Talent Partner (Financial Services)

Compensation: up to £100,000 + bonus + equity
Location: London, onsite

Hawkwood is partnering with one of the fastest-growing enterprise AI companies in financial services as it continues to build its London and European organisation.

The company has raised more than $300m, with a reported valuation of approximately $2bn. It is backed by some of the world's leading tech investors, including Sequoia and Thrive Capital, alongside strategic investment from a number of major global banks.

Having established significant traction in the US, the business is now investing heavily in its international expansion. As part of that growth, they are looking for an experienced recruiter to take ownership of hiring across their strategic financial services organisation in London and Europe.

This is a unique recruiting challenge. You'll build relationships with high-calibre front-office professionals across investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, trading and corporate finance, engaging people who may not have previously considered leaving traditional finance for a technology company.

You'll work closely with the company's Co-Founder, senior business leaders and EMEA Talent leadership to define the profiles they need, map the market and build long-term pipelines of finance talent. The role combines the rigour and relationship-building of executive search with the pace, ownership and breadth of an in-house role at a rapidly scaling AI company.

The company operates with a high-performance, high-ownership culture, so this is an opportunity for someone who wants to build networks, solve difficult talent problems and play a key role in shaping how an international organisation scales.

What you'll do:

• Build and own proactive pipelines of high-calibre front-office finance talent across London and Europe, spanning investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, trading, corporate finance and adjacent investment backgrounds.
• Lead full-cycle recruitment, from market mapping and initial engagement through screening, interview management, offer negotiation and close.
• Partner closely with the cofounder and senior business leaders to define roles, calibrate talent profiles and establish what exceptional finance talent looks like as the European organisation grows.
• Develop long-term relationships with passive candidates, creating talent communities and networks rather than relying primarily on active applicants or transactional sourcing.
• Help position the company as a compelling career destination within London and European finance, engaging relevant alumni communities, referral networks and industry events.
• Build talent segmentation and market-mapping frameworks that give leadership a clear view of the strongest talent pools across different financial institutions, functions and European markets.
• Act as a trusted advisor on the external talent market, bringing insight around candidate availability, compensation, competitors and the realities of persuading high-performing finance professionals to move into AI.
• Operate comfortably across both strategy and execution, from challenging and refining a hiring brief to personally sourcing, engaging and closing candidates.
• Use recruiting technology, data and AI tools to identify pipeline gaps, improve workflows and build a more scalable approach to hiring as the organisation grows.
• Deliver a high-quality candidate experience throughout, recognising that many of the people you engage will be making a significant and potentially unconventional career move.