A True Executive Search Process for Senior Alternative Investment Hires
When the caliber of your next hire will shape your fund's trajectory, you need a partner-led, systematic search - not a stack of resumes. We map the market, systematically pursue and screen talent, deliver a curated shortlist of 5 to 10 candidates that are rigorously vetted for technical fit, cultural alignment, and long-term impact.
97% execution rate. Partner-led from kickoff to close. Built exclusively for alternative investments.
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Eight Steps from Diagnostic to Accepted Offer
Every retained search follows the same rigorous, transparent methodology - adapted to your firm's specific requirements. Every step is partner-led. Nothing is outsourced or automated.
Diagnostic
Before any engagement begins, we meet with you to understand your firm's needs, hiring history, and what hasn't worked before. If retained search isn't the right model for your situation, we'll tell you.
You receive: An honest assessment of whether retained search is the right approach, initial market perspective on the role's feasibility, and a clear picture of what working with us looks like.
Proposal
Based on the diagnostic, we prepare a formal presentation tailored to your search. Strategy, market trends, target profile, target firms, benchmark profiles and commercial terms - presented to all stakeholders so everyone is aligned before we begin. No surprises on scope, fees, or process
You receive: The full presentation deck following the session, providing a clear, documented view of the team, scope, strategy, and fee structure. Complete transparency on what you're investing in.
Kickoff
We begin the engagement by conducting a thorough briefing with all key stakeholders. We develop a deep understanding of the job profile, your culture, value proposition, and develop the most compelling message to take to market. We define what success looks like and who will thrive in this seat. This is where our expertise matters most: we know the right questions to ask.
You receive: Access to your project in our CRM, where you can view the finalized position spec, sourcing strategy, candidate scorecard, and watch our sourcing efforts unfold in real time.
Research & Candidate Outreach
We conduct comprehensive primary research across the talent pool. We start by identifying target companies and mapping their organizational structures. We build a longlist of candidates systematically, including benchmark profiles, connectors, and former employees who meet the spec. Longlists can range from dozens to hundreds of candidates. Whatever the number, our process ensures full market coverage.
We then make direct, confidential outreach to your candidate pool to determine interest and availability.
You receive: A market map of target companies, as well as a detailed long list of all potential candidates, viewable in our CRM.
Candidate Assessments
Using the scorecard we developed during the Kickoff, we assess candidates in face-to-face interviews. We evaluate each candidate’s work history, track record, functional and behavioral competencies, career motivations, as well as their alignment with your culture to determine their fit. We use a structured interview framework to ensure candidate assessments are consistent and comparable.
You receive: Weekly updates on our progress, including candidates contacted, assessed, and disqualified. Everything is transparent and can be viewed in real time through our CRM.
Shortlist Presentation
After the conclusion of our assessments, we come together to present a curated shortlist of candidates who will thrive in the role. In this face to face meeting, we will walk you through the broad takeaways from our research, outreach, and assessment activities, then dive into the shortlist. We will walk you through each candidate’s assessment, including their qualifications, interest, availability, and our recommendation. We will detail how we came to our recommendations, answer questions, and share insights which will shape your interviews and empower you to make vital hiring decisions.
You receive: The shortlist, complete with candidate assessments and our recommendations. You also receive a report detailing compensation benchmarks, market intelligence, and other takeaways from our research and outreach.
Client Interviews & Calibration Meetings
Throughout the search, we hold regularly scheduled steering meetings to keep you informed and ensure the search remains aligned with your objectives.
These collaborative sessions take place before and throughout the assessment process. We share market feedback, discuss themes emerging from our outreach, and, where appropriate, present a small number of early candidate profiles to validate our direction and gather your feedback. This allows us to refine the search in real time before finalizing the shortlist.
By the time we reach the Shortlisting Presentation, every recommended candidate has been thoroughly assessed and selected with confidence, ensuring every introduction is intentional rather than simply presenting volume.
You receive: Weekly progress reports with market feedback, candidate pipeline status, and any recommended adjustments to the search strategy. Full transparency, no black boxes.
Offer & Close
When you've identified your preferred candidate, we manage the offer end-to-end: structuring compensation based on market data and candidate expectations, anticipating and navigating counter-offers,and maintaining close engagement through acceptance, start date, and beyond. The search isn't complete until the candidate is successfully in the seat.
You receive: Interview coordination, offer structuring guidance based on market comp data, counter-offer strategy, reference coordination, and post-acceptance check-ins through the start date and long after.
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Why Senior Alternative Investment Hires Deserve a Dedicated Search
Most companies have used contingent firms before. Some have had good experiences. But for senior, strategic, or niche roles in alternative investments, the contingent model has structural limitations that cost you time, quality, and outcomes.
Who leads the search
Contingent Search
Junior staff working multiple openings simultaneously. The person who pitched their services is rarely the person doing the work.
Retained Search (The Locke Group)
Partner led execution. Every engagement is led by a Partner, guiding search strategy, directly participating in candidate evaluation, providing updates/market insights, and taking full ownership from start to close.
Candidate sourcing
Contingent Search
Minimal research or market mapping performed. Candidate pools are typically limited to existing relationships, active job seekers, and resumes sourced through job boards.
Retained Search (The Locke Group)
Only ~30% of qualified investment talent is actively looking. We map and directly approach the other 70% — the passive market that job boards and contingent searches never reach. Typically 100-300+ candidates per search.
Screening depth
Contingent Search
Light screening. Candidates are assessed and advanced quickly, as recruiters juggle multiple searches and compete to submit first.
Retained Search (The Locke Group)
Structured interviews against your search specification. Every candidate evaluated on technical capability, cultural fit, motivations, and compensation alignment before you see them.
Exclusivity & focus
Contingent Search
No exclusivity. Multiple firms may be working the same search, creating market noise and candidate confusion.
Retained Search (The Locke Group)
Exclusive, dedicated engagement. Your search has a named team, a defined process, and weekly accountability. No competing priorities.
Market intelligence
Contingent Search
Minimal. You receive resumes without supporting data. No compensation benchmarking, no talent pool analysis, no competitive intelligence.
Retained Search (The Locke Group)
Every search produces market intelligence - compensation data, organizational mapping, candidate sentiment, and competitive insights you can use long after the hire.
Client communication
Contingent Search
Sporadic updates. No structured process. You often find yourself chasing status reports.
Retained Search (The Locke Group)
Weekly steering meetings with progress reports, candidate pipeline updates, market feedback, and strategy calibration. You always know where you stand.
Execution rate
Contingent Search
Industry average: 25% for contingent searches at the senior level. Many are abandoned or filled by other means.
Retained Search (The Locke Group)
97% execution rate - consistently, every year. When we take on a search, we close it.
Offer & close support
Contingent Search
Limited involvement.Candidate expectations, offer structuring, resignation, and counter-offers are often left to the client, increasing risk of delays or fallout.
Retained Search (The Locke Group)
Full offer management - compensation structuring, counter-offer protection, resignation guidance, and check-ins through the start date and after.
A Real Example: What Happens When Contingent Falls Short
Metropolitan Partners Group, a private credit firm, engaged a contingent recruiter for a senior hire. After several months and more than 40 interviews, they had no offer and no hire.
We stepped in with a retained search. Within 8 weeks: 7 candidates presented, 2 finalists, 1 accepted offer. The difference wasn't luck - it was process.
Contingent Search
interviews, no hire
Retained Result
presented, hired in <2 months
Eight Deliverables, Every Engagement
A retained search with The Locke Group isn't just a hire - it's a body of work. Here's exactly what you can expect from every engagement, no matter the role or seniority.
Search Specification Document
A detailed written brief covering role requirements, technical competencies, cultural criteria, compensation parameters, and success metrics. Reviewed and approved by you before outreach begins.
Market Map & Target Universe
A comprehensive mapping of the relevant talent pool - who's where, organizational structures at target firms, and our approach strategy. Strategic value beyond the immediate hire.
Weekly Progress Reports
Structured updates delivered in weekly steering meetings: candidate pipeline, market feedback, search parameter adjustments, and timeline tracking. No guessing, no chasing.
Candidate Assessments
Detailed written evaluations for every shortlisted candidate - technical assessment, cultural fit analysis, compensation expectations, career motivations, and our recommendation.
Compensation Benchmarking
Market-based compensation analysis specific to the role, seniority, strategy, and geography. Ensures your offer is competitive without overpaying - based on real data, not guesses.
Curated Shortlist Presentation
A formal presentation of 5–10 pre-vetted candidates with comparative analysis, ranking rationale, and interview recommendations. You're choosing from a quality group, not sifting through volume.
Offer Structuring & Close Support
End-to-end offer management including compensation package guidance, counter-offer protection, resignation support, and candidate engagement through their start date.
Confidentiality Protocols
Every search is conducted under strict confidentiality. Candidate identities are protected until you're ready to meet. Your firm's name is only shared with candidates you approve.
Weekly
Steering Meetings
4–6 Weeks
Typical Time to Shortlist
Partner-Led
From Kickoff to Close
The Real Cost Is Getting the Hire Wrong
We get it. A retained search requires a financial commitment before the outcome is known. But the fee is only one part of the equation. Consider the cost of a search that drags on for six months, dozens of interviews that consume your leadership's time, or a hire who ultimately does not work out and needs to be replaced.
At the senior level, the cost of getting a hire wrong can extend well beyond compensation, affecting productivity, team stability, momentum, and missed opportunities.
Our retained fee is a fraction of that exposure. With a 97% execution rate, our process is built to give clients a much higher degree of confidence that the search will reach a successful outcome.
What Your Retainer Investment Includes
Partner-level attention from kickoff to close
Not junior researchers doing the work while partners pitch new business.
Primary market research, not database matching
100–300+ candidates identified and approached per search.
Market intelligence you keep
Compensation data, talent mapping, and competitive insights - yours regardless of outcome.
Accountability and exclusivity
A dedicated team, weekly reporting, and a 97% track record of closing the search.
Full offer management and close support
Counter-offer protection, resignation guidance, and engagement through the start date and long after.
We discuss fees and engagement structure during our initial diagnostic conversation. Every proposal is tailored to the specific search.
MidOcean Partners: Building a New Asset-Based Finance Strategy from the Ground Up
MidOcean Partners, a premier New York-based alternative asset manager specializing in middle-market private equity, structured equity, and alternative credit, set out to grow their credit platform by launching a new Asset-Based Finance (ABF) strategy. With no existing ABF team, they needed a Principal-level investor to build the function from the ground up.
This was a first-of-its-kind hire for the client. MidOcean is well established in private equity and corporate credit, but new to ABF — and candidates were cautious in gauging the firm's real commitment to the strategy. The mandate called for a Principal with the gravitas and the ability to wear multiple hats, from setting up operations to underwriting and executing deals.
We mapped the ABF market across top players and leveraged our work with a prior client to surface proven talent quickly. Using our CRM, Clockwork, and targeted outreach, our team identified and assessed 30+ candidates — screening for investment acumen and quantitative depth. Behaviorally, we identified candidates with experience operating highly independently and the ability to educate and influence senior investors.
The search produced three finalists, all sourced through The Locke Group's established ABF relationships. MidOcean hired their top choice from Northleaf Capital Partners, whose quantitative rigor, execution track record, and ability to teach and collaborate across levels set her apart. She serves as the strategy's first hire — freeing up senior leadership bandwidth and giving MidOcean a credible ABF offering to bring to investors.
Candidates Assessed
Finalists
Principal Hire
ABF Hire
Trusted by Senior Leaders Across Alternative Investments
Start a Retained Search
Whether you have a defined role in mind or need guidance on structuring a search, we're here for a confidential, no-obligation conversation. Every engagement begins with a diagnostic meeting - not a pitch. Most searches begin within one week of the diagnostic conversation. Typical time to shortlist: 6–10 weeks.