Private Markets Executive Search

ABF Global Search is a boutique executive search firm founded by Bill Ebinger, dedicated exclusively to Alternative Credit. With over 30 years of experience and a deep network of relationships across global credit markets, we operate at the intersection of market specialization and relationship-driven sourcing. Unlike generalist recruiters, we focus solely on front-office investment professionals — portfolio managers, originators, structurers, underwriters, traders, and capital markets specialists — across asset-based finance, structured credit, direct lending, CLOs, and liquid credit. Our founder-led model ensures every engagement is handled with the discretion, precision, and market knowledge that senior-level searches in this space demand.

We recruit across the full spectrum of alternative credit strategies, including private asset-based finance (consumer, corporate, real estate, infrastructure, equipment & transportation, and esoteric collateral), agency and non-agency mortgages, structured credit (RMBS, CMBS, ABS, CLOs), liquid credit (investment grade, high yield, bank loans, distressed, emerging markets), direct lending, fund finance, and leveraged finance. The roles we fill span sourcing and origination, underwriting, execution, portfolio management, trading, banking, structuring, sales, syndicate, research, and quantitative analysis.

Our clients include global alternative investment managers, private credit funds, institutional investors (pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments), bank and non-bank direct lenders, capital markets issuers, specialty finance platforms and NBFI originators, corporate borrowers, and investment banks and broker-dealers. Whether a firm is launching a new ABF platform, expanding into a new collateral vertical, or filling a critical origination seat to keep pace with deal flow, we tailor our approach to each client’s specific strategy, risk profile, and hiring priorities.

The alternative credit market — particularly asset-based finance — continues to expand as banks pull back from lending and alternative managers scale their platforms. This growth has created strong demand for experienced originators, structurers, and underwriters, often outpacing the available supply of qualified professionals. The majority of top credit professionals are passive or off-market, meaning they won’t be found through job postings or generalist search firms. At the same time, complex ABF deal structures — involving cash-flow waterfalls, covenants, and self-liquidating debt — require leaders with highly specialized expertise. Unfilled roles can lead to slower deal execution, missed compliance triggers, and lost opportunities in a market where timing matters.

Our process is built for speed and precision. We typically begin with an alignment phase — mandate intake, role calibration, and a finalized success profile. From there, we build a comprehensive market map with targeted outreach and screening, delivering a focused shortlist of qualified candidates. This is followed by structured interviews, technical assessments, and role-specific case evaluations. We then support compensation design, referencing, and offer negotiation through close. Our approach is designed to meaningfully reduce time-to-shortlist versus a typical search, and we consistently achieve strong offer acceptance and long-term candidate retention.