Change who leads. Change the world.
Work for a business you co-own. Stretch your thinking. Meet extraordinary leaders. Help shape organisations that matter.
Join Saxton Bampfylde, an employee-owned UK search and leadership advisory firm with a bold mission: change the world by changing who leads.
Research is at the heart of every assignment – you’ll map markets, uncover overlooked talent, and engage extraordinary leaders across sectors (think Chair roles one week, cultural leaders the next, senior public appointments after that).
If you’re curious, confident on the phone, values-led, and motivated by quality over volume, you’ll thrive in a collegiate team with real autonomy and clear progression routes.
About us
Saxton Bampfylde is a leading UK executive search and leadership advisory firm with a simple but ambitious idea: change the world by changing who leads its most interesting and important organisations.
We are proud to be an employee-owned business: the firm is held in trust for around 90 Partners who all have collective accountability for and share in the success of the business. We combine rigorous, imaginative search with a strong values-driven culture. Partners enjoy an open, collegiate environment, regular social and learning events, and wider community life that makes work feel purposeful as well as enjoyable.
The Researcher opportunity
Research sits at the heart of every assignment: it is where every great appointment begins.
You will be responsible for finding and engaging exceptional leaders, gaining rich market insight through a deep, sector-based knowledge base.
Your work happens through direct contact with potential candidates and expert sources, mainly on the phone, supported by a valuable database, online tools and specialist publications.
You will be encouraged to think creatively, to go beyond the usual suspects to find the very best candidates. This approach is central to our strong record of making unexpected, high-impact cross-sector appointments.
You typically own and deliver a project from initial mapping to longlist, with responsibility for attracting and assessing strong candidates.
Unlike many search firms, Researchers work across all sectors and with all consultants, so you might be seeking a Chair of a major commercial business one week, a Director of a national museum the next, and then a Director General for a government department. You will spend your days speaking with some of the most interesting and influential people in the country, mapping markets in depth and surfacing talent others overlook. Our approach enables you to immerse yourself in a brief, understand a market fully and focus on quality rather than volume.
The Research team and progression
The Research team come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from recent graduates to career researchers with over twenty years’ experience.
The firm welcomes people from all walks of life and offers multiple routes through the business, whether that means progressing into a consulting role or building a long-term, expert career as a Researcher. The team is spread across London, Edinburgh, Guildford and home-based roles, yet is known for being collegiate, sharing knowledge freely and supporting one another.
Who will thrive at Saxton Bampfylde
We are looking for recent graduates who are excited by ideas, organisations and people. You need to be confident engaging senior figures across an exceptionally broad range of sectors and comfortable communicating on the phone, in writing and in person.
You will be naturally curious about how organisations work and what makes them successful, with strong empathy and an interest in people’s motivations and careers.
You enjoy team-based work, can express ideas and evidence clearly and succinctly, and are motivated by thoughtful, high-quality output rather than quick wins.
From early on, you will be given real autonomy and responsibility within a supportive project team. Success in the role calls for sharp attention to detail, the ability to work at pace to tight deadlines, high personal drive and a genuine enjoyment of learning about the wider world.
How to apply
To register your interest, send your CV and the Equal Opportunities form to hr@saxbam.com with the reference RESEARCH2025, indicating where you heard about the role.
In your email, please briefly answer:
- What interests you in a career in executive search at Saxton Bampfylde?
- What makes you you – what are you passionate about, how do you choose to spend your time, whether through work, volunteering or hobbies?
Saxton Bampfylde is open and inclusive and wants its team to reflect the organisations it serves; please let us know if you would like any reasonable adjustments to support you through the interview process and beyond.
We look forward to hearing from you!