Compass Associates’ Elderly Care division was approached by a family-run provider of both residential and nursing care to support a recruitment process to secure a Chief Operating Officer for their business, as the organisation looked to strengthen their commercial offering as part of a long-term strategic business plan. As such, this was a critical hire for the business.

The Founder did not have a care background, and as such needed an established senior operator who would run the day-to-day operations at the organisation, as well as to be able to support the organic growth of the business as the portfolio of homes grew, by commissioning new homes.

Compass Associates had been supporting the owner with recruitment support through delivering a number of home managers and nurse managers into the business across several months and had established a very good working relationship – understanding the nuances of the business, and quickly identifying individuals who would be a strong cultural fit of this growing family-run business. The knowledge of the sector was also cited as a main factor as to why the team were mandated the responsibility of this senior appointment.

The successful candidate would be responsible for setting the strategic growth agenda for the business and would be heavily incentivized to drive occupancy levels, and get new homes off the ground by identifying new market opportunities. The Chief Operating Officer would also be responsible for looking at ways to retain staff long-term.

Eight CV’s were submitted to the provider, of whom seven were interviewed during a first-stage call with the business owner; latterly two candidates were identified to progress to the second stage which involved a walk-around of the services, before a final stage interview took place meeting the founding owners family. The successful candidate has had an immediate impact to the business.