About
Built by the people who had to make this transition themselves.
Black Powder Search exists because two worlds that need each other keep failing to connect. On one side, companies that would hire a proven operator tomorrow if they could identify one. On the other, Special Operations veterans whose records are genuinely exceptional and completely illegible to a keyword screen.
The standard we hold
Most veteran hiring initiatives are built around good intentions and a transition window. That work matters, and two of our founders have run organizations doing exactly it — Robert Kirila as CEO of the Special Operators Transition Foundation, Mark Whaling as its Chairman.
Black Powder Search is a different thing. We are a search firm, and the standard we hold is commercial: A candidate who has proven themselves in three separate arenas rather than one: academic achievement, service in U.S. Special Operations, and a documented record of results in a civilian business role.
That third filter is the one that makes the difference. It is why our candidates arrive with a record a hiring committee can evaluate on its own terms, and why an employer engaging us is not being asked to take a chance on anyone.
Where we sit
Black Powder Search is part of the Black Powder family of companies. The distinction matters when you are trying to work out who does what:
- Black Powder Holdings — Purpose-driven holding company investing in and supporting America's founder-owned infrastructure service businesses.
- Black Powder Partners — Investment arm of the same family of companies.
- Black Powder Search — the executive search business. This site.
The team
Who you will actually be dealing with
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Mark Whaling
Co-Founder, Business Development
Co-founder of Black Powder Search and Chairman of the Special Operators Transition Foundation, after 25 years in institutional securities.
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Robert Kirila
Co-Founder, Business Development and Veteran Relations
Co-founder and Managing Partner across the Black Powder companies, after 26 years in the U.S. Army leading Special Operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
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Erik Wisecup
Partner, COO
COO of Black Powder Search and a U.S. Navy Special Operations veteran, with an MIT MBA and an M.S. from Columbia.
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Tal Bruno
Business Development
Leads new business development at Black Powder Search, after scaling go-to-market teams at Intent, Torc and a boutique SaaS search firm.
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Sean Locke
Senior Advisor
Founder of The Locke Group and a Senior Advisor to Black Powder Search, with two decades of front-office search in alternative investments and asset management.
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Colin Brune
Special Advisor
Special Advisor with 20+ years in talent acquisition at Aerotek, TEKsystems, The Onin Group and Akkodis/Adecco.
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Denise Kermode
Chief Administrative Officer
Chief Administrative Officer at Black Powder Search, with 25 years of finance experience at Canaccord Genuity, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.
Full biography →
Affiliations and background
The company we keep
Organizations we serve
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Special Operators Transition Foundation
Special Operators Transition Foundation — Mark Whaling is Chairman; Robert Kirila is a former CEO. A charity, not a client.
Partner firms
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The Locke Group
Where our team came from
Institutions our people worked in before Black Powder Search. Listed as background, not as clients.
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BofA Securities -
ABN AMRO
Next step
Tell us the role. We will tell you who is already ready for it.
An onboarding call with our COO and the lead recruiter, and you will know within the week whether the person you need is already in our pool.