Hiring strategy
Define the mandate before you write the job description
Five questions that turn a broad hiring request into a search your team can run.
What needs to be different in a year?
Name two or three outcomes that would make this hire successful. “Lead engineering” describes responsibility. Improving release reliability while building the next layer of leadership gives the search a target.
What will they actually own?
Clarify budget, reporting lines, team size, decision authority, and the boundaries between this role and adjacent functions. Use those details to test whether someone’s past scope translates.
Which experience is essential on day one?
Separate requirements from preferences. Agree where you would accept experience in an adjacent industry or a different company size.
What will attract the right person?
Be specific about why the role is open, what the business is investing in, and what decisions the new hire will get to make.
How will the interview team decide?
Assign each interviewer an area to assess and agree on the evidence you want to hear. A shared scorecard makes the debrief easier to compare.
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