Associate Consultant

Nexus Search; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Collaborative recruitment environment

Access to exec-level search work

Ongoing training and development

Develop deep commercial expertise

Ambitious culture

Holiday incentive trips

Job summary

Nexus Search is seeking an experienced Client Consultant to win new client relationships and grow existing accounts across specialist markets. You will own client relationships end-to-end from initial approach to retained mandates, working with search consultants to ensure excellent delivery post-mandate.

Ideal candidates have 3+ years in recruitment or executive search, a proven BD track record, and strong senior stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• 3+ years' experience in recruitment or executive search with proven new business development success.
• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Experience winning retained search mandates.
• Confident, proactive approach to cold outreach and pitching.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building ability.
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail.
• Experience within manufacturing markets.
• Track record of flipping contingent business to retained.
• Experience selling into senior/executive stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Identify and approach target companies to generate new business opportunities.
• Build and execute a structured BD strategy across your sector, mapping decision-makers and hiring stakeholders.
• Convert cold and warm leads into client meetings via calls, LinkedIn, and referrals.
• Pitch Nexus's value proposition and position retained search as the preferred solution.
• Negotiate terms, fees and scope to secure profitable assignments.
• Maintain a pipeline of BD conversations and track progress.
• Build long-term client relationships and act as primary point of contact for strategy and growth.
• Provide market insight to support search strategy and candidate targeting.

Skills

New business development

Negotiation skills

Communication

Relationship-building

Organised

Manufacturing market knowledge

Retained vs contingent selling

Senior stakeholder engagement

Job description

We are looking for an experienced, commercially driven Client Consultant with a proven track record in business development to win new client relationships and grow existing accounts across our specialist markets.

This role suits someone with 3+ years' experience in recruitment or executive search who thrives on new business development, enjoys building relationships with senior decision-makers, and is motivated by winning retained mandates and growing market share.

You will take ownership of the client relationship end-to-end - from first approach and pitch through to winning retained business, managing the account, and expanding it over time - working closely with search consultants to ensure outstanding delivery once mandates are won.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development

Proactively identify and approach target companies to generate new business opportunities.

Build and execute a structured BD strategy across your sector, mapping key decision-makers and hiring stakeholders.

Convert cold and warm leads into client meetings through calls, LinkedIn, and network referrals.

Pitch nexus's value proposition confidently, positioning retained search as the preferred solution.

Flip contingent engagements into retained relationships wherever possible.

Negotiate terms, fees, and scope to secure profitable, well-structured assignments.

Maintain a consistent pipeline of live BD conversations and track progress rigorously.

Client Relationship Management

Build long-term, trusted relationships with clients across your market.

Act as the primary point of contact for client strategy, expectations, and account growth.

Understand client hiring needs deeply and translate these into clear briefs for search consultants.

Provide regular, proactive updates on market activity, talent availability, and hiring trends.

Identify opportunities to expand existing accounts into new divisions, functions, or geographies.

Ensure an excellent, consultative client experience at every touchpoint.

Collaboration with Search

Partner closely with search consultants to ensure mandates are briefed accurately and delivered effectively.

Provide market insight and client context to support search strategy and candidate targeting.

Support search consultants with client communication where needed to maintain momentum.

Represent the voice of the client internally to help shape delivery priorities.

Market Knowledge

Develop deep expertise in your sector, client landscape, and competitor activity.

Track market movements, hiring trends, and client organisational change to identify new opportunities.

Build credibility as a trusted commercial advisor within your market.

Process & CRM Management

Maintain accurate, structured records of all client interactions and BD activity within the CRM.

Follow internal BD processes to ensure a repeatable, professional approach to winning business.

Contribute to building a strong pipeline of retained client relationships for the business.

What Good Looks Like

Successful Client Consultants in our business typically demonstrate:

Solutions orientated: Proactively overcomes objections in BD conversations, finding practical ways to move opportunities toward a signed mandate.

Passion: Proactively pursuing new business, using cold calling and structured BD approaches to win the best clients in the market.

Excellence: Consistently operating and role modelling nexus standards.

Accountability: Taking ownership of client relationships and revenue targets, ensuring processes are followed and results are delivered.

Experience & Skills

Required

3+ years' experience in recruitment or executive search, with demonstrable new business development success

Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills

Experience winning retained search mandates

Confident, proactive approach to cold outreach and pitching

Excellent communication and relationship-building ability

Highly organised with strong attention to detail

Experience within manufacturing markets

Track record of flipping contingent business to retained

Experience selling into senior/executive stakeholders

What We Offer

• A collaborative and high-performance recruitment environment
• Access to high-quality exec level search assignments
• Ongoing training and development
• The opportunity to develop deep commercial expertise in your market
• Opportunity to join a super ambitious culture, focused on being the best at what we do whilst still having fun on the journey
• Chance to qualify for our super holiday incentive such as; Mykonos, Tulum, St Tropez, Skiing