Most organizations run an executive job search similar to any other hire: write the job description, post it, wait for applications, and pick the profiles that most align with the requirements to interview. That approach quietly assumes the leader you want is out there looking. Often they aren't. They are running something well for someone who wants to keep them, and they will only move for a mandate that is clear, credible and worth the risk. This guide shows employers in Canada how to run an executive job search from the hiring side, from scoping the role to choosing between a job posting and a retained search, assessing candidates, and closing the offer.
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Why an executive job search stalls before the first interview
Executive searches rarely fail in the interview room. They fail earlier, when the organization has not agreed on what the new leader must accomplish, and where candidates will come from. Each gap shows up later as a thin shortlist, a divided committee, or a hire who leaves within two years.
The cost of getting it wrong is well documented. McKinsey's Scott Keller and Mary Meaney report that between 27 and 46 percent of executive transitions are regarded as failures or disappointments two years in, and that most flounder on politics, culture and people rather than skills. The problem is usually alignment, and alignment is decided long before the offer.
Sourcing is the second trap. The Government of Alberta's guide for nonprofit boards, Hiring the Right Executive Director, notes that many people at the executive level did not hear about their current role through traditional methods, because they were not looking at the time.
For example, a foundation replacing a long-serving executive director posts the role and receives plenty of applications, but very few from the sitting leaders of peer organizations the board had in mind. The posting worked, but the plan never reached the most aligned leaders who were not looking.
1. Define the mandate before you write the job description
Start with what must be different in two years, not with a list of duties. A mandate names the three to five outcomes the new leader is accountable for, the constraints they inherit and the decisions they will own. The job description, the posting, the interview questions and any scoring sheet should all follow from it.
Most executive job descriptions copy from and/or rehash the previous one. The description essentially describes a person, not a job, and screens out capable leaders who took a different route to develop the same skills.
Write the mandate in outcomes: "Rebuild the funding base to ensure stable revenue for the organization" tells a candidate far more than "strategic fundraising experience."
Separate requirements from habits: For each qualification, ask whether it predicts success or simply describes the last incumbent.
Agree on the pay range now: A committee that debates compensation after the shortlist is set has already lost time and, often, its preferred candidate.
What would make the board say, two years from now, that this hire changed the organization?
2. Choose your channel: job posting, executive search, or both
A job posting works when the role is visible, the candidate pool is active (meaning candidates who can do the job are looking), and your team has time to screen. A retained executive search works when the people you need are not looking in ample supply, when the process must stay confidential, or when the wrong hire would cost the institution significant reputational, financial, or organizational risk. Many senior hires use both: a public posting alongside direct outreach.
Job posting | Retained executive search | Both together | |
|---|---|---|---|
Best for | Roles with an active, visible candidate pool | Confidential, scarce applicant pool, or high-stakes leadership roles where it is risky to hire the wrong individual | Positions (often senior roles) where you want reach and direct outreach |
Who it reaches | Candidates who are looking now | Candidates who are not looking, approached directly | Both groups |
Who does the work | Your HR team and others with hiring responsibilities | The search firm, with your committee and/or the person hiring | Shared |
Cost | A flat posting fee (see what it costs to post a job in Canada) | A professional fee agreed with the firm | Both |
BES Executive Search Inc., a Toronto executive search and EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) consulting firm founded in 2020, offers both routes. Its inclusion-first executive search practice starts with a guided exercise that expands the client's search parameters beyond familiar networks. The BES Job Board is the self-serve route: a single 30-day posting with an AI job writer, and visibility with BES's network of 45,000+ professionals across North America. It is best suited to senior and mid-level roles, although the job board features jobs at all levels of an organization.
For example, an organization hiring a Finance Manager draws on an active pool of skilled finance experts, so a well-written posting may be enough (for the posting itself, our guide on how to choose a job board covers what reaches the right candidates). A health charity replacing its CEO needs confidentiality and direct approaches to ensure it obtains a list of qualified candidates, hence a retained search.
3. Give the search committee a mandate, a chair and rules
A search committee needs three things in writing, ideally, before the first applications arrive: the role of the committee and what it decides, who ultimately approves who gets the position, and how the process will be designed to protect confidential information.
The Alberta guide is direct on this point: the board keeps the final decision, and it should be clear on the committee's mandate, authority and expected outcomes. It also warns against offering the role before the full board is informed, or at least sharing with the selected candidate that their appointment is only official after board approval.
Put decision rights in writing: Does the committee choose who is interviewed, or recommend? Does it pick the finalist, or recommend to the board?
Choose a chair with time and judgment: The chair keeps the process fair, on schedule, and honest. My article, Reading the Room, covers how chairs steer committees toward stronger hires.
Agree on confidentiality first: Senior candidates who are currently employed will step away from a process that leaks.
Score against the mandate, not against each other: Comparing finalists to one another can sometimes reward whoever interviewed last. It's always best to assess each candidate against the mandate and job description.
What committees are actually evaluating, whether they say it or not: can this person lead us through our specific problem, and will we trust their judgment when things get messy?
Not sure whether this role needs a posting or a search? Post it on the BES Job Board today, or book a free 15-minute call to talk through executive search with the BES team. Post a job → · Book a 15-minute consult
4. Widen the pool, on purpose
The fastest route to a homogeneous shortlist is to search only the networks the people already know. Leadership teams that think alike miss the same signals and misjudge the same risks, so widening the pool may show you potential hires that may strengthen team performance.
Canada's public companies show how slowly leadership changes when nobody intervenes. Osler's 2025 review found that women held an average of 21.5% of executive officer positions at companies reporting the figure, and that racialized directors held 10.7% of board seats among companies reporting under the federal corporate rules. Both figures barely moved from the year before.
Inclusive hiring isn't about lowering standards; it's about correcting blind spots. In practice, that means:
Map adjacent sectors: A chief operating officer for a hospital foundation may come from a university, a municipality or a cultural institution.
Ask who is missing from the long list: Then ask where those leaders work, and who could introduce you.
Remove proxies from the requirements: "Canadian experience" is prohibited in Ontario postings, and rigid years-of-experience thresholds often screen out strong leaders who advanced quickly.
Publish the range and offer accommodation: Both tell candidates the process is built to be fair.
At BES, we see the same pattern across searches: some of the strongest candidates are often one network away from the organization's same circles.
5. Assess judgment, not polish
At the executive level, committees should assess how a candidate thinks when the problem is ambiguous, not how confidently they present. Structured interviews, a realistic work exercise and references beyond the candidate's own list give you evidence of judgment; a polished conversation may give you evidence of interview practice.
The Alberta guide suggests a shortlist of three to seven candidates, scored on an assessment sheet built from the role's key criteria. Ask every finalist the same questions so the committee compares answers, not impressions.
For example, a committee is split between two finalists. One presents a confident 100-day plan. The other asks what the board has already tried, names two trade-offs and explains what they would not do in year one. The second candidate is showing the judgment the mandate needs, even though the first one felt more impressive in the room.
Use a real problem: Ask finalists to work through a decision the organization faces now.
Listen for trade-offs: Strong leaders name what they would rule out and why.
6. Treat the offer and the first 90 days as part of the search
The search is not over when a finalist says yes. Senior candidates weigh counter-offers, notice periods and the confidence of the full board, and the way you negotiate tells them how you will lead them.
Move quickly once the board approves, and answer hard questions honestly. My article, Tips for Landing the Candidate, covers what every employer must know once the decision is made. Then, plan the start of a new work chapter begins: my article, Beyond the Org Chart, sets out the questions new leaders should ask during onboarding.
Close the loop with every finalist as well. Unsuccessful senior candidates are often future hires or referrers, and in Ontario it is a legal obligation.
What Ontario employers must include when posting an executive role
Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must follow new job posting rules under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, and executive roles are covered by most of them. The exception that matters at this level: you do not have to publish pay if the expected compensation, or the top of the range, is more than $200,000 a year, according to the province's guide to publicly advertised job postings.
Rule | What it means for an executive posting |
|---|---|
Compensation | Required unless expected pay exceeds $200,000 a year; a range can span no more than $50,000 |
AI disclosure | State whether AI is used to screen, assess or select applicants |
Vacancy statement | Say whether the position is currently vacant |
No Canadian experience | You cannot require it in the posting or application form |
45-day follow-up | Tell every interviewed applicant whether a decision has been made within 45 days of their last interview, even when a recruiting firm conducts the interviews |
Our full guide to Ontario job posting requirements covers each rule, the exemptions and a template. Hiring outside Ontario? Check your own province's employment standards before you post.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an executive job search take?
Plan in months, not weeks. The time goes into agreeing on the mandate, reaching candidates who are not looking, committee schedules and notice periods. Build the timeline backwards from the start date you need. In Ontario, remember that every interviewed applicant must hear whether a decision has been made within 45 days of their last interview.
Should we use an executive search firm or post the job ourselves?
Post the job yourself when the role has an active candidate pool and your team has time to screen. Use an executive search firm when the people you need are not looking, the search must stay confidential or the cost of a wrong hire is high. The Government of Alberta's guide for boards names the same conditions: no obvious candidates, a national scope or real time pressure.
Do executive job postings in Ontario need a salary range?
For most employers with 25 or more employees, yes, unless the expected compensation or the top of the range is more than $200,000 a year. Ontario's Employment Standards Act rules took effect on January 1, 2026, and cap any posted range at $50,000. Even when the exemption applies, publishing pay tends to keep strong senior candidates in the process.
How much does it cost to post an executive job in Canada?
It depends on the board. A single 30-day posting on the BES Job Board is $250 CAD, with a free account and an AI job writer included. Other boards charge flat fees, subscriptions or pay-per-click. Our comparison of job posting costs in Canada sets out what each model costs and what it buys.
An executive job search starts with the organization, not the candidate
The best executive job search is not the loudest one. It's the one where the board knows what it needs, the committee knows how it will decide, and the pool is wide enough to include the leaders who were not looking. Get those three right and every channel works harder. Treat each senior hire as a chance to sharpen that practice.
Want a wider, more diverse pool for your next senior hire? The BES Job Board is run by an inclusion-first executive search firm, so your leadership role reaches candidates looking for employers who take equity seriously. Post your job on the BES Job Board →
Jason Murray is President and Managing Partner of BES Executive Search Inc., the Toronto executive search and EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) consulting firm he founded in 2020. Over a 20-year career in search and consulting he has led more than 500 executive searches for public, nonprofit, private, industrial and technology organizations, sat inside hundreds of hiring committees, and coached thousands of candidates and leaders through the decisions that shape careers. Before founding BES, Jason worked at a multinational executive search firm and a boutique search firm, and earlier served as Human Capital and Strategy and Operations Supervisor in the consulting division of Deloitte and Touche, supporting a 994-person division. He has delivered EDIA and workplace culture workshops to more than 100 organizations and worked with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, G(irls)20 and Pride at Work Canada. Jason holds an Honours BA from the University of Toronto and a Master's degree in Management from Boston University, is certified in unconscious-bias decision-making, and has completed training in predictive data analytics, the ethical use of AI in recruitment, 4 Seasons of Reconciliation (First Nations University of Canada) and trauma-informed practice. He chairs the board of Business in the Streets and is a former Chair of the Toronto Fringe Festival. His commentary on hiring and employment appears on CBC News, Global News, CHCH and in The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.
