Executive search for banking, lending & private credit.
The specialist your generalist can't replace.
Sora Search Partners is a senior partner-led search firm serving commercial banks, specialty lenders and private credit funds. We present a curated shortlist of qualified, interested candidates within ten business days.
25K+
Banking professionals in our curated network
Years in financial services search
8+
<10
Business days to shortlist
3-5
Vetted candidates per shortlist
EVERY ENGAGEMENT IS CONFIDENTIAL.
WHAT WE RECRUIT
Every layer of a lending team.
We recruit across the three functions that make a lending platform work. That lets us staff a whole team, not just the front office.
01
Front Office & Origination
Relationship managers, corporate and middle-market bankers, commercial lenders, business development officers, team leads, and market leadership.
02
Credit & Risk
Underwriters, credit analysts, portfolio managers, credit officers, workout and special assets, and credit review.
03
Loan Operations
Documentation, closing, funding and booking, servicing, collateral administration, and operations leadership.
SECTORS
Deep in every sector we cover.
Our network is concentrated where we know the products, the compensation structures and the people.
REPRESENTATIVE SEARCHES
The kind of mandates we lead.
Client names and identifying details are withheld to protect confidentiality.
Corporate Banking · Front Office
Vice President, Corporate Banking
National bank. A corporate banker to cover large-corporate relationships.
Leveraged Finance · Credit
Director, Leveraged Finance Underwriting
Super-regional bank. A credit leader for sponsor-backed, cash-flow transactions.
SBA Lending · Front Office
SBA Business Development Officer
Preferred SBA lender. A PLP-experienced producer with an established referral network.
Private Credit · Credit
Vice President, Direct Lending
Middle-market private credit fund. Underwriting and portfolio management for a growing book.
Middle Market · Front Office
Senior Middle Market Banker
Regional bank. A producer with established middle-market C&I relationships.
CRE Finance · Credit
Senior CRE Underwriter
Real estate debt fund. Underwriting for bridge and construction loans.
Treasury Management · Sales
Treasury Management Officer
Commercial bank. A TM sales partner embedded with the middle-market team.
Asset-Based Lending · Credit
Senior Credit Officer
Non-bank asset-based lender. A credit leader to build out underwriting and portfolio management.
DSCR & RTL · Front Office
Account Executive, DSCR & Bridge
Business-purpose lender. An originator with an established real estate investor client base.
Commercial Banking · Front Office
Commercial Banking Team Lead
Community bank. A player-coach to lead and grow a team of commercial lenders.
SBA Lending · Operations
Loan Operations Manager
National SBA lender. An operations lead to scale closing and servicing as volume grew.
Specialty Finance · Operations
Head of Loan Servicing
Equipment finance lender. An operations leader for servicing, collateral and portfolio reporting.
HOW WE WORK
The Transparent Recruiter standard.
A generalist can read a job description. They can't tell you why an underwriter left their last firm, what compensation a top producer will actually accept, or whether a candidate's book is portable.
Senior partner-led
Confidential
Weekly updates
3–5 vetted candidates
“The best candidates in financial services aren't applying anywhere. They're waiting for the right call from someone they already trust.”
01
Intake
A detailed consultation on the role, compensation, culture, and what has made past hires successful. If compensation or the role design will limit the search, we tell you at the outset.
02
Network activation
We go first to professionals we already know, most of whom are not actively looking and don't respond to job postings.
03
Curated shortlist
Three to five candidates, each interviewed, assessed and confirmed interested, with our written view of their fit. Within ten business days.
04
Interviews
We coordinate every round and debrief both sides afterward. You get weekly progress reports on activity, feedback and timing.
05
Offer & beyond
We negotiate the offer, manage any counteroffer, and check in at 30, 60 and 90 days after the start date.
WHO WE SERVE
For hiring firms and the professionals they want.
FOR CLIENTS
Hiring for a critical seat?
Banks, specialty lenders and private credit funds come to us when the hire matters and the right person is not on the market.
✓ Access to passive candidates who don't respond to job postings
✓ A shortlist within ten business days
✓ Current compensation data for your market and role
✓ Confidential searches, including replacement hires
FOR CANDIDATES
Considering your next move?
Most of the roles we fill are never advertised. Share your background in confidence and we'll be in touch when an opportunity fits.
✓ Your information is never shared without your consent
✓ Candid advice on compensation and market value
✓ Introductions to one firm at a time, with your approval
✓ No cost to candidates, ever
Client Perspectives
“Sora Search Partners understood our credit culture from the first call. The candidates they sent were already a fit on both skills and personality.”
CHIEF CREDIT OFFICER
“Fast, organized, and honest. We had a strong first slate in about two weeks, and every candidate was exactly as described.”
HEAD OF MIDDLE MARKET BANKING
“Their network is the real difference. They reached people we never would have found through job postings.”
REGIONAL PRESIDENT
ABOUT THE FIRM
Built for financial services. Only financial services.
Sora Search Partners was founded on one conviction: firms win the competition for talent when they work with a recruiter who already knows their business.
Founding Partner Kristjano Dardha has spent more than eight years placing bankers, lenders and credit professionals. Every Sora search is led by a senior partner, and the firm speaks with hundreds of professionals across the industry each month. That keeps us current on compensation, movement and what is driving career decisions.
HEADQUARTERS
New York, NY
ENGAGEMENTS
Retained & contingency
NETWORK
25K+ banking professionals
COVERAGE
Nationwide
Frequently asked.
What types of roles do you recruit for?
Front office and origination, credit and risk, and loan operations across commercial and corporate banking, SBA, commercial real estate, DSCR and RTL lending, specialty finance and private credit.
Do you work on a retained or contingency basis?
Both. We recommend the structure that fits the seniority, urgency and confidentiality of each search.
How quickly will we see candidates?
We typically present a shortlist of three to five vetted, interested candidates within ten business days of the intake consultation.
How do you handle confidentiality?
All searches are confidential, including replacement searches for roles that are still occupied. We don't disclose client names, and we never share candidate information without explicit consent.
Can you help us hire more than one person?
Yes. We regularly run multiple seats at once, from adding producers in a new market to building out credit and operations behind a lending team.
Where do you recruit?
We are based in New York and run searches for firms across the United States.
I'm a candidate. Will my employer find out?
No. Conversations with us are confidential, and your background is never shared with a firm without your explicit approval.
Is there a cost to candidates?
No. Our fees are paid by the hiring firm. Candidates never pay to work with us.
GET IN TOUCH
Let's find who you couldn't find yourself.
Choose the form that fits. A senior member of our team will reply within a few business days.
EMAIL
kdardha@sorasearchpartners.com
LINKEDIN
Sora Search Partners
OFFICE
New York, NY
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