Recruitment has always been about finding the right people. But when it comes to senior and specialist appointments, there’s often much more to it than matching a CV to a job description.

Over the past year, we’ve been working on an increasingly varied mix of recruitment briefs at Moxie & Mettle. Alongside our established work across marketing, PR, digital and creative, we’ve been supporting clients with some important senior appointments. These include Managing Director and Strategy Director roles, as well as People & Culture professionals.

These are just some examples of the work we’ve been doing. They also reflect the breadth of appointments we can support across different functions, sectors and levels of seniority.

It’s work we’ve fully embraced. It’s given us the opportunity to work more closely with clients, taking a much more involved approach to the search, assessment and selection process.

So, what does that look like in practice, and why does it matter?

Senior recruitment requires a different approach

Recruiting a senior leader or specialist professional is rarely straightforward.

The requirements can be complex, the candidate pool more specific and the implications of getting the appointment wrong much greater.

Take a Managing Director appointment, for example. A business might initially come to us with a list of requirements covering industry experience, leadership skills and commercial performance. But once we start talking, the conversation often goes much deeper.

What does the business actually need from its next MD? Is it someone who can drive growth, improve performance, bring people together or lead the business through change? Perhaps it’s a combination of all four.

The same applies to Strategy Directors and senior People & Culture appointments. The right person needs more than relevant experience. They need to understand the business, its challenges, its people and where it wants to go.

Getting to the heart of that is where a good recruitment process starts.

Understanding the business, not just the brief

One of the most important parts of our work is getting under the skin of the businesses we recruit for.

We want to understand what makes the organisation tick. That includes its culture, commercial objectives, existing team and the challenges it’s facing.

Sometimes that means asking questions, challenging assumptions or helping refine the original brief. The person a business thinks it needs at the outset isn’t always the person who will make the biggest difference.

Taking time to understand the bigger picture helps us build a clearer candidate profile. It also means we can have more meaningful conversations with potential candidates.

Most importantly, it allows us to look beyond qualifications and previous job titles. We want to understand what someone could genuinely bring to the organisation.

Moving beyond traditional contingency recruitment

We’ve always worked across a broad range of marketing and leadership appointments. Increasingly, we’re also undertaking more retained and exclusive assignments.

This allows us to become much more involved in the recruitment process. We work alongside clients as a recruitment partner rather than simply responding to a vacancy.

Depending on the assignment, this can include:

• Brief development: Understanding the role, objectives, expectations and the type of person needed.
• Targeted search: Identifying and approaching people directly, including those who aren’t actively looking for a new opportunity.
• Candidate assessment: Looking beyond the CV to explore experience, motivations, leadership style and suitability.
• Selection support: Helping clients manage interviews, assess candidates and make informed decisions.
• Offer and appointment management: Supporting both parties through the final stages of the process.

It’s a more involved way of working. For important senior and specialist appointments, that additional focus can make a real difference.

It also means clients have someone alongside them throughout the process. We provide insight, honest feedback and advice when it’s needed.

Why getting recruitment decisions right matters more than ever

With businesses thinking carefully about where they invest and who they bring into their teams, recruitment decisions are receiving more scrutiny.

Budgets are being reviewed and headcount plans reconsidered. Employers are taking their time to make sure new appointments are right for the business.

But being careful about recruitment doesn’t mean compromising on the quality of the people you bring into your business. In fact, it’s arguably more important to get those decisions right.

The value of getting the right person in place

The right Managing Director can influence the direction and performance of an entire organisation. A strong Strategy Director can help shape future growth and turn commercial ambitions into action.

The right People & Culture appointment can strengthen teams, develop leadership capability and create an environment where people can do their best work.

And the same applies across every function of a business. The right senior appointment can bring fresh thinking, improve performance, introduce new skills and help an organisation move forward.

These appointments are an investment. The cost of getting them wrong can extend well beyond the recruitment fee.

Having the right recruitment partner involved can help businesses make more informed decisions. It brings a clearer understanding of the market and a more structured approach to selection.

Where Moxie & Mettle can help

While marketing, PR, digital and creative recruitment remain at the heart of what we do, our experience and approach extend well beyond these specialisms.

We’ve recently been working across a variety of senior appointments, including Managing Directors, Strategy Directors and People & Culture professionals. These are examples of the briefs we’ve been working on, rather than a definitive list of the roles we recruit for.

We support businesses with senior and leadership appointments across a broad range of functions, disciplines and sectors. This includes board-level and executive positions, through to senior management and specialist roles.

Whether you’re looking to bring in a new leader, strengthen your management team, introduce a new skill set or find someone to take responsibility for a key area of your business, we can help you identify and secure the right person.

Our approach is tailored to the appointment, the business and what you’re looking to achieve. It’s about understanding the bigger picture and finding people who can make a genuine difference, whatever their job title.

A recruitment partner, not just a recruitment supplier

We believe good recruitment starts with good relationships.

Understanding a business, building trust and having open conversations about what it needs are just as important as finding candidates.

Not every vacancy requires the same approach. Sometimes a straightforward recruitment process is exactly what’s needed. Other appointments benefit from a more dedicated search and a closer working relationship, with support throughout the selection process.

Our job is to understand the difference and work with our clients in a way that makes sense for their business and the appointment.

At Moxie & Mettle, we love getting to know the businesses we work with. We want to understand their ambitions and challenges, and help them find people who are right for the role and the organisation.

Planning your next senior or specialist appointment?

Whether you’re planning a senior leadership appointment, looking to strengthen a key function or need support with a specialist or executive search, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re always happy to have an informal conversation about your plans and explore how we could support you.

Moxie & Mettle – Your kind of people.

If you’re planning a senior or specialist appointment and would like to find out more about how we work, we’d love to hear from you https://moxieandmettle.co.uk/contact-us/

Becs and Liz