Principal Partner in Leeds

Job Title: Principal Partner

Location: Leeds

Company: Fynde Global Recruitment

About Us:

Fynde is a boutique global headhunting firm with a reputation for excellence across fashion, luxury, beauty, personal care, packaging, and the wider consumer goods industry. We partner with some of the world’s leading brands, providing management and executive-level talent through our retained search, interim, and contract solutions. Our approach is highly commercial, consultative, and designed to deliver exceptional results.

Role Overview:

We are seeking a Principal Partner with proven expertise in managing a 360 recruitment desk and a track record of winning and developing new business. This is a senior-level role suited to individuals who thrive in a high-performance, entrepreneurial environment and have the capability to build strong relationships with management and C-suite stakeholders across international markets. The role will also consist of managing and developing a high-performing team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive end-to-end 360 recruitment processes across global markets, from client acquisition and strategy through to candidate delivery and placement.
• This includes mapping target markets, developing tailored headhunting campaigns, conducting high-level candidate assessments, and ensuring a seamless process from first engagement to successful placement.
• Proactively identify, win, and manage new business opportunities, building long-term partnerships with clients.
• You will focus on securing retained search mandates by leveraging your consultative approach, identifying client needs, delivering tailored recruitment solutions, and creating strategies that generate long-term value and repeat business.
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients, leveraging deep market knowledge within the fashion, luxury, beauty, personal care, packaging, or broader consumer goods sectors.
• By offering market intelligence, salary benchmarking, and strategic hiring insights, you will position yourself as a partner to senior decision-makers, shaping their talent strategies.
• Deliver retained management and executive search mandates, including high-value and complex leadership hires.
• This involves leading sophisticated executive search projects for senior and management-level positions, ensuring you attract, assess, and secure top-tier candidates aligned with client expectations.
• Lead high-quality candidate engagement, headhunting, and assessment activities to secure top talent globally.
• From crafting compelling approaches to conducting in-depth behavioural and competency-based interviews, you will ensure each candidate is thoroughly evaluated for both skills and cultural fit.
• Manage, mentor, and inspire a team of consultants, driving collective success and fostering a culture of excellence.
• You will be responsible for setting performance standards, providing hands-on coaching, and creating a collaborative environment where consultants thrive and deliver exceptional results.
• Contribute to the continued growth of Fynde by developing client relationships, expanding accounts, and mentoring junior consultants as required.
• You will work closely with leadership to build the firm’s presence in key markets, explore new industry verticals, and enhance overall brand reputation.
• Track and achieve revenue targets through strong commercial acumen and a proactive approach to business development.
• This includes setting realistic revenue goals, maintaining a strong pipeline of opportunities, and consistently exceeding personal and team targets.

Key Requirements:

• Demonstrable success in managing a 360 recruitment desk with consistent billing performance.
• You will have a proven track record of full-cycle recruitment, from lead generation and pitching to delivery and aftercare, with strong results in competitive markets.
• Proven track record of winning and delivering management and senior-level assignments within relevant sectors, ideally across fashion, luxury, beauty, personal care, packaging, or consumer goods.
• You must be confident working on high-profile and often confidential assignments, demonstrating discretion, resilience, and persistence in challenging searches.
• Experience in managing or leading a team within a recruitment environment.
• You should be comfortable mentoring and leading consultants, with a passion for developing talent and enhancing team performance.
• A strong network of senior contacts and decision-makers in these industries.
• You will have established relationships with hiring managers, HR leaders, and C-suite executives across relevant sectors, enabling you to quickly generate opportunities.
• Excellent commercial acumen, negotiation skills, and the ability to structure retained agreements.
• You will be skilled in building compelling value propositions, securing retainers, and negotiating commercial terms to maximise profitability.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to work autonomously while being part of a collaborative, high-performance team.
• You will excel in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment where you can balance independent drive with team collaboration.
• Global mindset with experience managing cross-border recruitment projects.
• Experience working with international clients, navigating different cultural expectations, and delivering global talent solutions is essential.

Why Join Fynde?

• Opportunity to lead high-profile management and executive searches with world-renowned brands.
• You’ll work with prestigious global companies on assignments that shape leadership teams and drive industry innovation.
• A boutique, consultative environment with global reach and flexibility.
• We operate as true consultants, allowing you to focus on quality over volume and giving you the freedom to build a market you own.
• A highly attractive package with a competitive base, bonus structure, and the opportunity to be enrolled in an equity share programme.
• We reward performance with exceptional financial incentives, long-term earning potential, and a pathway to ownership through equity participation.
• The chance to shape and grow your own market portfolio with support from an experienced leadership team.
• Your ideas, strategy, and business plans will have a direct impact on Fynde’s growth and success.