Recruitment Associate, CEO & Board Search

About Watson Board Advisors

At Watson, we help Boards be more effective so they can positively shape the future of their organizations. In partnership with our clients, we are tailored and practical in helping recruit and select the right Directors and CEO, strengthen governance, and navigate strategy and risk in a rapidly changing world.

We support clients in the following ways

• Building a Strong Board - A Board is at its best when every member adds value. From supporting clients in identifying its needs, to recruiting and selecting new Directors, to succession planning for its leadership, to ensuring the Board’s composition is right for the next phase of its business, we help clients ensure they have the team they need to shape the future.
• Finding and Supporting Your CEO - Boards need the right leader to work in close partnership with their Board and take the organization to the next level. From crafting the right success profile for their incoming CEO, to helping them find and evaluate highly qualified candidates, to assessing and supporting their performance and leadership, to planning for succession, we help Boards find and support the most important partner in the Board’s work.
• Understanding the Board’s Performance - Improving as a Board starts with understanding where Boards are strong and what would make them even more effective. From conducting Board Evaluations to designing respectful processes for Director Feedback, we give the Board and its members a more objective and insightful view of their performance, along with practical ways to improve.
• Evolving Governance - Good governance evolves with an organization. From comprehensive Governance Reviews to the design and implementation of structures and practices, we equip Boards with the governance frameworks and tools it needs to support the next phase of its organizational journey.
• Achieving Alignment and Engagement - A Board is most effective when it engages the right issues at the right level at the right time. From facilitation to education and coaching, we help Boards align at the highest level, and optimize how, where, and when it tackles the most strategic issues facing its organization.

Why Work at Watson

Founded in 2005, Watson is the most experienced board advisory firm in Canada. We do this work because we believe that high-performing, well-governed organizations create a stronger world, with their boards holding a critical and complex leadership role. People who work at Watson have a unique opportunity to have a positive impact on Boards of Directors and CEOs, the senior-most decision makers, at organizations throughout our country. Over the last 20 years, we have supported more than 500 Boards across the full spectrum of sectors, ownership structures, and stages of evolution.

At Watson, our core values are

1. Purpose-driven – We lead with purpose and impact
2. Always learning – We are open, curious, innovative and insightful
3. Human-centred – We take care with everything we do
4. Authentic – We are intentional, transparent and bold
5. Collaborative – Achieve more together

The Role – Associate, CEO & Board Search

Watson is seeking an Associate to join our CEO & Board Search practice in Vancouver.
The Associate is a core member of our search teams, helping clients make consequential decisions about the leaders and Board members they need for the future. Working closely with Partners and other team members, the Associate contributes across the search process: developing a deep understanding of the client and its context, shaping search strategy, conducting candidate and market research, building and assessing candidate pipelines, and supporting clients through selection and decision-making.

Our approach to search is highly consultative. Many of our engagements involve complex organizations, including family-owned businesses, member-based organizations and others with multiple stakeholder groups where strategy, governance, ownership and organizational dynamics all shape what the right leader or Director looks like. Associates need to be curious about these broader issues, able to synthesize different perspectives and sources of information, and apply that context to thoughtful search and assessment work.

Search is the foundation of the role, but Associates will also have opportunities to contribute to related CEO and Board advisory work, including succession planning, Board composition planning and leadership evaluation. Over time, the role provides an opportunity to develop a broader understanding of how organizations identify, assess and plan for their most senior leaders and Board members.

Success in the role requires strong candidate research and assessment skills, sound judgment, executive presence, high emotional intelligence, exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to delivering an outstanding client and candidate experience. Associates are also expected to take increasing ownership of discrete workstreams, anticipate project needs and contribute substantively to client discussions and deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Excellence
• Support the effective management of multiple CEO and Board search engagements, working with Partners and Analysts to keep client, candidate and internal activities coordinated and on track.
• Develop and maintain project workplans, timelines and tools, ensuring teams remain aligned on key milestones, deliverables and responsibilities.
• Own and increasingly lead discrete workstreams within search engagements, taking responsibility for quality, timelines and follow-through with appropriate Partner oversight.
• Oversee the set-up and coordination of client and candidate touchpoints, ensuring a consistently professional and thoughtful experience throughout the search.
• Maintain complete, accurate and current candidate records and pipeline information throughout each engagement.
• Draft clear and thoughtful client communications and respond to client inquiries with appropriate Partner oversight.
• Lead internal project meetings and selected portions of client update discussions, communicating search progress, candidate pipeline developments, emerging issues and next steps.
• Build proficiency across the systems and tools used to deliver Watson’s search work, including Salesforce, Target Recruit, LinkedIn and Microsoft Office.
• Search Strategy and Candidate Assessment
• Develop a strong understanding of each client’s organization, governance context, strategic priorities, stakeholder environment and leadership requirements, and apply that context throughout search strategy and candidate assessment.
• Conduct client and organizational research using publicly available information, client documentation and prior Watson work to deepen understanding of the mandate and inform the search.
• Support the development of thoughtful search strategies, including target organizations, potential candidate pools and the experience, capabilities and attributes most relevant to the mandate.
• Synthesize client context, stakeholder input, market research and candidate insights to help the project team refine leadership requirements, search strategy and assessment criteria throughout an engagement.
• Conduct targeted candidate and market research using Target Recruit, LinkedIn and other sources to identify and build high-quality candidate pipelines.
• Develop high-quality client deliverables, including candidate briefs, market insights, interview guides, assessment materials and other search-related materials, with appropriate Partner review.
• Conduct candidate outreach and follow-up, building trust and maintaining strong relationships throughout the search process.
• Develop strong candidate interviewing and assessment skills, evaluating leadership capability, experience, motivation and contextual fit in the context of a particular mandate.
• Synthesize candidate information and assessment insights into clear, thoughtful observations and recommendations for the project team and client.
• Bring curiosity, judgment and high emotional intelligence to candidate interactions, recognizing that assessing senior executives and Directors requires understanding nuance beyond a résumé or stated experience.
• Conduct candidate reference checks and prepare clear, insightful reference reports to support final selection decisions.
• Deliver an exceptional experience for clients and candidates throughout the process, including candidates who are not ultimately selected.
• Candidate and Business Development
• Maintain accurate records of new candidates and proactively update information as individuals change roles or take on new Board appointments.
• Build and maintain relationships with executives, Directors and candidates beyond individual search engagements.
• Develop knowledge of the CEO, executive and Director landscape and contribute relevant market intelligence and candidate insights across the firm.
• Build awareness of leadership, talent and governance trends that may inform client search, succession and composition decisions.
• Support proposal and RFP development through past-work summaries, methodology input, research and relevant candidate or market context.
• Build a strong understanding of Watson’s broader service offerings and how CEO and Board Search connects to succession, evaluation and Governance Advisory work.
• Support prospective client and organizational research for business development conversations.
• Contribute to marketing, thought leadership and other firm-building activities.
• Contributing to internal initiatives (process improvement, creating templates, research & knowledge transfer, etc.)

Qualifications, Skills, Experience

The strongest candidates will combine executive search or recruitment experience, strong research and assessment skills, and a consultative approach to working with clients and candidates. They will be interested not only in executing high-quality searches, but also in understanding the broader organizational, leadership and governance questions that shape CEO and Board decisions.

• Experience: Over 2 years of relevant professional experience, ideally including exposure to executive search and talent or leadership advisory. Candidates from related consulting or in-house environments may also be considered where they have relevant experience in candidate research, assessment or senior-level recruitment.
• Candidate assessment: Strong curiosity about people and organizations, with demonstrated or developing ability to interview, assess and differentiate candidates based on leadership capability, experience, motivation and contextual fit.
• Consultative mindset: Interested in understanding the broader organizational and leadership context behind a search rather than simply matching candidates to a position specification. Enjoys working through ambiguity and complex, multi-stakeholder situations.
• Analytical and synthesis skills: Able to process information from client research, stakeholder discussions, market research and candidate assessment; identify meaningful themes and implications; and apply that context to search strategy, assessment and client-ready recommendations.
• Project ownership: Proactive and organized, with the ability to take ownership of discrete workstreams, coordinate others where appropriate, anticipate next steps and keep work moving with increasing independence.
• Client presence: Confident, polished and credible when interacting with senior executives, Board members and other experienced leaders, while knowing when to seek guidance.
• High emotional intelligence: Able to read people and situations, build trust quickly, navigate sensitive conversations thoughtfully and exercise appropriate discretion.
• Exceptional client service: Highly responsive and attentive to the details that shape a client or candidate’s experience. Takes ownership for follow-through and quality.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize research, consultations and assessment information into concise, accurate and client-ready materials.
• Organization and attention to detail: Able to manage multiple searches, candidates, stakeholders and deadlines while maintaining accurate records and consistently high-quality work.
• Relationship orientation: Enjoys developing genuine relationships with candidates and clients and maintaining those relationships beyond a single engagement.
• Interest in broader CEO and Board advisory: Motivated to build expertise beyond search, including CEO succession, Board composition planning and leadership evaluation.
• Collaboration and learning: Works effectively as part of a project team, provides guidance to Analysts and colleagues, receives feedback constructively and demonstrates a strong appetite for continued development.
• Tools: Comfortable using Microsoft Office and digital research tools; experience with applicant tracking, CRM, or executive search platforms is an asset.
• Values alignment: Demonstrates care, curiosity and commitment to Watson’s purpose and collaborative, human-centred culture.

Compensation

The salary range for the role is $85,000 - $110,000. The lower end of the range is typically indicative of individuals with limited work experience in a similar setting. The upper end of the range is typically indicative of individuals who have worked in the role for more than two years and consistently meeting or exceeding expectations for the role.

Additional compensation includes an annual bonus, three weeks of annual vacation plus additional office closures, group health benefits on Day 1, pension plan with company matching, and a $500 personal spending allowance.

Accessibility

Watson is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible work environment for all individuals. We strive to ensure that our hiring process and workplace accommodate the diverse needs of candidates and employees with disabilities.

If you require accommodations during the application or interview process, please contact us at [hr@watsoninc.ca](mailto:hr@watsoninc.ca). We will work with you to meet your accessibility needs.