Executive Recruiter in London

The Executive Recruiter is responsible for proactively sourcing, qualifying and managing candidates through the full selection process to recruit accomplished C-Suite executives ready to bring their leadership experience to a meaningful second act as a Vistage Executive Coach. This is a relationship-driven recruiting role that combines disciplined pipeline management with the ability to engage, educate, and inspire senior executives who may not be actively job-seeking. Success in this role means building a consistent pipeline of high-calibre candidates and guiding them through a distinctive, high-touch selection process.

Vistage is the world’s largest CEO peer advisory organisation, celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2027. Founded in 1957 and headquartered in San Diego, Vistage brings together more than 45,000 members across 40 countries through confidential peer groups, one-to-one executive coaching, and world-class thought leadership from expert speakers. In the UK and Ireland, Vistage supports over 1,100 members: the CEOs, founders, and senior leaders of the businesses that build Britain and Ireland. These leaders are navigating a landscape of extraordinary complexity. AI is rewriting competitive advantage, capital markets are shifting, talent is harder to find and keep, and the pace of regulatory change shows no sign of slowing.

In-person peer advisory has never been more relevant. When the decisions get bigger and the variables multiply, having a confidential room full of people who understand the weight of your choices, and who will challenge you to make better ones, is the highest-value resource a business leader can access. Members meet monthly in curated groups led by a Vistage Chair, an accomplished business leader who facilitates group discussion and challenges thinking. Beyond the group meeting, Chairs hold monthly one-to-one sessions with every member: private, structured conversations where the real coaching relationship is built and maintained.

Vistage’s success is anchored by a unique culture which reinforces employee commitment to the Vistage mission. It is a spirit of collective success and achievement which is also reflected in our workplace. Here’s a sample of the employee experience that helps drive our success:

• Welcome to our home. Our UK Office sits in Hedge End, Southampton while our US headquarters sits in San Diego, California. The Hedge End office features an open, modern aesthetic with lots of collaboration spaces and free coffee!
• We invest in your career. Each employee has an actionable career progression plan developed through individual collaboration with their manager. We focus on promoting from within and employee progression plans are complemented by all, we invest in staff development days as well as access to tons of individualised development resources and a tuition reimbursement program.
• We invest in you. Our employee benefits program is incredibly generous! We offer life insurance of 4 times your base salary up to a maximum £1,250,000 benefit. Take care of your financial future with a pension plan where employees are automatically enrolled at a 5% contribution, and matching of 4%. You’ll also start with 20 days annual leave to allow you to relax and recharge . . . employees receive additional annual paid days off based on tenure.
• We keep it fun! Whether you’re enjoying office celebrations or toasting your co-workers at our epic annual holiday party, you’ll see that we take having fun as seriously as helping our members succeed! The office vibe is business casual with flexible schedules that take a hybrid approach, splitting time between working in the office and working from home on an agreed cadence.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Build and continuously qualify a healthy pipeline of candidates through proactive outreach, referrals, and ongoing nurture of prospective Chair relationships.
• Educate and inspire candidates on the Vistage Executive Coaching model and the purpose-driven nature of the work, positioning the opportunity in a way that resonates with senior executives who may not be actively looking.
• Conduct behavioural and performance-based interviews with C-level candidates by phone and video.
• Own the day-to-day candidate experience throughout the selection process, ensuring timely, professional, and consistent communication at every stage.
• Represent Vistage in the market and within relevant executive and professional communities with authenticity and credibility.
• Extend verbal offers and manage all downstream steps, including assessments, agreements, background checks, and enrolment in the Vistage Chair Academy.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date candidate records in Salesforce (or equivalent CRM/ATS) to support pipeline visibility, reporting, and forecasting.
• Partner with regional leadership, existing Chairs, and internal stakeholders to align on hiring priorities and local market needs.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Proven track record recruiting for, or selling to, senior executives in a competitive market, with strong skills in sourcing, qualifying, and closing high-level candidates.
• A genuine relationship-builder with a strong interest in people and what motivates experienced leaders to consider a career change.
• Ability to communicate a complex opportunity clearly and compellingly, in writing and in conversation, to busy C-level candidates.
• Strong candidate management and negotiation skills, with sound judgement on when to move a conversation forward and when to give a candidate space.
• Comfortable operating with autonomy in a fast-paced, evolving environment, adapting quickly as priorities shift.
• Experience with Salesforce or a comparable CRM/ATS for candidate tracking and pipeline reporting.
• Skilled in LinkedIn Recruiter, Boolean search, and other sourcing platforms, with comfort incorporating AI-assisted sourcing and research tools into day-to-day workflow.
• Experience building rapport with and influencing senior executives throughout a recruiting or sales cycle.

COMPENSATION: Competitive base salary plus performance-related bonus. Full benefits package. Details discussed at interview stage.

JOB LOCATION: London-based with two to three days per week required at the Vistage UK office in Southampton (Hedge End). UK-wide travel for NCM, CEO Tables Chair Edition, regional events, forums, and Chair community engagement. The National Chair Meeting and flagship events are non-negotiable in-person commitments.