Lead Delivery Consultant (Aviation & Aerospace)

This is a senior, hands-on delivery role. In the short-term this is not a people-management or P&L role: you'll own the methodology, discipline and rigor behind how we deliver retained and contingent search assignments, working closely with the ADAA, consultants and Associate Directors across both divisions.

You'll need a proven track record of delivering retained search assignments end-to-end, from research and market mapping through to offer and close, and equally strong experience of contingent delivery, where pace, coverage and responsiveness matter just as much as process.

Alongside leading searches yourself, you'll help raise the standard of delivery across the wider team: building and embedding a consistent methodology, coaching consultants on how to run a search properly, and acting as the go-to person when a search needs to get back on track.

This is very much a 180 role. The large majority of your time, roughly 90-95%, goes on delivery: running your own searches and raising the bar across the team. The other 5-10% is set aside deliberately for something different. It isn't business development in the traditional sense of pitching, negotiating fees or closing clients; it's lead generation, opportunity gathering and networking that feeds the wider team's pipeline. We keep the two clearly separate so delivery never gets squeezed by sales pressure. Section 3 below spells out exactly how that split works.

This is a role for someone who wants to be known as an outstanding deliverer of search, not someone stepping away from hands-on recruitment looking for an “easier life”.

Principal accountabilities

The Lead Delivery Consultant is principally responsible for:

• Continually developing our search delivery methodology across both retained and contingent assignments.
• Personally leading and delivering a portfolio of retained and contingent search assignments at mid-senior level to a consistently high standard.
• Supporting the ADAA as the senior point of reference for delivery quality, pace and best practice across the consultant team.
• Coaching and upskilling consultants on search strategy, research, candidate assessment, pipeline management and delivery discipline.
• Identifying assignments that are drifting or under-resourced and helping get them back on track.
• Spending a clearly defined 5-10% of your time on lead generation, opportunity gathering and networking that supports the wider business, rather than taking on traditional business development or client-acquisition responsibility.
• Maintaining our standards around confidentiality, candidate consent, data protection and recruitment compliance across every search.
• Producing and reporting delivery statistics, pipeline visibility and quality indicators for the ADAA where required.
• Representing Oaklands Global professionally in direct dealings with clients, candidates, suppliers and other stakeholders on the searches you lead or support.
• Protecting the standards, culture, commercial interests and reputation of Oaklands Global through the quality of what we deliver.

1. Executive search delivery methodology

• This is the heart of the role. We want someone who can define what “great” looks like for a search at Oaklands Global, and make sure that standard holds whether the assignment is retained or contingent.
• In close collaboration with our ADAA, continually refine our end-to-end search delivery methodology, covering research, market mapping, search strategy, candidate assessment, shortlisting, offer management and close.
• Define a clear, distinct approach for retained assignments: depth of market mapping, exclusivity, structured client reporting and milestone-based delivery, versus contingent assignments, where pace, breadth of sourcing and responsiveness come first.
• Build practical tools, templates and playbooks that make it easier for consultants to run a search properly, without piling on unnecessary process.
• Set clear expectations for search planning, timescales and client reporting from the outset of every assignment.
• Keep the methodology current with best practice in executive search, research techniques, sourcing technology and candidate engagement.
• Work with the Associate Directors to keep methodology, tools and delivery standards aligned across both divisions.

2. Personal search delivery

• You'll remain a genuine practitioner here. Leading by example matters more than managing from a distance.
• Personally lead and deliver a portfolio of retained search assignments at mid-senior level, taking full ownership from research through to placement.
• Personally lead and deliver contingent search assignments at mid-senior level, with the pace, coverage and responsiveness that contingent work demands.
• Build deep, accurate market maps and candidate pools for the searches you run.
• Manage candidate engagement, assessment, referencing and offer management to a consistently high standard.
• Keep clients properly informed throughout the life of a search, with clear, structured updates.
• Show, through your own delivery, the standard the rest of the team is expected to meet.

3. Delivery and opportunity gathering: how the split works

• This is a 180 role: the vast majority of your time is delivery, not business development. But we also want someone with their ear to the ground, so a clearly defined 5-10% of your time is set aside for something different.
• What that time is for:
• Building and maintaining a personal network across your markets: candidates, former candidates, clients and wider industry contacts.
• Picking up on early signals, such as an upcoming hire, a restructure, a funding round or a leadership change, that could turn into a search mandate down the line.
• Attending industry events, conferences and networking forums to build visibility and relationships.
• Sharing market intelligence and potential leads with the Managing Director and Associate Directors for them to take forward commercially.
• Keeping light-touch relationships warm with past candidates and clients, so Oaklands Global stays front of mind.
• What it's not for:
• Owning a personal billing or new-business target.
• Pitching for new client relationships, negotiating terms or closing retained mandates.
• Taking commercial responsibility for winning or managing client accounts.
• Being measured on revenue generated from the leads you surface.
• Spot the opportunity, make the introduction, and hand it to the Managing Director or the relevant Associate Director to take forward commercially. Closing it isn't part of this role.

4. Delivery quality, pace and client/candidate experience

• Beyond your own searches, you'll help protect the quality and pace of delivery across the team, spotting problems early and helping consultants put them right.
• Review live searches and recruitment assignments with consultants to check plan, strategy and progress against agreed timescales.
• Review the quality of candidate submissions, interview notes, recommendations and client communication.
• Help consultants rethink a search when it isn't producing the right results, whether retained or contingent.
• Spot assignments that are starting to drift and work with the relevant consultant to get them back on track before they become a client or commercial problem.
• Make sure candidates get the level of communication and service we expect at every stage of a search.
• Maintain our standards around confidentiality, candidate consent, data protection and recruitment compliance.
• Flag recurring delivery issues or risks to the leadership team rather than owning performance management directly.

5. Coaching and delivery support across the team

• This isn't a line-management role, but it is a visible one. Consultants should see you as the person who can help them deliver a search better.
• Coach consultants on search strategy, research technique, candidate assessment, pipeline management and delivery discipline.
• Run training sessions and share practical delivery skills across both divisions.
• Support consultants directly on complex or difficult searches where your experience can make a real difference.
• Help newer consultants build sound delivery habits early, working alongside the ADAA on onboarding where relevant.
• Share market and delivery intelligence that helps the wider team produce better, faster outcomes for clients.

6. Delivery operations, tools and reporting

• A good delivery function runs on accurate information. You'll help make sure ours does.
• Keep CRM records for the searches you run, including candidates, clients, activity and progress, accurate and current.
• Help maintain clear visibility of live assignments, candidate pipelines and delivery timescales across the team.
• Review and help improve the use of CRM functionality, sourcing tools, recruitment technology and reporting relevant to delivery.
• Produce delivery statistics and quality indicators for the leadership team where required.
• Spot inefficiencies in how searches are delivered and suggest practical changes that improve pace or quality.

7. Market and sector expertise

• Oaklands Global is built around sector specialism. Strong delivery depends on understanding the markets we work in properly.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the markets relevant to the searches you deliver.
• Keep up to date with relevant investment activity, M&A, expansion, leadership changes, major contracts, hiring trends and skills shortages.
• Use market intelligence to strengthen search strategy, market mapping and candidate targeting.
• Support consultants in developing genuine expertise within their specialist sectors.
• Support Oaklands Global's positioning as a credible specialist within Aviation & Aerospace.

Experience and skills required

• A proven track record of delivering retained executive search assignments end-to-end, from research through to placement, at mid-senior level.
• Strong, demonstrable experience of contingent search delivery, with the pace and coverage that requires.
• A detailed, practical understanding of executive search methodology: market mapping, research, candidate assessment and search project management.
• Experience building or improving search delivery processes, tools or playbooks.
• The ability to diagnose why a search isn't working and put it right.
• Strong coaching skills, and you enjoy helping other consultants improve their delivery.
• Excellent research, market mapping and candidate assessment skills.
• Confidence using CRM systems, LinkedIn Recruiter, job boards, sourcing tools and recruitment technology.
• Strong client-facing and account management skills, with the ability to manage client expectations and communication through a search.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation and interpersonal communication skills.
• High levels of organisation, resilience and attention to detail.
• A natural networker, comfortable building relationships and picking up market intelligence without needing a formal business development target.
• A full UK driving licence.

Experience within Aviation & Aerospace is a strong plus, though an engineering-led market specialism works just as well. What matters most to us is a track record of delivering both retained and contingent search assignments to a very high standard.

The person

• Delivery discipline - brings rigor and consistency to every search, whatever the pressure or timescale.
• Tenacity - a no-excuses mindset focused on accountability and results.
• Excellence - doesn't accept corner-cutting, poor standards or delivery that isn't good enough.
• Versatility - equally comfortable with the depth of a retained search and the pace of a contingent one.
• Coaching - enjoys helping other people improve and succeed.
• Problem-solving - spots issues early and finds practical ways to put a search back on track.
• Anticipation - reacts to emerging problems before they become bigger ones.
• Credibility - earns the trust of consultants and Associate Directors through the quality of their own delivery.
• Curiosity - looks for better ways of doing things and isn't afraid to challenge the status quo.
• Connected - keeps an active network across the market and likes sharing what they hear, without a sales target attached.
• Collaboration - works properly with the Managing Director, Associate Directors and wider team.
• Integrity - acts in the best interests of Oaklands Global, its clients, candidates, colleagues and reputation.

How we'll measure success

Success in this role comes down to the quality, pace and consistency of what gets delivered: by you personally, and by the wider team.

The 5-10% of time spent on lead generation and networking isn't measured as a revenue or billing target. It's judged on the quality and relevance of what you surface, not the money it brings in.

• Search completion, pace and quality of delivery on your own retained and contingent assignments.
• Client retention, repeat business and account growth on searches you lead or support.
• Candidate quality and candidate experience.
• Consistent application of our delivery methodology across retained and contingent assignments.
• Improvement in delivery pace and quality across the wider consultant team.
• Quality and value of candidate pipelines on priority assignments.
• Quality and relevance of opportunities and market intelligence surfaced through networking and lead generation.
• Accuracy of CRM data and delivery reporting.
• Adherence to confidentiality, data protection and recruitment compliance standards.
• Development of consultants' delivery skills through coaching and training.
• Contribution to Oaklands Global's reputation for delivering search properly.

Why Oaklands Global?

Oaklands Global was founded in 2013 and is a specialist executive search and recruitment business operating across Aviation & Aerospace and Investment Banking.

Being a sector specialist matters to us. We want our consultants to properly understand the markets they work in, know the businesses and people within them, and build long-term credibility with clients and candidates.

Today we work with clients across the globe through our specialist Aviation & Aerospace and Investment Banking divisions.

We're having an exceptional year. The team is growing, the business is performing well, and we're moving into bigger offices later this year as we prepare for the next stage of growth.

We hold ourselves to a high standard on research, on delivery, and on how we treat clients and candidates. But we don't want to lose what's made Oaklands successful as we get bigger: the pace and the entrepreneurial feel of the place. We work hard, we back each other, and we know how to enjoy the wins too.

That's why this hire matters.

We want someone who can come in and raise the bar for how we deliver search: someone who's done it themselves, at pace, across both retained and contingent work, and who gets satisfaction from helping other people do it better too.

If you're a search professional who cares as much about how you deliver as what you bill, and you like keeping your eyes and ears open across the market without chasing a sales target, we'd like to talk.