Research Associate

This is an opportunity for a recent graduate or experienced researcher to join a highly successful executive search firm with a unique business model at the onset of rapid international expansion. The Research Associate will be part of the core team responsible for market entry in Spain and setting up a Research Center of Excellence to support all European branches.

About Top of Minds Executive Search

Top of Minds Executive Search is a pioneer and market leader in the Netherlands in the executive segment, with a strong focus on ex-consultants and digital professionals. Because both of these candidate types are in high demand in many functional and industry areas, we have become the trusted partner for a wide range of clients in the Netherlands. From fintechs to museums, from e-commerce scale-ups to multinationals, and from consultancies to impact organizations. We started in 2008 and surpassed the competition within ten years’ time. All thanks to our unique business model.

“Our competitive advantage is our disruptive business model, which combines a strong focus on candidate relationships with a proprietary online marketing engine. This makes our success well suited for international roll-out.” – Auke Bijnsdorp, Managing Director at Top of Minds

A business model fit for the digital era
Wherever we set foot on the ground, our approach disrupts the mid-level executive search market. Our way of working is best described as a hybrid between executive search and marketing. Instead of anonymized, meaningless job profiles, we’re releasing brochures that are both stunning and in-depth to create candidate engagement. We can guarantee that this content reaches the right people because of two things: our professional research team and our proprietary marketing engine. Working together, they ensure we are targeting the right people with surgical precision via all relevant online channels. The output of the combined efforts of research and marketing is enormous and the quality is impressive.

The international team
The Amsterdam-based team currently consists of forty-five professionals, working on both local and global assignments. Now that they have honed and proven our business model, we’re ready for international expansion, starting with offices in Spain and Germany. Other irons in the fire include the UK, the Nordics, and a pan-European practice. The Managing Director of Top of Minds Spain has been found and will officially start in May 2022. Their ambition is twofold: to bring the Top of Minds formula to the Spanish market and to set up a Research Center of Excellence to service all Top of Minds offices.

Vacancy: Research Associate

As a defining hire for the team, the Research Associate will truly be able to leave their mark on the future of the Top of Minds branch in Madrid. They will be able to do so at three levels:

1. To create talent pipelines for specific assignments,
2. To map new markets and industries, and
3. To set up the European Research Center of Excellence and establish processes and best practices.

Focus: digital executives
The leaders of the future are digital executives. They are smart and strategic, with a keen eye for the power of technology, and capable of leading and supporting others, both in a face-to-face set-up and remotely – through content and vision rather than hierarchy. Since the international demand for top-level profiles in the digital domain is ever-increasing, this market segment will be a cornerstone for international growth. As a result, the Research Associate will be in the lead for searches in disciplines such as product, data science, digital, and e-commerce. Therefore, a strong interest in this market and an eagerness to learn and stay up to date with the latest developments are key.

Lasting international impact: Research Center of Excellence
A strategic step to enable the Top of Minds Group to expand rapidly will be the creation of a centralized research team. As a key member of this team, the Research Associate will establish and hone research processes and best practices and work on assignments for all Top of Minds branches. For that reason, a structured way of working and previous experience in the field will come in handy.

“Looking back in twenty years’ time, we will pinpoint this as the defining moment of our careers. Together, we’re going to build a strong business that will alter the market for good.” – Ana Moya Morales, Managing Director of Top of Minds Spain

Personal development
This is an opportunity to work with and learn from an impressive team of executive search and marketing professionals based throughout Europe. As a member of the core team building the Spanish branch and the European Research Center of Excellence, the Research Associate will be challenged to think like an entrepreneur and continue to develop themselves. As the business grows, there will be ample career opportunities for the Research Associate, both at Top of Minds Spain and internationally.

Interested?

To express your interest, please contact Ana Moya Morales at anamoyamorales@topofminds.com.