2027 Cohort: CEO-in-Residence
NextGen Growth Partners
Salary undisclosed
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Description
Welcome to NextGen Growth Partners’ 2027 CIR Application. Our firm brings together remarkable founders and owners ready for their next chapter with aspiring CEOs ready to acquire, operate, and grow thriving businesses across the lower-middle market. We support our CIRs every step of the way with the capital, partnership, and resources to preserve what's been built and create what comes next.
Our Ideal Candidate
We are looking for passionate and driven individuals with deep industry experience in the sector they want to acquire in who are eager to take the helm of a lower middle market business with EBITDA in the $1.5 to $7 million range.
As a CEO-in-Residence (CIR) at NGP, you’ll be a natural leader, committed to providing a legacy preservation plan for a pre-existing small business, driving growth, and overseeing the entire operation of a company. You’ll work hand-in-hand with our investment team, Advisory Board, and interns to craft investment theses, build a pipeline of opportunities, forge relationships with prospective sellers and industry leaders, and ultimately acquire and lead a company as its CEO. Once you partner with a business, you’ll relocate and step into the role you’ve been preparing for—leading the company with vision and purpose.
Post-Acquisition, you'll transition into overseeing the day-to-day operations of the business as its new CEO, developing the long-term mission and strategic vision of the company alongside the Board of Directors. With the support of NGP, you will spearhead the development and implementation of effective value creation strategies, build company culture and lead teams, and shepherd the business into its next phase of growth.
Candidate Characteristics
- Demonstrates NGP’s three core values:
- Relationships: Care and communication over egos and siloes.
- Rigor: Experimentation and feedback over hesitation and defensiveness.
- Results: Value creation and winning outcomes over status quo and stagnation.
- 5+ years of operating experience in your target thesis area
- Proven operator with P&L ownership and experience leading teams
- Strong ability to design and manage a creative, relationship-based sales approach
- Deep sense of integrity and strong personal ethics
- Passion for learning through self-directed efforts, peer-to-peer feedback, and coaching
- History of measurable career promotions and successes
- Thesis alignment with NGP: Outsourced B2B services providing a mission-critical service with recurring revenue in the mix
Program Expectations
The CIR program is a full-time, two-year commitment focused on acquiring the right business. CIRs are strongly encouraged to operate from Chicago or to spend significant time here during the program. Upon acquisition, you'll relocate and step into the CEO seat of that business. If you're an experienced executive who is geographically constrained or would prefer to remain in your current role, our part-time Executive in Search (EIS) program may be a better fit.
About this role
NextGen Growth Partners is seeking experienced operators for its 2027 CEO-in-Residence cohort—a structured two-year program designed to place you at the helm of a lower-middle market business. You'll work alongside NGP's investment team to identify, evaluate, and ultimately acquire a company with EBITDA between $1.5 and $7 million, typically in outsourced B2B services with recurring revenue. The role combines deal sourcing and relationship building during the search phase with full operational leadership once you've acquired your target business.
This opportunity suits someone with at least five years of operating experience in a specific industry vertical, ideally with P&L ownership and team leadership under your belt. You'll need strong sales acumen, integrity, and a genuine commitment to NGP's values around relationships, rigor, and results. The program expects a full-time commitment and a willingness to relocate to Chicago during the search phase, then move again to wherever your acquired business is based once you've closed the deal.
The role is built on partnership: you'll have access to NGP's capital, Advisory Board, and ongoing support as you build your investment thesis, develop your pipeline, and eventually operate the company you acquire. This is for someone ready to move from an executive role into ownership and the full responsibility of running a business.
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Pay for this role
The employer didn't post a pay range for this role. That usually means pay is set in negotiation, which favors whoever arrives with numbers. Check ranges on comparable 2027 Cohort: CEO-in-Residence postings in Chicago, and analyze any offer before you accept it.
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