Anticipated Contract End Date/Length: May 31, 2027 / 6 months
Work Set-Up: Hybrid
Our client in the global professional services industry is looking for an Executive Recruiter or Search Consultant who will play a key role within their team, combining executive search delivery with rigorous market research, talent intelligence and insight generation. The role partners with business-aligned Leadership Recruiters and Managing Directors to define target markets, identify senior talent and inform leadership hiring decisions across Europe.
The Executive Search Consultant will lead the research workstream across strategic hiring projects, translating business requirements into structured search strategies, market maps and evidence-based talent recommendations for immediate and future leadership needs. This role will focus on European markets within the organisation's well-established team and will act as a subject-matter resource on external leadership talent, competitor activity and relevant market developments.
What you will do
- Position the organisation's Executive Search as a trusted partner by developing close, trusted relationships with Managing Directors and Executive Recruiters.
- Translate search briefs into structured research plans, including target-company universes, sector and functional segmentation, candidate hypotheses, search strings and delivery milestones.
- Conduct confidential, multi-source research and talent identification assignments to identify best-in-class leadership talent for the organisation, using internal and external databases, professional networks, public sources and direct market intelligence.
- Build and maintain detailed market maps, longlists and talent pipelines, ensuring accurate capture of candidate career history, remit, scale, location, mobility and other role-relevant evidence.
- Produce value-adding market and competitor intelligence reports for hiring sponsors, synthesising findings into clear insights on talent availability, competitor structures, talent movement, market constraints and recommended search strategies.
- Identify patterns, gaps and emerging talent pools across searches, and convert them into reusable knowledge, search taxonomies and proactive talent intelligence for future leadership demand.
- Proactively build talent pools of senior executives by directly engaging candidates through multiple channels to articulate the organisation's value proposition.
- Assess candidate suitability against current and future hiring requirements using evidence gathered through research and engagement, aligned with role essentials and the organisation’s leadership profile.
- Discover and evaluate effective, sustainable talent channels and research sources to meet current and future leadership hiring needs.
- Provide a world-class candidate experience to candidates and prospects, acting as an ambassador of the organisation’s talent brand.
- Manage multiple research and search projects in parallel, maintaining clear project trackers, prioritising critical deliverables and meeting agreed deadlines.
- Create clear, executive-ready presentations and written briefings that communicate research methodology, market findings, candidate evidence, risks and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of research tools, templates, knowledge management and ways of working across the Leadership Recruitment practice.
- 5+ years of executive search, leadership recruiting, talent intelligence or executive research experience.
- Demonstrable experience delivering executive-level market mapping, talent identification, competitor research and candidate longlisting assignments.
- Prior experience in an executive search firm, in-house executive search function, research-led recruitment environment or relevant talent intelligence role is preferred.
- Strong research capability across databases, professional networks and open-source information, with the judgement to assess source quality and relevance.
- Strong relationship-building skills with senior candidates and internal stakeholders.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion while working within a large, complex global business.
- Ability to establish trust and act as a credible research and talent adviser to business leaders and recruitment managers.
- Previous experience working with globally distributed teams is preferred.
- Strong understanding of European professional services, technology or digital markets, or the ability to build market expertise quickly through structured research.
Professional Skills Requirements:
- Passion for executive recruitment, research and the ways that evidence-led talent decisions can transform organisations.
- Advanced research skills and the creativity and persistence to uncover hard-to-find senior talent beyond obvious or well-known profiles.
- Strong analytical capability, including the ability to structure ambiguous questions, compare evidence, identify patterns and draw concise, defensible conclusions.
- High attention to detail and commitment to data quality, accurate documentation and consistent research standards.
- Ability to present complex market and candidate information as clear, commercially relevant insight for C-suite and Managing Director audiences.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills at C-suite level.
- Excellent project management skills.
- An inquisitive mindset, intellectual curiosity and a strong external-market orientation.
- Strong organisational and time-management skills.
- Confidence using research platforms, applicant tracking or CRM tools, spreadsheets and presentation software to organise, analyse and communicate findings.
Candidates must be legally authorized to live and work in the country where the position is based, without requiring employer sponsorship.
HelloKindred is committed to fair, transparent, and inclusive hiring practices. We assess candidates based on skills, experience, and role-related requirements.
We appreciate your interest in this opportunity. While we review every application carefully, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
HelloKindred is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.