the size, bureaucracy or conflict constraints that come with them.

Teams are deliberately lean. Partners stay hands-on across delivery, and Associates work directly alongside them rather than sitting behind layers of research and project management. The firm has built a strong reputation in Financial Services and is now adding a Senior Associate to the practice as mandate volume grows.

The Role

The Senior Associate will run the day-to-day delivery of retained Financial Services searches, reporting into the practice Partners.

It is a delivery-first role with genuine client exposure from day one. The right person will own searches end-to-end, be trusted in front of candidates and clients, and have a clear route to Principal for someone who wants to build towards business development.

Key Responsibilities

• Project-manage multiple retained searches at once, from briefing through to offer and onboarding
• Build target lists and market maps across banking, asset and wealth management, insurance, private markets and fintech
• Lead candidate approaches, in-depth assessment interviews and referencing at senior level
• Write candidate reports and shortlist presentations to a standard ready for board and CEO audiences
• Present progress updates to clients alongside the Partner, and own the day-to-day client relationship on live mandates
• Contribute market intelligence and candidate insight to pitches and new business development
• Mentor and direct Researchers and Associates working on your searches

What they're looking for

• Typically 2–5 years in retained executive search (or high calibre FS contingent recruiters with good academics), currently Associate or Senior Associate
• Search experience within Financial Services, either in a dedicated FS practice or with a strong FS bias across your assignments
• Delivery track record at C-suite or board level, with a portfolio of completed searches to talk through
• Experience in a SHREK, a top-tier boutique, or another challenger firm working at the same level
• Confident leading senior candidate conversations and holding your own with clients
• Polished written work: reports and shortlist documents that need little Partner editing
• Commercial curiosity, and an appetite to move towards business development over time

Why this role

• Mandates at the same level as the SHREK firms, with far more ownership of each search
• Direct, daily exposure to Partners and clients, rather than sitting behind a research function
• A visible, credible path to Principal within a growing practice
• A smaller, collegiate team where individual contribution is noticed and rewarded