At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead research and candidate engagement for high-stakes executive searches.
- Company: Specialist executive search firm with a focus on quality and standards.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, OTE potential, and a purely delivery-focused role.
- Other info: Leeds-based with clear growth opportunities in a dynamic environment.
- Why this job: Join a high-performing team and work on complex, impactful mandates.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in recruitment with a focus on delivery and research.
The predicted salary is between 35000 - 50000 £ per year.
Our client is a specialist executive search firm partnering with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure transformational executive talent. They work on high-stakes, high-complexity mandates where the quality of the search process — not just the outcome — defines their reputation. To support their next stage of growth, they are expanding their research team. This is not a team that cuts corners. They are relentless on standards, disciplined on execution and measured by outcomes. If you are a delivery specialist who takes genuine pride in the quality of your research and the rigour of your process, this is the environment for you. There is no business development in this role. Your job is to deliver.
The Role
As a Senior Delivery Recruiter, you will sit at the heart of the search process — owning the research, mapping and candidate engagement activity that underpins every mandate. You will work on executive-level assignments across private equity-backed businesses, where the talent pool is tight, the briefs are complex and the bar for what constitutes a credible candidate is high. This is a role for someone who finds genuine satisfaction in thorough, precise search work — not someone looking for a route back into business development.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading the research and mapping function on live executive search mandates across PE-backed portfolio companies
- Identifying, approaching and qualifying senior candidates through direct headhunt, market intelligence and network development
- Building and maintaining detailed candidate pipelines and longlist documentation to the highest standard
- Conducting thorough candidate assessments and briefings, ensuring only credible, well-qualified profiles progress
- Developing deep market knowledge across the private equity and portfolio company landscape
- Partnering closely with senior consultants to ensure search delivery is on brief, on time and to standard
- Continuously raising the bar on sourcing methodology, candidate engagement and process discipline
What We Are Looking For
- 5+ years in a recruitment, executive search or resourcing role, with a focus on delivery and research rather than business development
- A genuine desire to raise standards — in sourcing rigour, candidate assessment and overall search quality
- Proven ability to deliver in the most challenging, tightly-defined searches where the obvious candidates simply do not exist
- Experience operating in fast-paced, high-expectation environments where quality is non-negotiable
- Prior exposure to executive search-level mandates is strongly preferred
- Experience recruiting into private equity or PE-backed businesses is a distinct advantage
- Exceptional attention to detail, strong written communication and the ability to produce client-ready documentation
What Is On Offer
- Basic Salary: £35,000–£50,000 (dependent on experience)
- OTE: £60,000–£85,000
- A purely delivery-focused role — no cold calling, no BD targets, no distraction from what you do best
- A high-performing, standards-driven team that takes the craft of executive search seriously
- Leeds-based with a clear growth path as the team scales
- The opportunity to work on genuinely complex, senior mandates with clients at the top end of the private equity market
Senior Delivery Recruiter employer: Summit Rec2Rec
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