Conducting an Executive Search for Senior Leadership Roles to Strengthen Educational and Cultural Excellence in an Independent Catholic College
The Brief
Future Leadership™ partnered with a leading co-educational independent Catholic College to appoint two critical senior leadership positions: Head of Primary and Director of People & Culture.
The Head of Primary role required a professional to oversee the educational, pastoral, and operational management of the College’s primary campus. This leader would play a key role in developing curriculum and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation to deliver exceptional outcomes for students.
The Director of People & Culture was tasked with aligning HR practices with the College’s strategic goals, supporting workforce planning, talent development, and staff wellbeing, and embedding a culture of excellence and inclusiveness across the organisation.
Candidate net Promote Score
Future Leadership combines truly personalised relationships with innovative technology solutions to ensure an approachable and efficient process for all our Net Promoter Score across clients, successful candidates and unsuccessful candidates is well above industry standard.
Candidates supported every year
We maintain genuine relationships with past candidates and continue to support them with leadership solutions long term, after they land their role.
Senior Women Appointed since 2002
Over half of the executive search assignments undertaken by our team have resulted in the appointment of outstanding female or LGBTQI+ leaders to high profile roles.
Candidate Retention Rate for 12 months since 2002
Our thorough briefing process and ability to engage passive candidates mean that we go to great lengths to find the right person for the role – long term!
The Process
Future Leadership™ executed a targeted dual-search process tailored to the distinct requirements of each role:
- Detailed Briefing: Engaged with the College’s executive leadership team to define the priorities and challenges associated with each position.
- Targeted Search and Advertising: Conducted an online advertising campaign complemented by outreach to trusted networks across independent schools and related sectors.
- Candidate Evaluation: Presented a diverse shortlist of candidates for both roles, with comprehensive assessment reports provided to the College Council.
- Panel Interviews: Facilitated a structured two-round interview process for each role, with final candidates delivering presentations to the Selection Committee.
Emerging Capabilities
Strategy and Purpose
Develops and leads strategy for the function/organisation, taking a broad and long-term perspective. Communicates and gains buy-in to organisational goals and vision, promoting change initiatives.
Culture and Engagement
Fosters a positive culture, creating a sense of belonging and inclusiveness. Creates an environment that encourages diverse perspectives and facilitates a psychologically safe environment.
Governance and Compliance
Establishes, champions, and measures the effectiveness of an organisation’s regulatory and reporting systems. Identifies and evaluates risks and develops strategies to mitigate risk.
Stakeholder Relations
Establishes rapport with stakeholders, builds and sustains trusted and collaborative relationships. Identifies and draws on relevant and diverse perspectives and integrates them to support productive interactions.
Communication and Influence
Communicates with clarity and impact to facilitate individual and collective understanding, inspire action and enable information exchange. Leverages human-centric communication and storytelling to effectively influence stakeholders across the physical and virtual realms.
The Outcome
Head of Primary:
An experienced educational leader with over 15 years in primary education was appointed. The appointee demonstrated a deep understanding of curriculum development, pastoral care, and operational management, aligning with the College’s mission to deliver excellence in education and wellbeing.
Director of People & Culture:
A seasoned HR professional with a background in workforce strategy and organisational culture was selected for the role. Their experience in talent management and staff engagement positioned them to drive a positive and inclusive work environment at the College.
Both appointments ensured the College is well-equipped to deliver its vision for academic and organisational excellence.
Future Leadership worked with College Council over a four month period to recruit both Principal and Vice Principal roles for our K-12 co-educational independent Catholic College.
From day one, Future Leadership were professional, honest, enthusiastic, skilled and realistic about the process we needed to undertake. They ran an inclusive, rigorous and transparent process that was caring and relatable to candidates and met the expectations of our Council.
At all stages of the process Future Leadership consultants were available, knowledgeable and ready to answer questions or deal with any concerns. Future Leadership lead two very successful processes and the College community and our partner organisations are thrilled with the results. We are looking very much forward to the future with our exceptionally strong new leadership team.
Ever the professional, Liam’s genuine interest and support made for a smooth recruitment process that could have otherwise been far more stressful and difficult. I would not hesitate to recommend Future Leadership.
