Chief Operating Officer for a Learning Disabilities Provider

Compass Associates were mandated with a search for a Chief Operating Officer for a well-established Learning Disabilities charity provider.

The current Chief Operating Officer was due to retire and therefore the client needed to find a replacement accordingly to ensure the successful candidate was able to take over from the current incumbent before the retirement date. 

The client is a small learning disability charity that Compass Associates had previously worked with successfully placing several managers. The charity had spoken to several other recruitment agencies but opted to work with Compass Associates due to being impressed with the quality of the previous work that we had provided. 

After the initial discussion of what the client was looking for, Compass Associates visited the client’s headquarters to gain a true understanding of the business requirements and of the role. Once a detailed brief was agreed along with timescales, Compass Associates worked on creating a candidate pool. 

From a shortlist of 25 potential candidates, this was then narrowed down to four that were then presented to the client. It was important for the client to source a successful candidate prior to the current incumbent leaving to ensure that there was a reasonable handover period. They were also looking for a candidate with similar experience within adult social care to ensure the needs of the client’s purpose being met. 

A three-stage interview process was agreed upon which involved a CV screening with Compass Associates, an interview with the client’s senior management team, along with the final stage being a presentation on the candidate’s understanding of the business. 

Out of the four potential candidates, two of them were taken to the final stage. One of these was offered the role and accepted instantly. While the other was not successful, the client really liked the second choice candidate and therefore requested they keep in touch on an ad hoc work basis. 

Compass Associates had agreed on a four-week turnaround from initial discussions to an offer being accepted by the successful candidate. However, Compass Associates provided a quick turnaround by completing the brief within three weeks. The client was once again impressed by the work provided by Compass Associates and will continue to use our services in the future. 

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