Questions to settle before briefing an executive search firm

Before briefing an executive search firm, employers should be clear on what the appointment needs to achieve, which experience is genuinely essential, what the market is likely to offer and who will make the final decision. Getting these things agreed early gives the search direction and helps avoid delays, unrealistic expectations and missed opportunities.

Appointing a senior leader is a significant decision for any business. In construction and real estate, where leadership directly influences project delivery, commercial performance and growth, getting that decision right is particularly important.

Yet one of the challenges we regularly see is businesses beginning the search process before they've fully agreed on what they need.

A detailed job description is a starting point, but it rarely tells the whole story. Before approaching candidates, there are several conversations worth having internally.

1. What does the business actually need this person to achieve?

A job title doesn't always explain what a business needs.

Take a Chief Operating Officer, for example. At one developer, the COO runs the day-to-day business: people, systems, processes and internal operations, freeing the CEO to focus on strategy and investors. At another, the COO is responsible for the performance of the portfolio itself, overseeing asset management, leasing and the operation of completed buildings.

Same job title. Different requirements.

Before starting a search, it's worth agreeing on the outcomes you expect from the appointment.

What will this person be responsible for? What challenges will they inherit? What needs to look different in 12 months' time?

This is particularly important for newly created positions. If a business is entering a new market or moving into a different stage of growth, the right appointment may look quite different from the person who would have suited the business two years earlier.

At FPA, we begin by understanding the business context behind the role, not simply reviewing a list of responsibilities.

The clearer the desired outcome, the easier it becomes to identify the experience and leadership qualities that genuinely matter.

2. Are your requirements realistic, or are you looking for someone who doesn't exist?

Every employer wants the strongest possible candidate. That's understandable, particularly when making a senior appointment.

But there's a difference between an ambitious brief and an unrealistic one.

We sometimes see businesses looking for an executive with a very specific combination of sector experience, regional knowledge, project exposure, leadership credentials and commercial expertise.

The challenge is that the more restrictive the criteria become, the smaller the available talent pool.

That doesn't mean employers should compromise on quality. It means being clear about where flexibility exists.

We recommend dividing the requirements into three categories:

• Essential: The experience and capabilities someone must have to succeed.
• Preferred: Experience that would add value but isn't critical.
• Flexible: Areas where transferable skills or a different background could be equally valuable.

For example, does a senior executive need to have worked for a particular type of developer, or is their track record of delivering comparable projects more important?

Does someone need extensive GCC experience, or could an international candidate bring capabilities the business currently lacks?

These questions are worth exploring before narrowing the search.

A good executive search partner should be prepared to challenge a brief constructively, rather than simply agree with every requirement.

3. Do you know what talent is actually available in the market?

This is one of the most important questions, and often the most overlooked.

Businesses typically have a clear idea of the person they'd like to appoint. What they don't always have is a complete picture of who is available, where the strongest candidates are working and what it would take to attract them.

At senior level, many of the best candidates are already established in successful roles. They're unlikely to be actively applying for jobs, which means advertising a vacancy may only reveal a small proportion of the available talent.

A structured executive search provides a much broader view.

For example, when we supported a leading UAE real estate developer with a Head of Development appointment, the requirement was specific: someone who had successfully taken luxury residential developments from feasibility through to handover.

Rather than relying on candidates already looking for opportunities, we mapped 60 senior development profiles across the market.

That research gave the client visibility of the talent available and informed discussions around salary, benefits and candidate suitability. Ten candidates were shortlisted, and the appointment progressed from brief to offer in 10 weeks.

The value wasn't simply identifying a candidate. It was giving the client a clearer understanding of the market before making a decision.

That's an important distinction. A strong search should help you understand your options, not just present a selection of CVs.

4. Is the remuneration package going to attract the right person?

Before going to market, it's important to establish whether the proposed package is competitive for the level of experience required.

Senior executives don't make career decisions on basic salary alone.

Their overall package, responsibilities, reporting structure, long-term incentives, professional reputation and future career opportunities all influence whether they're prepared to move.

In the GCC, these considerations can vary significantly between developers, main contractors, consultancies and businesses at different stages of growth.

An employer might have a clear internal salary band, but that doesn't necessarily mean it reflects what the target market expects.

Equally, offering the highest salary doesn't automatically secure the strongest candidate.

The goal is to understand what a credible and competitive opportunity looks like.

This is where detailed market mapping and compensation insight become valuable. They allow employers to test their assumptions before engaging candidates, rather than discovering late in the process that expectations are misaligned.

If the remuneration package is unlikely to attract the experience you're looking for, that conversation needs to happen at the beginning.

5. Who is making the decision, and how quickly can they make it?

Senior appointments often involve multiple stakeholders.

A CEO may have one set of priorities, while the board, shareholders or HR leadership may have others. Different perspectives can strengthen a hiring decision, but only when everyone is aligned.

Before starting an executive search, agree on who will assess candidates, who has final approval and how the interview process will work.

It's also worth establishing what each stage is intended to evaluate.

If candidates are meeting several stakeholders, those conversations should build on one another rather than repeatedly cover the same ground.

From the candidate's perspective, the process matters too.

Senior leaders are assessing the business just as carefully as the business is assessing them. An unclear process, inconsistent feedback or lengthy gaps between interviews can affect their confidence in an opportunity.

At FPA, our executive search process establishes assessment criteria at the briefing stage, followed by structured interviews and clear reporting.

The objective is to give clients the information they need to make an informed decision while keeping strong candidates engaged throughout.

6. How confidential does the appointment need to be?

Not every leadership appointment can, or should, be made public.

A business may be planning a restructure, replacing an existing executive or preparing for a new phase of growth that hasn't yet been announced.

Equally, senior candidates may be open to exploring an opportunity but understandably expect discretion.

Confidentiality shouldn't be an afterthought.

Before approaching the market, agree on how the organisation and role can be described, when the business can be identified and who is authorised to receive sensitive information.

These decisions are especially important when approaching candidates working for competitors or within a relatively small senior leadership market.

A carefully managed process protects the employer, the candidates and the integrity of the appointment.

What should you agree before starting an executive search?

Before briefing a search partner, make sure you can answer the following:

• What does this leader need to deliver in their first 12 months?
• Which requirements are essential, and where can we be flexible?
• Do we understand the available talent market?
• Is the remuneration package competitive?
• Who will interview, assess and approve the appointment?
• What information needs to remain confidential?

You don't need to have every answer before speaking to an executive search firm. In fact, establishing some of these answers should be part of the initial conversation.

The important thing is to know which decisions have been made, which assumptions need testing and where expert market insight could change your approach.

At FPA, Aaron Fletcher and Tony Piccolo personally lead each executive search, from the initial briefing and market mapping through to candidate assessment and appointment.

Our role is to give businesses a clear understanding of their options, honest advice on the market and the confidence to make the right leadership decision.