Engagement: Fractional / part-time, initial 4-week phase leading to a c.4-month project, with scope for ongoing work
Location: Remote or hybrid, with regular check-ins at our client's Birmingham office (well connected from London and Manchester)
Day rate: £800–£1,200 per day, depending on experience
Start: Immediate – initial output required by end of October
The Opportunity
Exec Capital is retained by a growing advisory business to appoint a senior fractional professional to lead a flagship thought leadership project exploring the role of brand and narrative as a value creation lever in Private Equity.
This is not a marketing role. It is an intellectual leadership brief. You will shape the central hypothesis, design and lead the research programme, interview senior figures across the PE ecosystem – GPs, Operating Partners, value creation specialists – and oversee the development of what our client intends to be a genuinely influential piece of work for the industry.
The premise is that brand is more than a logo: it is an upstream lever of competitive advantage, in fundraising, in origination, in portfolio company growth and at exit. If that idea resonates with you – and you have the standing to interrogate it with the people who matter – we would like to hear from you.
What You Will Own
Framing the central hypothesis and research architecture for the project
Identifying and securing interviews with senior PE figures, drawing on your own network
Leading qualitative research and synthesising findings into a compelling narrative
Overseeing the writing and development of the final published work
Acting as the intellectual anchor for the project end to end
Who We Are Looking For
Backgrounds may vary – what unites strong candidates is credibility in the Private Equity ecosystem, excellent strategic judgement and a network you can genuinely draw upon. You might be:
A former Operating Partner or value creation specialist with first-hand experience of driving growth inside portfolio companies
An experienced PE journalist or editor with a strong byline history and a contact book of senior industry figures
A strategy or brand consultant who has worked extensively with sponsors and understands commercial value creation
You Will Need
Demonstrable published or presented work – reports, white papers, industry commentary or keynotes (writing samples will be requested)
An evidenced network of senior PE contacts you can bring to the project
Experience owning a research or thought leadership programme end to end
Immediate or near-immediate availability, and the ability to show momentum within the first four weeks
Willingness to attend periodic check-ins in Birmingham
The Engagement
The project begins with a short initial phase of approximately four weeks, extending into a c.4-month engagement with the option of further or ongoing work based on fit and performance. Working patterns are flexible and well suited to a fractional portfolio, an independent consultant or a senior professional between roles who wants a substantial, intellectually rewarding project
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