Finding the right person for a family office is a distinctive challenge. The dynamics are different, the expectations are higher, and the consequences of getting it wrong run deeper – both professionally and personally.
Eagle Private operate as family office recruiters, working exclusively within the private wealth and family office space, with an extensive network of family office professionals around the world.
What Family Office Recruitment Involves
Family office recruitment is the process of identifying, assessing and placing executives, investment professionals, finance leaders, legal advisors and operational staff within single family offices, multi-family offices, and private offices serving ultra-high-net-worth principals.
This type of recruitment is highly unique in its approach, as each family office setting is often entirely distinct. Family offices have a high level of discretion, and each hiring decision is personal – a Chief Investment Officer or Chief of Staff in a family office will work closely with the Principal, their family and in many cases their most trusted advisors. The cultural alignment of each individual and interpersonal fit are as important as qualifications.
Our family office recruitment firm goes beyond the traditional executive search methodology. We have a deep understanding of how family office structures work, what Principals actually require (other than what’s written in the brief), and a global network of professionals built through years of experience working in the industry.
As a family office recruitment agency, we act as a trusted and confidential intermediary, between Principals and an exceptionally curated talent pool, making introductions we genuinely believe will strengthen those around you, and the legacy you’re building across generations.
The Process: From Brief to Placement
Every assignment we take on follows a rigorous, personal and highly discrete process, underpinned by relationships built on trust and a genuine understanding of the family office space.
At Eagle Private, this is how we operate as family office recruiters.
Initial Consultation / Needs Analysis
We meet with the client (in person where possible) to develop and understand the organisation, its structure, culture, the Principal’s working style, and what success looks like in the first six to twelve months.
Position Profile
We help clients articulate exactly what they’re looking for, providing written documentation outlining the scope of the role, its impact, the responsibilities and other essential requirements. This often involves drawing on comparable placements we’ve made and being candid about what’s realistic in the current talent market.
Search and Identification
Our search draws on a combination of our extensive global network, direct outreach and referrals from trusted contacts across the global family office community. Many of the candidates we approach aren’t visible on the open market and access to them comes from our highly established and trusted relationships.
Assessment and Screening
A thorough evaluation of potential candidates, including in- depth personal interviews, verification of experience and credentials and determination of cultural compatibility is completed. This provides the client with an adequate basis for independent and expert recommendations. A behavioural assessment tool is often employed as part of the assessment.
Presentation and Interview Support
Only the most qualified candidates are presented to clients. We submit concise oral and written reports that include information about employment and salary history, education, management abilities, product, market, and technical knowledge, reporting relationships, communication skills, and those personal intangibles that create the cultural fit.
Interviews
Interviews with candidates that clients wish to meet are scheduled at the earliest possible opportunity. As family office recruiters, we facilitate and prepare both sides for the interview process, and we’re actively involved throughout.
Reference and Background Checks
Information obtained in the reference checking process is critical to the family office recruitment process. Our detailed and time-tested methodology provides clients with the appropriate insights from people who know the candidate best, former managers, peers and subordinates. We also conduct background checks including DBS, fiscal and social media screening.
Negotiation
Candidates are often more likely to share their incentives with a third party. This places us in a unique position to assist our clients in structuring a competitive compensation package that fits into family office parameters whilst providing appropriate incentive to the candidate.
Offer and Placement
We manage the offer process carefully, acting as an honest broker when needed. Once an appointment is made, our family office recruitment firm remains in contact with both the client and the placed candidate to ensure a smooth transition, accelerating working relations and positive impact of the new hire.
Types of Family Office Positions We Work on - From Executive, Finance to Legal
We place across a variety of family office positions, from entry-level through to C-suite. The family office jobs we’re most regularly engaged for include:
Executive and Leadership
Chief Executive Officers, Chiefs of Staff, Heads of Family Office and senior advisors operating at the strategic heart of the office.
Investment
Chief Investment Officers, Portfolio Managers, Investment Directors, Private Equity Associates, Real Assets leads, and Analysts across public markets, private equity, real estate and alternatives.
Finance
Chief Financial Officers, Finance Directors, Controllers, Heads of Tax and Tax Advisors, and finance executives experienced in complex, multi-jurisdictional structures.
Legal and Compliance
General Counsel, Heads of Legal, Compliance Officers, and governance professionals who understand the regulatory landscape of private wealth structures.
Operations and Administration
Chief Operating Officers, Operations Managers, Executive Assistants, Personal Assistants, Office Managers, and wider business support staff who form the operational backbone of a well-run office.
For household and estate staffing needs, we work alongside our sister company Cora, ensuring clients can access a full recruitment service, suited to the full breadth of their lifestyle, across both corporate and private functions, around the world.
Why Clients Choose Eagle Private
We focus our search practice on providing a bespoke service within the industry and deliver exceptional results for our clients.
A reputation worth responding to
The most sought-after candidates are rarely looking. They are often already employed, well compensated and settled. Identifying, approaching and securing this calibre of individual requires deep market knowledge, established relationships and a reputation worth responding to. As retained executive search consultants, we consistently deliver the very best professionals with the speed and discretion our clients require.
Relationships built on trust
Our family office recruitment firm is built on long-term relationships established over many years. A large number of our clients have been with us since the beginning; and frequently candidates we placed years ago come back to us when they’re looking for their next career move. That continuity matters tremendously in a market built on trust.
A highly transparent and honest approach
We don’t simply present candidates to ensure a shortlist – if the right person isn’t out there, or if the brief needs refining, we will give honest feedback. We are transparent in our approach and pride ourselves on having open, ongoing conversations with our clients throughout the process.
We understand the human dimension
As a family office recruitment agency, we know that the best placements are about more than educational credentials. We invest significant time in understanding both the Principal, their personal drivers, the ethos and ambitions of the family office, and the candidate’s motivation. The very best placements are ones that work for both the family office and individual, long after the search is over.
Global network with a personal service
Over years as family office recruiters, we have extensive experience placing candidates across London, New York, Dubai, Singapore and beyond, and with an international network that extends across the major family office hubs. However, we remain a highly experienced and focussed senior led team.
Case Examples
Eagle Private Family Office Recruitment Firm | Placements Across Global Single and Multi-Family Offices
Chief Investment Officer | Single-Family Office | Zurich, CH
A European single-family office with a complex, multi-asset portfolio approached us following an unsuccessful search with another family office recruitment firm. The Principal required a Chief Investment Officer capable of operating with a high degree of autonomy, judgement and counsel managing a small in-house team and working effectively with the family office’s external advisors.
Expectations were high, and the timeline was tight, as the client had lost both time and confidence. The ideal candidate needed to be technically strong whilst possessing the interpersonal qualities effective in a family office environment. Over eight weeks we conducted a fully confidential search across our extensive network of investment professionals, carrying out our own assessment process, before presenting a shortlist of four.
The appointment was made within twelve weeks of the initial client brief. Demonstrating the importance of the process, and trust, as much as speed, when engaging in the process after an initial failure by another agency.
Building a Finance Function | Newly Established Family Office | London, UK
A London based family office was in its earliest stages, transitioning from a corporate structure following a significant liquidity event, needed to build its finance function quickly.
There was no existing team, and the Principal required experienced professionals who could hit the ground running from day one. The challenge was having no track record, or established culture, structure, and reporting lines. With this ambiguity, we had to take careful positioning and our own reputation had to speak for itself.
Our team worked closely with the Principal and two advisors to define the team structure before search activity began. Once the new jobs were clearly scoped, we carried out a discreet, targeted search for both a Finance Director and a Head of Tax in parallel to meet the client’s required timeline (four months). Our involvement extended beyond a targeted approach; we provided strategic input on structure, seniority, and sequencing before going to market.
Chief of Staff | Single-Family Office | Dubai, UAE
A single-family office in Dubai required a Chief of Staff with a genuinely unusual job requirements, one that spanned corporate operations and personal family matters in equal measure.
The position demanded business acumen, deep cultural awareness, and an exceptional level of personal discretion, with no separation between professional and private responsibilities. A role like this has a small candidate pool, and those within it are rarely visible, so our approach had to be handled with sensitivity, and considering fit, discretion and strong experience within a similar set up.
We successfully placed a candidate who had a comparable role with a prominent UHNWI in Dubai. Our extensive experience and and understanding of the unique demands of life inside a private family office means we were able to identify the right candidate outside of the standard recruitment process.
Head of Investments | Multi-Family Office | New York, USA
A highly reputable multi-family office based in New York, and managing assets for seven UHNW families, needed to replace a long-serving Head of Investments following a sudden departure.
The position demanded someone who could manage a complex, multi-asset portfolio whilst navigating the delicate dynamics of serving seven principals, each with differing ambitions, investment philosophies and varying levels of involvement.
The challenge was replacing a Head of Investments who had been a trusted team member for over 10 years. Also, each of the seven principals themselves were divided over the fit and profile of who they needed. Therefore, it was paramount to have individual conversations with each principal, to understand their priorities, personalities, and communication styles.
We carried out a discreet off-market search of our global network, presenting a long list of eight before refining to a shortlist of three candidates, after our own rigorous assessment process.
The new Head of Investments came from a leading single-family office (with no prior multi-family office experience) which was initially a concern for some principals. But it was their high EQ and ability to manage varying stakeholders that proved the decisive factor – a rare and undervalued skill. Eighteen months on, they remain in post with strong feedback across all seven families.
A conversation in confidence
If you would like to discuss an upcoming hire, or gain perspective on the current family office talent market, our team would be pleased to speak with you – contact our team.
Every conversation is treated with complete discretion and a deep understanding of the trust that sits at the heart of every family office relationship.
FAQs – Family Office Recruitment
A family office recruitment agency specialises in sourcing and placing professionals within single and multi-family offices. Unlike traditional recruiters, a dedicated family office recruitment firm understands the unique requirements of these private offices – the level of confidentiality required, the specific skill sets involved and the importance of cultural fit within a small, high-trust team.
We work with single-family offices, multi-family offices and private offices serving ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families. Our clients range from newly established family offices to long-standing institutional structures with investment portfolios spanning multiple asset classes and geographies.
It depends on the seniority and complexity of the role but most of our searches are completed within eight to sixteen weeks from brief to placement. For highly specialised or particularly confidential mandates, searches can take longer. We will always give clients a realistic timeline at the outset.
Yes, as family office recruiters, we place across global family office markets, particularly in London, New York and Dubai. We are very experienced in these markets and understand the practical considerations around international placements, including relocation, compensation structures, and regulatory requirements across different jurisdictions.