Executive Search Consultant

Kelham Partners is a specialist executive search firm working exclusively across the global speciality chemicals and ingredients industry. We partner with businesses internationally to recruit senior leaders and specialist talent through retained search.

We’re looking for an experienced Recruitment Delivery Consultant to take ownership of assignments, build trusted relationships with candidates and clients, and help shape the delivery function of a growing business.

If you enjoy researching markets, engaging talented people and understanding what makes someone right for an opportunity, this is a chance to develop your career in international executive search.

The Role

Working closely with our founder, you’ll manage searches from the initial brief through to a successful appointment.

Your primary focus will be recruitment delivery. You’ll have responsibility for understanding the brief, developing the search approach, identifying and assessing candidates, and keeping each assignment moving.

You’ll also contribute market intelligence and recognise opportunities arising through your conversations and relationships.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Understanding clients’ businesses, hiring requirements and the challenges behind each appointment.
• Developing search strategies and mapping relevant companies, competitors and talent pools across international markets.
• Identifying and approaching candidates, including people who are not actively looking for a new role.
• Conducting detailed interviews to understand candidates’ experience, achievements, motivations and suitability.
• Producing clear candidate reports and considered shortlist recommendations.
• Building relationships with hiring managers and providing regular progress updates and honest market feedback.
• Managing candidates through interviews, feedback, offers and acceptance, maintaining a positive experience throughout.
• Organising multiple assignments, identifying potential obstacles early and taking ownership of next steps.
• Contributing ideas to improve our research, search processes and ways of working.

About You

Essential experience:

• At least five years’ experience working in recruitment.
• Experience in permanent recruitment.
• Have worked within manufacturing segments

Experience in retained recruitment and international recruitment would be an advantage, but neither is essential.

We’re interested in people from a range of recruitment sector backgrounds who want to develop their expertise in a specialist market.

You’ll enjoy getting beyond a CV to understand someone’s experience, motivations and potential. You’ll be curious about how businesses operate and willing to explore different approaches when a search becomes challenging.

You’ll bring strong organisation, clear communication and pride in the quality of your work. You should be comfortable taking responsibility, keeping people informed and offering a considered opinion.

This role will suit someone who enjoys working closely with others and wants to contribute ideas as the business develops.

What we offer

• Hybrid working: Manchester office on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with home working on Monday and Wednesday.
• Flexible start and finish times.
• 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to purchase up to five additional days.
• Two weeks working from anywhere, with the opportunity to increase this based on sustained performance.
• Annual development allowance, which can support professional development, learning and wellbeing.
• Early Friday finishes during summer
• Apple tech kit.
• A paid annual team charity day.
• Opportunities to attend international industry events and conferences.
• Exposure to senior leadership hiring and complex international search assignments.

Why join Kelham Partners?

You’ll be joining a business at a stage where your contribution can influence how we work, the experience we give clients and candidates, and the standards we build around.

You’ll work directly with a founder who brings both chemicals industry experience and an established career in specialist recruitment. You’ll have the opportunity to deepen your search expertise, build international relationships and take on meaningful responsibility.

As the business grows, there is potential to develop into mentoring, delivery leadership, greater client ownership or other responsibilities that suit your strengths and ambitions.

We care about thoughtful work, honest communication, sharing knowledge and doing what we say we will do.

Kelham Partners welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences who meet the essential requirements.