Intern - Executive Search

IntroductionAt LEAD we believe that exceptional business performance is powered by leadership and data. We’re on a fast-growth journey — working with high-impact clients across Services and Private Equity to identify the leaders that move the needle. As we scale, we’re looking for someone passionate about people, business and the mechanics of building a modern executive consultancy to join us as an intern. You’ll gain visibility across both our client-facing search work and the internal platform, processes and market presence that underpin how we deliver.                                          Executive Search InternLocation: London / HybridDuration: FlexibleAbout UsLEAD is a boutique, agile executive search firm working at the intersection of leadership, business strategy and data-driven insight. Our clients include high-growth, investor-backed businesses and ambitious services organisations. As a young, energetic firm, we’re building from the ground up — and every team member plays a key part in our growth story.Joining us as an intern means being part of the effort to scale our brand, refine our processes, support active searches, and play a role in how we show up in the market.The RoleWe’re looking for an Executive Search Intern who is curious, self-motivated and excited to get stuck in. You’ll be working side-by-side with our founding team on real assignments, supporting live client engagements, and getting involved in developing the infrastructure that supports our growth. This role is about doing — you’ll be delivering research, engaging in client-work and helping build our internal engine.What You’ll Be DoingYou’ll be exposed to a broad range of responsibilities across three main areas:Client & Search WorkParticipate in live search assignments from briefing through to completion: conducting research, mapping talent pools, and assisting with candidate outreach.Prepare candidate profiles, briefing notes and client-ready reports, helping our team maintain high quality and insight.Engage in discussions around search strategy, talent market mapping and candidate evaluation, and assist with interview scheduling and communications. Business Development, Marketing & CRMLink our Private Equity (PE)-focused marketing efforts with our CRM system — ensuring our outreach, contact-management and business development activities are aligned and tracked effectively.Support CRM management and data-quality initiatives to ensure our system is a strong foundation for client, candidate and investor relationships.Assist with go-to-market (GTM) initiatives: helping align research, outreach, content and relationship activities to strengthen our external presence.Contribute to marketing: creating content for LinkedIn, thought-leadership pieces, and helping build our brand through market insight and storytelling. Internal Projects & Ad Hoc InitiativesContribute to internal workflow and system improvements: helping test, refine and document tools, templates, and processes.Support special projects and one-off pieces of work that come up during the internship — whether it’s deep research dives, presentation development, analytics, or operational support.Gain exposure to how an executive search firm grows: the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of how we set ourselves up for scalability and market impact.About YouYou might be studying business, psychology, human resources, marketing or communications — or you might have taken a less traditional route. What’s important is your mindset and drive. We’re looking for someone who:Has a natural curiosity about people, business and how leadership shapes organisational success.Is confident communicating — both in writing and verbally.Is research-minded and comfortable working with data, online tools, and digital platforms (Excel/Google Sheets, LinkedIn, a CRM).Is highly organised, detail-oriented, and capable of juggling multiple tasks in a fast-moving environment.Is proactive, adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity — in a start-up setting you’ll often be figuring things out as we go.Is excited about being part of building something — not just the role, but the business itself.What You’ll Get Out of ItReal-world exposure to executive search and leadership advisory work with high-impact clients.The chance to work directly with founders and senior consultants, gaining mentorship and insight.Hands-on experience in both client-facing delivery and internal business-building — a rare combination.Insight into private equity, venture-backed companies and high-growth services businesses.Opportunity to contribute ideas, take ownership of tasks and see your work make a real difference.A collaborative, learning-focused environment where your initiative and curiosity are genuinely valued.A strong possibility of a full-time role at the end of the internship, based on performance and business needs.WHO we areAt LEAD, we believe great leadership starts with being human. That’s why we bring empathy, curiosity, and a sense of humour to everything we do. We partner with Services and Private Equity businesses to help them find, grow, and support the kind of leaders who don’t just deliver results - they inspire people. As a purpose-driven executive consultancy and data business, we’re serious about accountability and obsessed with delighting our clients. We balance rigor with honesty, insight with integrity, and we never forget that meaningful work can also be enjoyable.What sets us apart is not just our depth of industry expertise and networks but how we do it: our values are Laughter, Empathy, Accountability and Delight. We welcome clients and new talent, to our ever-growing team, who share our values; and believe we can all LEAD in how future businesses should operate.