[Hiring] Director Research @Top Line Advisory

Role Description

As Director Research, you are the engine of our search delivery: you find the candidates others miss - through deep market knowledge, creative sourcing, and the smart use of modern AI tools.

• Candidate Sourcing & Identification: Build longlists for C-level and Senior Sales/GTM mandates via LinkedIn Recruiter, Apollo, AI sourcing tools, and your own research methodology.
• Market Mapping: Systematically screen target industries, competitors, and career paths - who is relevant, who is moving, who is ready for the next step.
• AI-Driven Research: Use and further develop our AI sourcing workflows (ChatGPT, Claude, Custom Agents) to scale and elevate the quality of our research.
• Candidate Profiling: Create structured candidate profiles, conduct background research, and provide first assessments against the scorecard.
• Knowledge Building: Build and maintain our internal talent database and industry insights for recurring mandates (PE portfolio, DACH B2B).

Qualifications

• Research Experience in a Top-Tier Executive Search Firm: Several years in a Senior Researcher role at a leading global search firm or comparable boutique.
• Research Excellence & Speed: Ability to understand new industries and profile requirements fast and dig deeper than others when it comes to finding the right candidate.
• Tool Mastery: Technical literacy with openness to leverage accuracy and speed of emerging AI tools (e.g. Juicebox, Apollo, etc.) as well as experience in using traditional search tools (e.g. LinkedIn Recruiter, etc.).
• Structured Analytical Mindset: Think in markets, patterns, and target groups - no blind list-processing, but hypothesis-driven research.
• Language: Fluent English is required, German is a plus.

Benefits

• AI-First Environment: You don't work against modern tools - you work with them, and actively shape how we redefine research.
• Senior Exposure: Direct collaboration with the founders (ex-McKinsey, ex-CxO Unicorns) and insight into C-level searches for top PE clients.
• Remote-First, Outcome-Driven: Work from wherever you are most productive - outcome beats presence.