Associate Executive Recruiter (Private Equity)

Entry-Level Executive Recruiter (Private Equity)

In-Person, Friendship Heights, MD

Company Description

DealTeam partners exclusively with LMM private equity firms as an in-house recruiting arm, placing experienced CEOs into high-growth small businesses ($2–10M EBITDA). We work hand-in-hand through the LOI period - while our clients close the deal, we source and vet the operator who will run the business on day one. We’re client obsessed and intentionally building a recruiting model around the needs and pain points traditional executive search firms overlook.

Role Description

If you’re looking for a traditional corporate job, please do not apply. We’re looking for someone who is hungry, energized by building something early, and wants exposure to private equity deals.

You’ll work directly with the founder in our Washington, DC office, speak with private equity clients weekly, engage with CEOs daily, and get a front-row seat to how deals close. You’ll run searches across home services, industrials, construction, transportation, niche manufacturing, and other PE-backed verticals. If you’re hungry, entrepreneurial, and want real exposure to private equity and the buy-side, this role provides unmatched access to how deals happen.

What You’ll Do

• Run end-to-end executive searches for CEO and senior operator roles across PE-backed sectors
• Speak with CEOs, operators, and private equity investors daily to evaluate fit and drive searches forward
• Manage deal-related workflows during the LOI period, supporting clients as they move toward close
• Build and manage candidate pipelines, conduct structured interviews, and synthesize candidate assessments
• Partner directly with the founder to refine processes, build new systems, and help shape how DealTeam scales
• Maintain accuracy and momentum inside our ATS and client portal
• Take ownership of deadlines and deliverables without needing heavy direction
• Represent DealTeam with the level of professionalism expected by PE firms and operators

Requirements

• 0–3 years of experience in executive search, recruiting, sales, consulting, finance, IB/PE, or another fast-paced environment
• Strong interest in private equity and how deals get done
• Comfortable speaking with high-performing operators and holding confident, professional conversations
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, able to manage multiple searches at once
• Hungry, driven, and excited to help build an early-stage company—not looking for a traditional corporate role
• Ability to work from our Friendship Heights office
• High level of ownership, responsiveness, and follow-through
• Comfortable with ambiguity and solving problems independently

Why Join

• Early-stage, high growth: DealTeam has ambitious growth plans, and we want you not just along for the ride but helping build the company. Experience at a high-growth startup will be far more valuable for your future career than a role at a large, slow-moving organization.
• Path into Private Equity: If you do a good job with us but want to leave to go into the buy-side, we will put in an excellent word for future employers.
• Genuine flexibility and freedom: As long as you work hard and get things done, we’re flexible and understanding. If you’re taking a trip, take the PTO- no accrual tracking or hoops to jump through. Need to work from home for a day? Totally fine.

Compensation

First-year OTE projected between $80k-$150k. Commissions are tied to whether you lead a search end-to-end or assist on one. The faster you can ramp up and take full ownership of searches, the closer you'll be to the top of the range.