Private Client & Family Office
Confidential search for principals, family offices and private investment structures.
Absolute discretion. Retained only. Senior-partner-led from brief to onboarding.
How we work
Search built for principals, not job boards.
Target Search runs family office and UHNW searches on a retained basis only. We accept a limited number of mandates each quarter, each led personally by a named partner from brief to onboarding. There is no candidate database, no advertising, and no visibility of the mandate outside a small, carefully selected group of vetted senior professionals.
The principal or family office is named to shortlisted candidates only in late stages, and only under a signed NDA. On-limits agreements are respected: we do not approach a household or portfolio company we already serve.
Role universe
The senior appointments we make.
We recruit the roles that sit closest to the principal and the roles that protect the smooth running of everything around them.
Family office leadership
- Chief of Staff
- Family Office CEO
- Family Office CFO / Head of Finance
- Family Office CIO / Head of Investments
- Investment Director
- Head of Legal
- Head of Tax
Principal-proximate roles
- Principal Private Secretary
- Senior EA to Principal
- Estate Manager
- Household Director
- Head of Security
- Head of Philanthropy
- Head of Communications
Discretion
What confidentiality actually means here.
- Every conversation is treated as confidential from first contact. Notes, shortlists and reference material are held on encrypted infrastructure and never shared beyond the mandate team.
- The principal or family office is not named to candidates until late-stage assessment, and only under NDA where required.
- On- and off-limits agreements are respected across the current portfolio, the household and any adjacent entities.
- No search is announced, posted or advertised. We do not run open jobs boards.
- References are taken with the candidate’s explicit written consent and never through the candidate’s current employer without permission.
Route to engage
A single, private conversation.
The most reliable route into Target Search is a warm introduction from a trusted intermediary — legal counsel, wealth adviser, or an existing client. Direct enquiries are equally welcome and are treated with the same discretion.
Introductions and enquiries are handled personally by a named partner. Every conversation is under NDA on request.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is family office executive search?
Family office executive search is the retained, confidential recruitment of the senior staff who sit closest to an ultra-high-net-worth principal — typically Chief of Staff, Family Office CFO, CIO, Investment Director, Head of Legal, Estate Manager and Principal Private Secretary. It differs from institutional executive search in that discretion, judgement and long-tenure cultural fit weigh as heavily as capability.
Do you name the principal or family office to candidates?
Not until late-stage assessment, and only under an NDA where required. Every mandate is treated as confidential from first contact. The mandate itself is not advertised, and candidates are approached individually rather than through open advertising.
How do you handle on- and off-limits agreements?
On- and off-limits agreements are respected across the current portfolio, the household and any adjacent entities. We do not approach a family we already serve, and we hold ourselves to the same off-limits standards a full-service private bank would.
Is there a fee to register as a candidate?
No. Target Search never charges candidates. Candidate representation is at our cost, funded by the retained fee we agree with the hiring principal or family office.
What geographies do you cover?
Target Search is London-based and serves principals and family offices across the UK, Europe, the Gulf and North America. Every mandate is led personally by a named partner.