Before You Brief: What to Consider When Hiring for a Senior Role

A few things worth pausing on before the brief goes out

A senior vacancy usually gets treated as a task to close out: write the brief, run the search, make an offer. Before any of that starts, it’s worth thinking through a few things — not because the process is wrong, but because what you decide here shapes who you end up hiring.

What’s actually driving this vacancy?

Is this a straightforward backfill, or a moment where the role — or the function around it — genuinely needs to look different going forward? Treating every vacancy as “replace like with like” can quietly lock in whatever wasn’t working before.

Is this a confidential search?

Not every senior vacancy can be discussed openly.

Sometimes a search is being undertaken because of performance concerns and an organisation needs to discreetly understand the market before making any decisions. In other cases, the role may be tied to a planned retirement, succession plan, or future leadership transition.

The reason behind the vacancy should influence how the market is approached. A confidential replacement search requires careful handling, tightly controlled communication, and sensitivity to the individuals involved. A succession or retirement-led search often allows for a more open conversation about the future direction of the role and the organisation.

Being clear about the context from the outset helps determine the most appropriate search strategy and ensures the right message reaches the right candidates.

Where does your business sit in the market right now?

How competitors are positioned, where the sector is moving, and what that means for the kind of person likely to succeed in the role. A profile that made sense two years ago may not be the one that makes sense now.

Is the gap in the org chart the same as the gap in your team?

Sometimes the empty seat isn’t where the real capability gap sits. It’s worth being honest about how the team around the role is actually performing before assuming the vacancy alone will fix things.

What stage is your business or function at?

Scaling, stabilising, or turning around all call for a different kind of appointment. The right profile follows from the stage you’re at, not just the responsibilities listed in the job description.

Will the right person even hear about this, and take it seriously?

The people best suited to senior roles usually aren’t actively looking. Getting them to properly consider yours often depends on trust — someone with genuine standing in your sector who can get the call answered and the opportunity taken seriously, rather than politely declined.

What does success look like a year in, not just on the day someone signs?

It’s worth being clear upfront about what this person needs to have achieved or changed within their first year. That’s a more useful yardstick than whether the seat gets filled.

Why this is worth the time

None of this needs to slow the process down. It just means the search starts from a clearer picture of what you actually need, rather than from a job description written in a hurry to get a vacancy off the list.