Practice Lead – Fixed Income Sales & Trading
London, New York or Dubai | Global Coverage | Retained Search & Advisory

The Firm

Boutique search and advisory firm focused on fixed income sales and trading.

Three offices: London, New York, Dubai.
Headcount is intentionally lean. Mandate value and selectivity are high.

The business operates across:

50% retained executive search
50% strategic research and advisory

Assignments are typically senior front office hires across global sales and trading functions. Most mandates are exclusive, retained, and international in scope.

Clients include:

Investment banks
Hedge funds
Asset managers

The Role

This is a senior leadership position for an experienced financial markets search professional.

You will lead the fixed income sales and trading practice, taking ownership of senior mandates, strategic client relationships, revenue generation, and overall market development across the desk.

The role combines retained search execution, commercial leadership, and market strategy.

You will be expected to operate as a trusted advisor to clients while helping shape the direction and growth of the broader business.

Core responsibilities:

Lead retained executive search mandates across fixed income sales and trading
Own and develop senior client relationships globally
Drive business development and expansion within existing accounts
Contribute to practice strategy, market positioning, and revenue growth
Map and analyse relevant market segments across products, regions, and competitors
Identify and engage senior front office talent internationally
Provide structured market intelligence and hiring insight to clients
Support and mentor junior consultants and researchers
Manage complex offer processes and senior-level negotiations

This is not purely a delivery role. There is a strong expectation of commercial ownership, leadership capability, and market credibility.

Market Coverage

Coverage spans fixed income sales and trading globally, including:

Rates
Credit
FX
Emerging Markets
Structured Products

Mandates are typically focused across London, New York, and major international financial hubs.

Positioning

You will sit at Practice Lead level within the business.

This involves:

Leading a core vertical within the firm
Owning strategic client relationships
Driving revenue growth across the practice
Acting as a senior market representative internally and externally
Helping develop internal capability and delivery standards
Contributing to long-term business growth initiatives

The environment is intentionally entrepreneurial. Individuals are given significant autonomy alongside high expectations.

Performance Environment

Top performers within the business bill in excess of $3m annually.

Revenue is driven through:

Retained executive search
Repeat and embedded client relationships
High-value senior mandates
Long-term market credibility

The structure supports high-value, lower-volume delivery rather than contingent activity-driven recruitment.

Requirements

Strong relevant experience within financial markets recruitment or executive search is expected.

Typical backgrounds include:

Fixed income recruitment
Sales and trading executive search
Front office financial markets hiring
Retained search environments

Key attributes:

Strong understanding of fixed income market structure
Ability to operate credibly with senior front office stakeholders
Commercially driven with experience developing client relationships
Strong execution capability across complex search mandates
Leadership capability with the ability to influence internally and externally
High levels of ownership, judgement, and consistency

Progression

The role offers scope for broader leadership responsibility over time.

Individuals who successfully:

Grow client relationships
Drive practice revenue
Develop internal capability
Build market presence

will have the opportunity to take on wider leadership responsibility across geography, product coverage, or broader functional areas.

Summary

This is a senior Practice Lead opportunity within a highly specialised search and advisory firm operating at the top end of fixed income markets.