Senior Executive Search Consultant

Summit Rec2Rec; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health cover

401(k) plan

Hybrid working

Gym membership

Job summary

Summit Rec2Rec in New York is seeking an Executive Search Associate to help build a US Financial Services practice. You will work directly with the US Practice Lead and help shape C-suite searches while contributing to the growth of the US business from within.

This role offers a ground-floor opportunity, exposure to senior leadership, and the chance to expand beyond research into client delivery and business development, all within a British-influenced operating culture adapted for New York.

Qualifications

• Retained search experience in a US-based firm.
• Familiarity with Financial Services markets is a plus.
• Ability to engage senior executives and support client delivery.

Responsibilities

• Conduct market intelligence for senior Financial Services roles across the US.
• Engage with C-suite candidates and assess senior executives.
• Drive searches from market mapping to final shortlist.
• Translate research into actionable insights for candidates and clients.
• Prepare targeted research materials for client meetings and pitches.
• Identify leadership moves and hiring signals to open new client conversations.
• Maintain momentum across multiple searches with precision and follow-through.

Skills

Retained search experience

New York market knowledge

C-suite engagement

Business development

Job description

Executive Search Associate – Financial Services | New York

Help build a modern executive search firm in the US, from the ground up.

Our client is a UK-headquartered retained executive search group with a strong track record in Financial Services. They have worked the US market, and New York in particular, from London for several years and built a strong client base. Now the founders have moved to New York themselves to invest fully in US growth and strategy.

That means you'd be joining at a pivotal moment. The firm is shaped by a British recruitment approach: rigorous, relationship-led and built on long-term partnerships rather than transactions. It now has the energy, ambition and investment of a business scaling in the world's biggest search market.

You'll work directly alongside their US Practice Lead and Group MD, shaping C-suite searches for leading Financial Services firms and helping to build the US business from the inside.

If you're a Researcher or Associate in retained search who's ready to do more than map markets, and wants a real say in candidate conversations, client meetings and the growth of a practice, read on.

Why this role stands out

• Ground-floor opportunity: join a US team in growth mode, with the founders on the ground in New York.
• Direct access to senior leadership: learn from the US Practice Lead and Group MD, not from three layers down.
• Exposure well beyond research: you'll engage C-suite candidates, contribute in client settings and spot new business opportunities.
• Room to grow: the more ownership you take across delivery and client work, the faster you'll progress.
• The best of both worlds: a proven UK model and culture, applied to a fast-growing US practice.

What you'll be doing

• Market intelligence: building the insight behind senior Financial Services searches across the US.
• C-suite engagement: identifying, approaching and assessing senior executives.
• Search delivery: driving live searches from the first market map through to the final shortlist.
• Client value: turning research into sharp insights for candidates and clients.
• Meeting preparation: preparing targeted research and materials for high-value client and prospect meetings.
• Business development: spotting leadership moves, market shifts and hiring signals that open up new client conversations.
• Momentum: keeping several searches moving with pace, precision and strong follow-through.

What you'll bring

• Retained search experience: 1–4 years at a retained executive search firm, ideally in New York.
• Market background: Financial Services is ideal, but experience in other professional services markets will also be considered.
• Talent instinct: a strong sense of where senior talent sits and how to engage it.
• Search strategy: the ability to turn complex briefs into focused, credible search strategies.
• Client confidence: comfortable assessing senior candidates and holding your own with clients.
• Commercial curiosity: an eye for the market signals that create opportunity.
• Ambition: a drive to grow into a broader role across delivery and client work.

What's on offer

A competitive base salary and bonus, plus a benefits package that brings the best of a British employer to New York:

• Health cover: medical, dental and vision insurance.
• Retirement: 401(k) plan.
• Time off: paid time off plus US federal holidays.
• Hybrid working: three days a week in the office.
• Gym: half-price gym membership.
• Wellbeing: an employee assistance programme.
• Sabbatical: up to 12 months.
• Family leave: enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• Social events: monthly socials.
• Learning and development: over $2,500 invested in each person every year.

This isn't a back-office research job. It's a seat at the table while a respected UK search firm builds its US presence, and a chance to grow your career alongside it.