Research Consultant – Executive Search (Private Equity) in London

We are a retained executive search firm specialising in senior value creation, transformation, and leadership roles for Private Equity funds and their portfolio companies. Our mandates typically sit at the intersection of strategy, operations, and ownership, including CEOs, Operating Partners, Heads of Transformation, and senior functional leaders. We work on complex, high-impact searches and place a strong emphasis on research quality, market insight, and intellectual rigour.

We are hiring a Research Consultant to support and strengthen our research capability across retained executive search mandates. This is a hands-on, insight-led research role. You will work closely with Consultants to deliver high-quality market mapping, candidate research, and intelligence for senior leadership searches. The role is well-suited to someone early in their career who enjoys structured thinking, deep research, and building an understanding of how Private Equity-backed businesses operate. This is not a volume sourcing role. It is focused on quality, judgment, and learning how complex senior searches are built and delivered.

This role suits someone who is driven, curious, and proactive, and who enjoys building relationships and learning directly from people in the market. You will be encouraged to get out from behind the desk, meet candidates, and develop strong judgment through real conversations, not just desk-based research.

Key Responsibilities

• Search Research & Market Mapping
  • Support Consultants at the outset of search mandates to understand role scope, success criteria, and target profiles
  • Build structured market maps across consulting, industry, and PE-backed environments
  • Identify relevant target companies, role archetypes, and logical adjacencies
  • Contribute to the development of clear and defensible target universes for each search
• Candidate Research & Insight
  • Research and identify senior candidates across strategy, transformation, and operating roles
  • Produce clear briefing notes and background intelligence to support candidate assessment
  • Develop an understanding of candidate career paths, motivation, and mobility over time
  • Engage directly with senior candidates to build understanding, rapport, and market insight
  • Attend in-person meetings, briefings, or events where appropriate to deepen market knowledge
• Private Equity & Market Intelligence
  • Build familiarity with Private Equity fund structures, operating models, and value creation approaches
  • Track leadership movements across PE-backed businesses, consultancies, and corporates
  • Contribute to the firm’s internal market intelligence and knowledge base
• Research Quality & Development
  • Deliver consistently high-quality research outputs with attention to detail and structure
  • Follow and contribute to the firm’s research methodologies and standards
  • Share ideas on improving tools, data sources, and internal knowledge systems
  • Take on increasing responsibility for shaping market maps and research outputs over time
  • Own research tasks end-to-end, ensuring accuracy, follow-through, and high standards under time pressure
  • Manage multiple research workstreams in parallel while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail

Candidate Profile

We are open on background, but this role is best suited to someone with:

• High intellectual curiosity, good judgement, and a structured approach to work
• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with strong academic performance
• 0–2 years’ experience in executive search research, consulting, or a research-heavy professional environment
• Able and willing to be in London regularly for meetings and in-person collaboration
• Strong interest in Private Equity, transformation, and senior leadership roles
• Ability to understand roles beyond job titles and think in terms of capability and context
• Confidence working with Consultants and engaging with complex subject matter

You are likely to thrive in this role if you are:

• Highly driven, self-motivated, and eager to take on responsibility
• Comfortable speaking with new people and building rapport
• Naturally curious about people, careers, and business contexts
• Diligent, organised, and reliable in delivering high-quality work

What Success Looks Like

• Consultants rely on research as a core input into search strategy and delivery
• Market maps and longlists are thoughtful, well-reasoned, and defensible
• Searches progress efficiently without sacrificing quality

Why This Role

• Exposure to high-quality retained search work with Private Equity clients
• An intellectual, non-sales role with clear skill development
• Opportunity to build deep market knowledge in strategy, transformation, and PE-backed leadership
• Clear development and progression through structured exposure to how retained executive searches are designed and delivered end-to-end

Our Offer

• Base salary of £30,000–£35,000, depending on experience
• Discretionary bonus
• 36 days’ leave in total: 27 days annual leave, your birthday off, and 8 bank holidays, plus additional tenure-based leave
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Flexible working and an office in Farringdon with a regular in-office day (currently Wednesday)