Executive in Search — Future CEO (Entrepreneur in Residence)

NCL Partners | Austin, TX or Remote | Full-time | 2026–2027 Cohort

Become a CEO, backed from day one.

NCL Partners is an Austin-based private investment firm built around entrepreneurship through acquisition. We are recruiting experienced operators to join our next Executive in Search (EIS) cohort: identify a lower-middle-market business in an industry you know deeply, acquire it with our capital and deal team beside you, and take the CEO seat.

We are not looking for generalists searching for an industry. We are looking for operators whose experience has already given them an edge in one.

The objective is simple: acquire a great business in a market you understand, become its CEO, and build significant long-term equity value alongside NCL.

What you get from day one

• Committed capital. NCL funds the search and commits the acquisition equity behind qualifying deals -removing the need to raise capital deal by deal.
• Sourcing support. We work alongside you to turn your industry knowledge into an acquisition thesis, build the target universe, run outbound, engage intermediaries, and get a letter of intent signed.
• A dedicated deal team, weekly. Thesis, sourcing, LOI, diligence, quality of earnings, debt financing, purchase agreement, close. We run the process with you, not behind you.
• Support after close. An institutional board, operating partners, an expert network of 150+ business leaders, and capital for organic growth and add-on acquisitions.
• Meaningful ownership. Vesting CEO equity in the company you acquire, plus the opportunity to invest personally alongside NCL.

This is a full-time, funded search with the destination fixed: you acquire a company and run it. It is not an investing role with the possibility of operating someday.

What you'll do

During the search

• Turn your operating experience into a focused acquisition thesis in an industry or subsector you know deeply
• Use your industry credibility to get in front of owners, executives, and intermediaries early and often
• Evaluate targets alongside NCL and lead commercial and operational diligence
• Work directly on the valuation, structuring, financing, and negotiation of your acquisition

At close and after

• Build the operating plan for the company you're buying - before you buy it
• Step in as CEO with a board and operating partners already in place
• Lead the business and build significant long-term equity value

Who we're looking for

Experienced operators ready to become CEOs - not first-time managers or industry generalists.

• 10-20 years of professional experience, including meaningful operating leadership and P&L responsibility
• Deep experience in an industry or subsector where you have developed relationships, pattern recognition, and a differentiated perspective
• A clear point of view on what makes an attractive business in that market—and where opportunities to create value exist
• Experience hiring, developing, and leading teams
• Direct accountability for revenue, operations, or both, with measurable results
• Strong financial judgment and the ability to earn a founder's trust
• Curiosity, humility, persistence, and a bias toward action
• A preference for an active investment partner over a passive cap table
• A clear commitment to becoming the full-time CEO of the business you acquire

You don't need to arrive with a company identified. You should arrive knowing where you want to look - and why you are particularly well equipped to win there.

Above all, you should be able to answer one question:

What industry or subsector would you pursue, and what about your experience gives you a differentiated advantage acquiring and operating a business in that market?

Where we invest

• Education Services
• Healthcare Services
• Tech-Enabled BPO
• Vertical Software

Typical targets are established businesses with $1–5M of EBITDA , recurring or repeat revenue, strong margins, and room to grow organically and through acquisition. We are especially interested in operators whose experience gives them an edge in one of these markets or an adjacent subsector.

About NCL Partners

Founded in Austin in 2021, NCL has raised two funds dedicated to backing operators who acquire and grow lower-middle-market companies. Our partners have sat on both sides of the table: one acquired and operated a company through search; the other has spent his career investing in and partnering with lower-middle-market businesses.

Compensation

Search-period salary and benefits, meaningful vesting CEO equity in the acquired company, and the opportunity to co-invest alongside NCL.

How to apply

Apply through LinkedIn or send the following to View email address on click.appcast.io:

• Your résumé
• A brief response to this question: What industry or subsector would you pursue, and what about your experience gives you a differentiated advantage in acquiring and operating a business in that market?

Candidates who apply through LinkedIn and are selected to move forward will receive a follow-up email or message requesting a brief video or written response to the same question.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

nclpartners.com