Associate, Recruiting

Permira is a global investment firm that backs successful businesses with growth ambitions. Founded in 1985, the firm advises funds across two core asset classes, private equity and credit, with total committed capital of approximately €89bn. The Permira private equity funds make both buyout and growth equity investments in four key sectors: Technology, Consumer, Healthcare and Services. The Permira credit funds support businesses with flexible financing solutions across Direct Lending, Strategic Opportunities and CLO Management. Established in 2007, the firm advises investment funds and products which have provided approximately €25 billion of debt capital to over 300 businesses.

We are seeking an associate recruiter based in Madrid to support end-to-end Permira (internal) hiring efforts globally, collaborating closely with colleagues in the UK, US and Europe. The individual will major in associate investment hires (direct) across the UK / Europe and minor in broader mandates across the business, as needed. This is an exciting opportunity to build on the successes of the recruiting team at Permira; advancing our direct recruiting strategy, refining our global associate recruiting programme and establishing Permira as the talent platform of choice. The recruiting team ambition is to be considered industry-leading.

Support the recruiting team across Private Equity, Federation (Permira’s middle and back-office functions), and Credit, with a focus on building strong foundations in candidate research, sourcing, and data management. Develop an understanding of what good looks like in investment hiring while contributing to smooth, well-run searches.

• Learn and execute core research activities, helping to map markets, identify potential candidates, and build high-quality longlists and talent data.

• Help drive multiple search processes, ensuring tasks move forward on time and supporting the team in maintaining best-practice workflows.

• Manage CRM and systems input, keeping candidate records, pipelines, and outreach activity accurate and up to date to support seamless team operations.

• Balance structured process with a people-first mindset, helping to deliver a positive and consistent candidate experience at every stage.

• Help build and maintain a growing talent network, supporting the development of relationships across London, Madrid, and the US.

• Support interactions with hiring managers by preparing updates, briefings and collecting feedback.

• Assist with event and campus activity, including preparation, logistics, and initial candidate engagement.

• Contribute to maintaining a strong market presence, flagging interesting profiles and industry movements as part of ongoing research efforts.

• Collaborate with the wider HR team, contributing to strong internal communication, collaboration, and alignment across projects and initiatives.

• Participate in broader team projects, from data clean-up to process improvements, helping strengthen recruitment operations overall.

• Help drive AI / Technology strategy within the team, continue to explore new ways of working and leveraging technology to drive efficiency, accuracy and speed.

We are looking for a high-performing, analytically sharp, and emotionally intelligent professional.

• 2-3 years of previous experience as a researcher in a top tier search firm and/or in house experience in a private equity firm

• A track record of managing multiple searches