Executive in Search

About NGP

NextGen Growth Partners (NGP) is a Chicago-based private equity firm specializing in Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. We partner with exceptional operators who are pursuing small business ownership. Our programs support both early-career entrepreneurs and seasoned executives in sourcing, acquiring, and leading great businesses.

Role Overview

The Executive in Search (EIS) program is designed for senior operators with deep industry experience who want to pursue acquisition entrepreneurship with significant flexibility, strategic autonomy, and the backing of an institutional partner. In contrast to our CEO in Resident (CIR) program, this is a part-time program that may coincide other full-time commitments with an initial 12-month commitment.

EIS participants are typically

• Former CEOs, Presidents, General Managers, or P&L owners
• Executives with strong industry networks
• Experts with a clearly defined sector thesis
• Operators seeking equity ownership and long-term leadership of a business they acquire

NGP’s EIS track allows candidates to run a flexible, self-driven search with structured support from NGP across deal sourcing, diligence, and capital formation.

Candidate Profile

We are seeking seasoned executives who demonstrate:

• 15+ years operating experience with P&L ownership
• Proven success building teams, growing revenue, or managing large operations
• Clear perspective on an industry ripe for consolidation
• Ability to build trust with founder-led businesses
• Strong communication and seller-relations capabilities
• Bias toward action, independent work style, and long-term ownership mindset

Category

EIS

CIR

Time Commitment

One-year initial commitment, part-time, self-paced; can be done alongside an existing role

Full-time, two-year search funded by NGP

Financial Model

No base salary during search

~$20K/year business development budget

Market-rate search salary

Structured budget for sourcing

Standard search fund economics

Scope of Support

Curated deal flow (you lead the search)

No CRM integration

Bi-weekly coaching; ad hoc guidance

Comprehensive sourcing support

Full CRM access

Full-time immersion in NGP processes