Growth that had outrun the operating structure.
The trust had grown faster than its systems, and the team needed an operations lead who could bring order without slowing the mission down. The wrong appointment would cost momentum the organisation couldn't spare.
The brief to K2 was to find someone who would steady the team and stay — assessed on the things that actually predict success in the role.
A retained search built around fit and staying power.
We mapped the market against the competencies the role really needed, then assessed every candidate through the same recorded, structured framework — so the recommendation accounted for capability and retention, not just a CV.
- 01
Mapped the market & calibrated competencies
Agreed what "right" looked like for the role before anyone was approached, including the indicators that predict whether someone stays.
- 02
Recorded, structured interviews
Every candidate met the same framework, recorded with consent, so the assessment was consistent and defensible.
- 03
Competency-mapped reports
Each recommendation came as evidence the trust could read and act on — not a CV with a covering note.
- 04
Mid-campaign calibration checkpoint
We paused to recalibrate against what the search was teaching us, and adjusted the plan together.
"We needed someone who would steady the team and stay. Eighteen months on, that's exactly what we got."
Steady hands, and an appointment that held.
The operations lead brought structure to a fast-growing team without losing the mission, and is well into the role — the actual measure of success the search was run against, at the fixed fee agreed up front.
