Operations Talent That Keeps Business Moving Forward.
Lead Search Group recruits operations professionals who turn strategy into execution and keep organizations moving. From operations leadership and general management to multi site operations, business operations, transformation and specialized operational roles, we build each search around how your organization works, where it is going and what this person needs to accomplish.
Let's Talk About Your HiringOperational Talent Across the Business.
Operations teams connect strategy with execution, bringing together leadership, process, people, systems and performance. Lead Search Group recruits across that operational landscape, adapting each search to the structure of the organization, the challenges behind the role and the outcomes that matter most.
Operations
Leadership
COOs, Vice Presidents of Operations, Directors of Operations and senior leaders responsible for execution, performance, scale and organizational effectiveness.
General
Management
General Managers and business leaders accountable for teams, financial performance, customer experience and day to day organizational results.
Multi Site
Operations
Regional, district and multi location leaders responsible for consistency, performance, people leadership and execution across multiple sites or markets.
Business
Operations
Business operations professionals connecting data, planning, systems and cross functional execution to help organizations operate more effectively.
Strategy &
Transformation
Strategy, transformation and change leaders helping organizations improve performance, redesign processes and turn strategic priorities into action.
Project &
Program Leadership
Project and program professionals leading complex initiatives, cross functional priorities, implementations and operational change.
The Best Operations Talent May Never Apply.
Strong operations professionals are often already solving problems, improving performance, leading teams or helping organizations scale somewhere else. Finding the right person means understanding where that talent sits, what they have actually accomplished and what may motivate them to consider a new opportunity.
We Look Where Strong Operators Are Already Delivering Results.
The right candidate may be improving performance inside a competitor, leading multiple locations, managing a transformation or building stronger systems and processes in an adjacent industry.
We map the organizations, operating environments, teams and adjacent talent pools where the capabilities behind the role are most likely to exist, then shape the search around your business model, scale, complexity and operational priorities.
Direct competitors, multi site organizations, high growth companies, service businesses, healthcare organizations, professional services firms, technology companies, consumer businesses and organizations undergoing expansion, transformation or operational change.
Find the People a Job Posting May Never Reach.
Many successful operations professionals are not actively looking for a new role. They may be running strong teams, solving complex problems, improving margins, building processes or waiting for an opportunity with greater scope and impact.
Lead Search Group combines targeted research, direct headhunting, professional relationships and referrals to reach candidates beyond the active applicant market and create conversations with people who may never respond to a traditional posting.
COOs, Vice Presidents and Directors of Operations, General Managers, regional and multi site leaders, business operations professionals, transformation leaders, project and program leaders, process improvement specialists and other operational talent.
Research. Relationships. Reach. Results.
We find operations talent based on how your organization needs to perform, improve and grow, not simply who happens to be looking.
What Does the Business Need Operations to Do Better Next?
Operations hiring often begins with a title, a job description or a list of responsibilities. Those things matter, but the strongest search starts by understanding where the organization needs to perform better, what is getting in the way and what this person actually needs to accomplish.
What does success in this operations role actually need to look like?
Improve Execution
& Performance
What needs to work better?
The right operations profile depends on the performance mandate, whether that means improving productivity, strengthening processes, increasing consistency, managing costs or creating greater accountability across the organization.
Build for
What Comes Next
What will this person need to help the organization become?
Growth can create new operational demands. The right leader may need to build systems, develop teams, open locations, standardize processes or create an operating model capable of supporting the next stage of the business.
Navigate Operational
Complexity
What kind of environment does this person need to understand?
Multi site operations, regulated environments, rapid growth, complex customer models and cross functional organizations can require very different experience. Understanding that complexity helps define where the strongest candidates may come from.
Lead People
& Change
What will this person be expected to lead, influence or change?
Strong operators often lead through other leaders, functions and locations. The right candidate may need to build accountability, develop teams, influence across departments or lead an organization through significant operational change.
The Best Operations Candidate Is Not Always From the Most Obvious Competitor.
A strong operations search looks beyond job titles and industry labels to understand what someone has improved, built, scaled and led. A candidate from an adjacent industry may have solved the same operational challenges in an environment that looks very different on the surface.
Let's Talk About Your Operations Hiring.
Tell us what the organization needs to improve, build or change. We can help shape the search around the operating environment, candidate market and capabilities the role actually requires.
Discuss an Operations SearchPerformance. Scale. Complexity. Leadership.
A practical guide to defining what your organization really needs from an operations hire before the search begins.
Get the Operations Hiring PlaybookPractical guidance for organizations preparing to make an important operations hire.
Operations Search With More Understanding Behind It.
Strong operations hiring goes beyond matching titles, industries or years of experience. The strongest search starts with how the organization actually operates, where performance needs to improve and what this person will need to build, lead or change.
Operational
Judgment
We look beyond titles to understand what candidates have improved, scaled, solved and led, and the operating environments where they have delivered results.
Principal
Led
Your search stays close to experienced recruitment leadership, from defining the operational mandate through research, outreach, assessment and the final hire.
Search Strategy
Built for You
Your business model, scale, complexity, performance priorities and stage of growth determine where we search and which candidates we approach.
Relationships
Expand the Search
Targeted research, direct headhunting, referrals and professional relationships help us reach strong operators 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 Operations Search.
Operations roles can look similar on paper while requiring very different people in practice. Scale, operating complexity, team structure, transformation needs and performance expectations can all shape who the right candidate actually is.
Many strong operations professionals are already leading teams, improving performance or solving complex problems inside organizations where they are successful. We use targeted research, market mapping, direct headhunting, referrals and professional relationships to identify and approach people who may never respond to a traditional job posting.
We look at what someone has actually operated, improved, scaled or changed. That can include the size and complexity of the business, number of locations, team structure, financial responsibility, process improvements, operating metrics, transformation initiatives and the environment in which those results were achieved.
Yes. Searches can range from COOs, Vice Presidents and Directors of Operations to General Managers, regional and multi site leaders, business operations professionals, transformation leaders, project and program professionals and specialized operational roles.
It depends on what makes the role difficult. Industry knowledge may be essential when regulation, technical expertise or a highly specific operating model matters. In other searches, a candidate from an adjacent industry may have stronger experience solving the same challenges around scale, complexity, customer experience, process improvement or multi site leadership.
Yes. Multi site leadership is a distinct operating skill set. We can search for regional, district and senior operations leaders who understand how to create consistency across locations, lead through other managers, improve performance and balance local execution with broader organizational standards.
Yes. We can help work through the mandate, reporting structure, operational priorities and candidate profile before outreach begins. Often the most important question is not simply what title to hire, but what needs to improve, scale, change or become more accountable once that person arrives.
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 senior, specialized, multi site or remote operations roles, the strongest candidate pool may extend well beyond one city.
Have an Operations Role That Is Hard to Define?
Start with what the business needs to improve, build, scale or change. Tell us where the operational challenge sits, and we can help determine what the search and candidate market should look like.
Discuss an Operations 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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