Executive Search Firm for Top-Tier Consulting Alumni

High horsepower generalist talentfor high growth companies.

Based in New York and founded by a former McKinsey consultant and venture capital investor, Highbar Search helps startups and scaleups hire emerging leaders who have cut their teeth at a top-tier consulting firm and want to put that experience to work building companies.

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How We Are Different

A candidate-first approach to executive search.

We specialize in a particular candidate archetype — the high horsepower generalist — and have built a deep, ever-growing network of exceptional candidates within this talent pool.

Example Roles We’ve Filled

Chief of Staff | AI Strategist | Founding BizOps | BizOps Lead |
VP of Growth | Strategy & Operations Manager | VP of Portfolio Growth

For Candidates

We work with a range of interesting companies looking to hire people with your background, across a variety of industries, so there’s a good chance we’ll have an opportunity you’re excited about. And as new roles come up that could be a better fit, we’ll reach back out.

For Companies

We already have relationships with many of the generalists you may want to hire, and can schedule your first interview within days of getting started. We also know what good looks like and can help design an interview process that reliably identifies the strongest candidates.

About the Founder
Ben Falloon
Ben Falloon

Ben spent the first three years of his career at McKinsey & Company, working across Melbourne (where he grew up), London and Amsterdam. He then moved to New York to join an early-stage consumer venture capital firm, where he spent a lot of his time helping portfolio companies hire high horsepower generalist talent.

Ben founded Highbar Search because he enjoys helping ex-consultants navigate the move into startups, having been in their shoes not so long ago, and is a wholehearted believer in the impact talented generalists can have at early-stage companies, having seen it first hand as an investor.

How we work with candidates

Part career coach, part opportunity curator.

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Intro Chat

We start with you. What have you enjoyed in past roles? What haven’t you enjoyed? How is that informing what’s next?

From there, we’ll zero in on a few key variables to help focus your search and inform the opportunities we share with you.

Opportunities

At the end of our intro chat, we may share a few opportunities that fit your preferences and experience. If any stand out — and we encourage you to be selective — we’ll submit your profile and kick off the process.

Whether or not there’s a fit today, we view this as a long-term relationship and will continue sharing relevant opportunities as they arise.

Interviews

Throughout the interview process, we’ll keep you informed on where things stand and share feedback and next steps as soon as we have them.

We’ll also check in regularly to make sure the opportunity continues to feel like the right fit, and be available as a thought partner to help you evaluate the opportunity, weigh trade-offs and navigate the offer process.

How we work with companies

Part recruiter, part talent strategist.

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Intro Chat

We start by getting a good understanding of what sets your company apart, where you are in the journey right now, how your team is structured, what you need from the hire, and any other relevant context around the search.

We also share our perspective on the ideal candidate profile, interview process design, market compensation, and any other areas where our experience can be helpful.

Candidates

Because our searches draw from a similar universe of high horsepower generalists, we have a strong starting point for each new search and can typically introduce the first few vetted candidates within days.

We’re deliberate about who we put forward, vetting carefully for both capability and genuine interest in the opportunity. Companies we work with typically interview around 5-10 candidates before making a hire.

Offer and Hire

By the time you’re ready to make an offer, we’ll have a clear understanding of what matters most to the candidate and how they’re thinking about the opportunity.

We use that context to help you shape the offer, navigate any final conversations, and ultimately get to a structure that works for both sides.

Looking to add horsepower to your team?

We’d love to help you find someone great.

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