HR Talent Behind Stronger Organizations.
Lead Search Group recruits human resources and talent professionals who help organizations build stronger teams, develop people and navigate change. From HR leadership and talent acquisition to people operations, organizational development and specialized HR roles, we build each search around your organization, culture and what your people strategy needs to accomplish.
Let's Talk About Your HiringPeople Talent Across Human Resources.
Human resources teams shape how organizations attract people, support employees, develop leaders and navigate change. Lead Search Group recruits across the HR and talent landscape, adapting each search to the organization, culture, workforce priorities and people outcomes that matter most.
Human Resources
Leadership
Chief People Officers, Vice Presidents of Human Resources, HR Directors and senior people leaders shaping workforce strategy, culture and organizational performance.
Talent Acquisition
& Recruitment
Talent acquisition leaders, recruiters and sourcing professionals responsible for building stronger pipelines and helping organizations attract and compete for talent.
HR Management
& Business Partners
HR Managers, HR Generalists and HR Business Partners supporting leaders, employees and day to day people operations while connecting workforce priorities with business needs.
People Operations
& HR Systems
People operations, HRIS and HR technology professionals improving systems, processes, employee experience and the infrastructure behind growing teams.
Health, Safety
& Employee Relations
Health and safety, employee relations and workplace professionals supporting safe, compliant workplaces and helping organizations navigate complex employee matters.
Total Rewards
& Payroll
Compensation, payroll, benefits coordination and total rewards professionals supporting accurate administration, competitive programs and a strong employee experience.
The Best HR Talent May Never Apply.
Strong HR professionals are often already trusted by leaders, supporting employees and shaping people strategy somewhere else. Finding the right person means understanding the organization they need to support, the challenges they will inherit and where proven HR talent is already doing that work successfully.
We Look for Experience That Matches the People Challenge.
The right HR candidate is not defined by title alone. A growing organization may need someone who has built people infrastructure from the ground up, while another may need experience navigating change, strengthening employee relations or supporting a complex workforce.
We map organizations, industries and talent pools where HR professionals have worked through similar challenges, then shape the search around your workforce, culture, leadership team and people priorities.
Direct competitors, adjacent industries, high growth organizations, multi location businesses, professional services firms, healthcare organizations, technology companies, corporate HR teams and organizations navigating transformation, expansion or workforce change.
Find the HR Professionals Others May Never Reach.
Many strong HR professionals are not actively looking for another role. They may be deeply embedded in their organization, trusted by leadership and employees, or simply waiting for an opportunity with the right mandate, culture and ability to make an impact.
Lead Search Group combines targeted research, direct headhunting, professional relationships and referrals to reach HR candidates beyond the active applicant market and start conversations with people who may never respond to a traditional posting.
HR executives, HR Directors, HR Managers, HR Generalists, HR Business Partners, talent acquisition, people operations, HRIS, health and safety, employee relations, compensation, payroll, benefits and other specialized HR talent.
Research. Relationships. Reach. Results.
We find HR and talent professionals based on what your organization and your people need, not simply who happens to be looking.
What Does Your Organization Need From HR Next?
HR hiring often begins with a title, a list of responsibilities or a gap that needs to be filled. Those things matter, but the strongest search starts by understanding the organization, the workforce and the people challenges this person will actually be expected to solve.
What does success in this HR or talent role actually need to look like?
Understand the Business
& Workforce
What kind of organization will this person need to support?
The right HR profile depends on the environment, whether that means supporting rapid growth, multiple locations, professional teams, frontline employees, a complex workforce or an organization going through transformation.
Support People
& Culture
What employee and culture challenges will this person inherit?
Strong HR professionals need to understand the people behind the policies. Employee relations, culture, engagement, retention and leadership credibility can all shape what the right candidate needs to bring.
Build People
& HR Capability
What does this person need to build, improve or professionalize?
The mandate may involve building HR processes, strengthening talent acquisition, improving systems, developing leaders, formalizing compensation or creating the infrastructure needed to support a growing organization.
Influence Leaders
& Change
How will this person need to influence the organization?
Effective HR talent often works across every level of a business. The right candidate may need to coach leaders, earn employee trust, navigate difficult decisions and help move the organization through meaningful change.
The Best HR Candidate Is Not Always From the Most Obvious Competitor.
A strong HR search looks beyond job titles and industry labels to understand the workforce someone has supported, the problems they have solved and the environments where they have been effective. Defining those experiences clearly can open the search to a much stronger candidate market.
Let's Talk About Your HR & Talent Hiring.
Tell us what the organization, workforce or leadership team needs from this role. We can help shape the search around the experience, capabilities and candidate market most likely to deliver it.
Discuss an HR & Talent SearchBusiness. People. Capability. Leadership.
A practical guide to defining what your organization really needs from an HR or talent hire before the search begins.
Get the HR Hiring PlaybookPractical guidance for organizations preparing to make an important HR or talent hire.
HR & Talent Search With More Context Behind It.
Strong HR hiring goes beyond matching titles, industries or years of experience. The strongest search starts with the organization, the workforce, the people challenges ahead and what this person will actually need to influence, build or improve.
People
Judgment
We look beyond titles to understand how candidates have supported employees, influenced leaders, navigated change and strengthened organizations.
Principal
Led
Your search stays close to experienced recruitment leadership, from defining the mandate through research, outreach, assessment and the final hire.
Search Strategy
Built for You
Your workforce, culture, leadership needs and people priorities determine where we search and which HR professionals we approach.
Relationships
Expand the Search
Targeted research, direct headhunting, referrals and professional relationships help us reach proven HR talent beyond the active applicant market.
Relationships That Speak for Themselves.
Our reputation has been built one relationship at a time. Clients and candidates trust Lead Search Group with important hiring and career decisions, and their experiences say more about our approach than we ever could.
Jackie Sparking
Leslie Proulx
Magdalena is more than a recruiter – she takes the time to develop a close relationship with her clients. I had the pleasure of working with Magdalena when I was looking for a new HR role. Living in Calgary at the time, I was eager to move back to Ontario. The idea of finding a new job across the country was daunting. Magdalena and I connected and I immediately knew that I had her full support in my job search. She took the time to understand my interests and my career goals, ultimately leading to securing a position in a few weeks. Since that first initial contact with Magdalena more than two years ago, we have maintained a close relationship, both professionally and personally.
Victoria Almeida
It has been an absolute pleasure working with Magdalena. It’s very clear that she has a sincere interest in her clients’ success and she works so hard to ensure that they find the perfect role. She is always in touch every step of the way and makes sure you are confident and comfortable before going into an interview or putting you forth for a position. I love working with her and recommend any contact who is searching for a new role to her as a recruiter but more so as an advisor and confidant. She placed me in my current role (before providing me with quite a few amazing opportunities) and its been a great opportunity for me. I look forward to working with Magdalena in the future.
Questions Worth Asking Before an HR Search.
HR hiring can look straightforward until the search begins. Workforce complexity, culture, employee relations, leadership expectations and the maturity of your people function can all shape who the right candidate actually is.
Many strong HR professionals are already trusted inside organizations where they have built credibility with leaders and employees. We use targeted research, market mapping, direct headhunting, referrals and professional relationships to identify and approach people who may never respond to a job posting but could be open to the right opportunity.
We look at the environment someone has supported, the workforce they have worked with and the problems they have actually solved. That can include employee relations, organizational growth, leadership coaching, HR systems, compliance, change management and building people processes from the ground up.
Yes. Lead Search Group recruits across the HR function, from Chief People Officers, Vice Presidents and HR Directors to HR Managers, Generalists, Business Partners and specialized professionals in talent acquisition, people operations, HRIS, employee relations, health and safety, compensation, payroll and benefits.
Sometimes, but not always. Industry experience can matter when the workforce, regulatory environment or employee model is highly specialized. In other searches, the stronger predictor may be experience with a similar workforce, organizational size, stage of growth, leadership structure or people challenge rather than the exact industry.
Yes. HR functions often require specialized expertise that is difficult to identify through broad recruitment alone. Searches can include compensation, payroll, benefits coordination, total rewards, health and safety, employee relations, HRIS, talent acquisition and other specialized people roles.
Yes. We can help work through the mandate, priorities and candidate profile before outreach begins. That often means separating what is truly essential from what is simply familiar and defining the workforce, leadership and organizational outcomes the person will be expected to influence.
Yes. While Lead Search Group is based in the Toronto area, searches can extend across Canada and into the United States when the mandate requires a broader talent market. For specialized, senior and remote HR roles, the strongest candidate pool may extend well beyond one city.
Have an HR Role That Is Hard to Define?
Start with what the organization and its people need. Tell us about the workforce, the challenge and what this person needs to accomplish, and we can help determine what the search and candidate market should look like.
Discuss an HR & Talent Search
More Confidence in Every Hire.
Hiring is a significant investment. Lead Search Group provides a six month replacement guarantee on qualifying permanent placements, giving clients added protection and confidence that our commitment continues beyond the placement.
Let's Talk About Your SearchExecutive Search Expertise Beyond the Search
Magdalena Duleba-Lapensee brings more than 25 years of recruitment experience and shares her perspective on personalized recruitment, leadership hiring and building stronger organizations.
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