Recruiter

Lincoln International follows a hybrid work structure with an emphasis on in office collaboration.
Our employees work in our Chicago office Monday through Thursday each week, with the option to work remotely or from the office on Fridays. Our office is located at 110 N Wacker Drive, just blocks from Union Station & Ogilvie Transportation Center.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Lincoln International LLC (“Lincoln”) is seeking a Recruiter to join our Talent Acquisition team. Based in Chicago, the Recruiter will be responsible for supporting the Talent Acquisition team in recruitment processes for Investment Banking Associates across Lincoln International’s U.S. offices. The Recruiter will help foster and drive the brand, passion and culture that has been at the core of Lincoln’s success. This person should have relevant professional experience, be entrepreneurial and be poised and able to interface with many different people both inside and outside the firm. This is a revenue-critical operating role responsible for building the firm’s Associate pipeline — the future of the franchise.

The Recruiter will be responsible for developing Associate recruitment strategies and overseeing the recruitment process with support from the broader Talent team and Lincoln’s investment bankers. You will act as a strategic partner to senior bankers, manage school relationships, run the full recruiting lifecycle, and ensure the firm consistently hires high-caliber, commercially minded talent. This role requires someone who understands how investment banking truly works, how bankers think, and what differentiates candidates who succeed long-term.

We expect the Recruiter’s core responsibilities will initially include the following:

• MBA Recruiting
  • Manage relationships with target MBA programs, career offices, clubs, alumni, and student leadership
  • Coordinate all campus events, information sessions, networking events/receptions and interview schedules, both on campus and in-office
  • Track candidate flow, quality, and conversion rates across schools
  • Monitor competitor hiring activity and talent movement to inform strategy
  • Serve as a brand ambassador for Lincoln International by representing the firm at campus events, industry functions and networking opportunities and communicating the firm’s culture and values to prospective candidates
  • Support employer branding initiatives related to Associate hiring, including campus marketing materials and digital presence
  • Oversee the Summer Associate internship program, including program coordination, intern evaluations throughout the summer and partnership with business leadership on full-time return offer recommendations and decisions
  • Develop and maintain “pre-training materials” and distribute materials to incoming summer interns and full-time Associates

• Associate Recruiting Strategy
  • Execute the end-to-end recruitment strategy for Summer and Full-Time Investment Banking Associates, including MBA campus hiring and assisting with lateral and experienced searches as assigned
  • Partner with hiring managers and the broader Talent team to support hiring needs across business units
  • Support the global Talent Acquisition team in executing process improvements and ensuring consistent application of Lincoln International’s Talent Acquisition strategy
  • Assist in developing hiring plans that provide equitable access and opportunity to all candidates, internal and external
  • Develop and continuously refine sourcing strategies by channel (campus, referrals, search firms, direct outreach, etc.)
  • Evaluate and adjust the balance between MBA and lateral hiring to ensure class quality, timing, and bench strength
  • Support diversity-focused recruiting initiatives tied to Associate hiring pipelines

• Lateral Recruiting & Candidate Pipeline Management
  • Act as the primary recruiting partner to selected group heads, senior bankers, and talent business partners as assigned
  • Identify and pipeline high-quality Associate talent through proactive sourcing, including LinkedIn Recruiter, referrals, networking and targeted outreach
  • Build and maintain a proactive lateral Associate pipeline across key markets and competitor firms
  • Recommend diverse sourcing strategies and proactively engage passive candidates to build inclusive Associate talent pipelines
  • Manage relationships with select search firms and recruiting partners supporting hiring, including adherence to agreed terms

• Candidate Evaluation & Selection
  • Design and manage structured interview processes for both MBA Associate candidates
  • Personally screen and interview top candidates
  • Evaluate candidates on:
    • Work ethic, grit, resilience, and cultural fit
    • Technical and analytical capabilities
    • Commercial judgment, client readiness and attention to detail
  • Coordinate technical assessments and case interviews, as appropriate by candidate type
  • Calibrate interviewer feedback to ensure consistency and decision quality

• Reporting & Data Analytics
  • Provide accurate reporting and analytics on Associate recruiting activity, hiring outcomes and pipeline health to Talent team members, group heads and executive leadership
  • Support ongoing optimization and use of Greenhouse, including interview scheduling, reporting and data integrity

• Offer Strategy, Yield & Closing
  • Develop offer strategies for MBA and lateral Associate candidates, including timing, messaging, and compensation consideration
  • Assist with offer preparation and coordination, including drafting offer materials and supporting onboarding processes in partnership with the broader Talent team
  • Manage offer processes, approvals, and closing efforts. Partner with Lincoln bankers and alumni to influence candidate decisions and improve acceptance rates

• Additional Responsibilities
  • Provide support to the broader Talent Acquisition team on other key recruiting workstreams, such as lateral hiring for levels beyond the Associate role and functional & administrative hiring, during periods of lower activity
  • Partner with junior Talent Acquisition team members and support in their development, including project management, training and apprenticeship
  • Other responsibilities as assigned

Prospective candidates should be aware that this will be a highly collaborative, cross-functional role with responsibilities that will grow and evolve over time.

Qualifications:

Interested candidates should meet the following requirements:

Professional and Cultural Characteristics:

• Authentic individual with high integrity, whose personal and professional values are consistent with Lincoln’s Culture Statement (Excellence, Entrepreneurship, Integration, Collaboration, and Integrity)
• Hands on experience managing recruiting partnerships with MBA programs
• Ability to connect well with and sell others on ideas
• Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize assignments and juggle multiple tasks simultaneously
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and changing environment
• Ability to work well in teams with strong collaboration and communication skills
• Demonstrate a positive attitude when approaching all projects
• Ability to demonstrate good judgment and handle highly confidential information in a professional manner
• Meticulous attention to detail with excellent customer service and organizational skills
• Ability to interface effectively with all levels of management and staff
• Willingness and ability to work beyond “normal working hours” during periods of high activity

Other Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in talent acquisition, investment banking and/or professional services
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Comfort working with data and Excel and proficiency in Microsoft Windows, Outlook, Word and PowerPoint
• Experience and proficiency with Greenhouse
• Experience and proficiency with LinkedIn Recruiter
• MBA preferred

Additional Information:

Lincoln International is not currently hiring individuals for this position who now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status.

#LI-HYBRID
#LI-CHI

The salary range for this role is $70,000-$80,000 on an annual basis. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. This range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in Chicago. An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, revenue-based metrics, and business or organizational needs.  

This job is also eligible for bonus pay.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits to eligible employees.

You can apply for this role through LinkedIn or Lincoln’s Company Page, or through Lincoln’s Internal Jobs Board if you are a current employee.

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, or any other form of compensation that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.