Consultant Headhunter – Fixed Income Sales & Trading
London or New York | Global Coverage | Retained Search

The Firm

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

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

The business model is split:

50% retained executive search
50% strategic research and advisory

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

Clients include:

Investment banks
Hedge funds
Asset managers

The Role

This is a principal-level position with responsibility for leading retained search mandates.

You will operate across the full lifecycle of a search, with direct exposure to clients and candidates at senior level.

Core responsibilities:

Lead delivery of retained mandates across fixed income sales and trading
Manage client relationships through the full search process
Map and analyse relevant market segments (by product, desk, and region)
Identify and engage senior talent globally
Provide structured market feedback to clients throughout the process
Support offer management and close

The role is execution-heavy but requires sound judgement. You are expected to contribute to how searches are shaped, not just delivered.

Market Coverage

Focus is across fixed income sales and trading, including but not limited to:

Rates
Credit
FX
Emerging markets
Structured products

Coverage is international, with most mandates spanning London, New York, and key regional hubs.

Positioning

You will sit at principal level within a small team.

This involves:

Owning delivery on key mandates
Acting as a primary point of contact for selected clients
Contributing to market intelligence and internal knowledge
Supporting and guiding more junior team members where required

There is an expectation of independence and consistent output.

Performance Environment

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

Revenue is driven by:

Retained search fees
Repeat client work
Long-term candidate relationships

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

Requirements

Relevant experience is expected.

Typical backgrounds include:

Search or recruitment within financial markets
Experience hiring into sales and trading environments
Exposure to retained or project-based hiring models

Key attributes:

Strong understanding of fixed income market structure
Ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders
Commercial awareness and sound judgement
Consistent execution across complex search processes

Progression

Progression is based on output and client ownership.

Those who:

Consistently deliver mandates
Develop client relationships
Contribute to revenue generation

will move into broader client ownership and leadership responsibility over time.

Summary

This is a delivery-led principal role within a focused, high-value search environment.

It suits individuals who are already operating at a good level and want more ownership, stronger client exposure, and access to retained work within fixed income markets.