Is There a Recruiting Season? Timing Your Executive Search
Does time really kill all deals? Maybe not, but, when recruiting senior-level management positions for your organization, figuring out the right timing for your executive search is essential to its success.
The ideal “recruiting season,” though, can vary depending on the specific role you’re recruiting for, for example, or where your candidates are actually coming from.
Before starting your next executive search, consider these three factors that depend on timing and could impact your recruiting process.
Packing Up the Family
Pay close attention to timing when conducting an executive search that might involve relocation, particularly for candidates who have families. Making sure the search timing allows for a candidate’s family to move with him or her is important. A candidate who relocates alone may be apart from his or her family for a while, and the long-distance can put a strain on everyone. Moreover, there is a greater possibility that a candidate may ultimately decide to “return home” if the family does not all move at the same time.
Timing the recruiting process so that potential relocation takes place at the end or beginning of the school year can increase the likelihood of a successful search. You should aim for a start date either in May-June (end of the school year) or August-September (beginning of the school year) when considering relocating a candidate for your position.
It’s Bonus Time
Early fall is also a great recruiting season, and a smart time to kick off searches. By September, many professionals have accomplished enough of their quarterly goals and objectives in order to receive their annual bonuses at the end of the year and are open to fielding opportunities that start in December-February, making bonus season a great time to reach out to candidates.
Waiting on candidates who need a few extra months to hit the bonus mark can also prolong your search; it’s much easier to set an earlier start date with a candidate who has already qualified for his or her bonus than a candidate who has several months to go.
Furthermore, taking the timing of bonus payouts into consideration can also save you money, as you won’t need to pay a signing bonus to compensate a candidate who forfeits an annual bonus by accepting your offer and leaving their current employer before bonuses are paid.
Most organizations distribute annual bonuses by March, so conducting your search between September and March will help avoid any delays based on annual bonuses.
It’s a New Year
We also see a spike in new executive searches after the first of the year, in the January-February timeframe. Starting your executive search at the beginning of the year could make sense for a few reasons.
It’s a New Year for Companies
Many companies complete their fiscal year budgeting, strategic planning processes, etc., in December, setting them up to make new hires when the New Year rolls around. Starting your executive search in January is a great first step towards reaching your organization’s goals for the New Year.
It’s a New Year for Candidates
Whether motivated by a New Year’s resolution or just ready for a change, candidates often consider new opportunities at the beginning of the year. This tendency can help you capitalize on this desire to make a move and help you recruit the ideal candidates for your open positions.
Musical Chairs
We also often see a “musical chairs” phenomenon happen in the first quarter of the year: Annual bonuses are generally paid out by then, so, as people move into new companies, their previous employers need to backfill those now-vacant positions with new people, producing a “musical chairs” effect of professionals switching seats.
Planning A Successful Search
Of course, any time of the year is a good time to kick off an executive search, so, regardless of the month or recruiting season, make sure to consider timing of holidays, annual sales meetings and other events when you kick off your search.
No matter what time of year it is, an executive search firm like 180one can help you set realistic expectations that help to ensure a successful search. Contact us today to learn more.
Director of Global Supply Planning & Logistics ABOUT THE COMPANY A-dec is the premium leader in the dental equipment industry, designing and manufacturing products that span dental chairs, lights, handpieces, furniture, air management, infection control, and delivery systems found in dental offices and operatories. With over 1300 employees and headquartered in Newberg, Oregon, A-dec’s familial culture and values have been attributed to their commitment to the Newberg community and its employees through various investments and programs. ABOUT THE POSITION Reporting directly to the SVP Manufacturing & Supply Chain, the Director, Global Supply Planning & Logistics leads A-dec’s planning and fulfillment organization – supply planning, production planning, inventory control; the Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) process, trade and transportation, and warehousing and shipping. The Director owns the SIOP process and is accountable for material availability, on-time delivery, inventory, and working-capital performance. The Director will learn A-dec’s current practices and processes while looking for opportunities to transform our supply and inventory planning into a robust, customer-centric, data-driven supply and inventory planning capability. This role will lead the planning operating model, introduce modern tools and analytics (including AI), find more efficient processes, and continually invest in and build our logistics and planning talent. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Owns and runs the SIOP process, balancing demand and supply across the enterprise. Leads supply planning, production planning, and inventory control to meet customer demand while achieving working-capital targets. Oversees trade and transportation, warehousing, and shipping to ensure accurate, on-time delivery of materials and finished goods. Leads the transformation of planning from a master-planner-driven model to a robust, data-driven supply and inventory planning capability. Owns and improves the planning operating model — process, roles, standard work, and governance. Identifies and deploys planning tools, systems, and analytics, including AI, to advance planning decision-making, and builds the data quality required to use them. Drives on-time delivery, inventory turns, forecast and plan accuracy, and service-level performance. Leads and develops the planning and logistics organization, building a high-functioning team and developing future leaders. Partners with the Director, Global Sourcing & Contract Manufacturing through the SIOP process and the supplier-to-plan handoff, and with Manufacturing, Finance, and Sales & Marketing to support growth, financial, and quality objectives. Defines, monitors, and reports planning and logistics key performance indicators, using scorecards to manage performance. Leads inventory and excess-and-obsolescence management and supply continuity within planning and logistics. Develops and manages the planning and logistics budget. Promotes and fosters a culture that results in a safe working environment, sponsoring EHS initiatives. QUALIFICATIONS Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Excellent presentation, communication, and customer skills. Proven leadership skills and effective problem-solving skills. Ability to influence up, down, and across the organization. Strong change-leadership skills with the ability to design operating models and build organizational capability. Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, engineering, business management, operations or similar focus. At least ten years of increasing responsibility in supply chain planning functions. At least five years of people leadership experience. Demonstrated experience owning the SIOP/S&OP process and driving on-time delivery, inventory, and working capital performance. Proven experience leading a planning transformation – moving from manual or master-planner approaches to systemic, data-driven planning. Experience implementing planning systems, tools, and analytics; experience with AI or advanced analytics preferred. Experience leading logistics operations (trade and transportation, warehousing, and shipping) at scale is preferred. Experience leading and developing multi-functional teams and future leaders. Interested in Learning More? 180one has been retained by A-dec to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Nicole Brady at 503-699-0184 or via email at nicole@180one.com .
Chief Information Officer ABOUT THE COMPANY With roots dating back to 1938, The Papé Group is the West’s leading supplier of capital equipment solutions. Today, Papé operate across nine states with over 4,000 team members, proudly representing premier brands including John Deere, Kenworth, Hyster, Ditch Witch, and more. What sets Papé apart is its commitment to long-term relationships, both with customers and employees. As a fourth-generation, family-led business, Papé believes in the value of a handshake, the importance of service, and the impact of leadership that stays close to the work. ABOUT THE POSITION The Chief Information Officer (CIO) provides leadership and management of the information technology function for the company. The CIO is responsible for providing leadership and development to the corporate technology team, including software development, infrastructure, support, web development, database administration, and applications development. The CIO will partner with company-wide business leaders to align their business needs as well as corporate initiatives with cost-effective technology strategies and solutions to achieve those goals as the company continues to grow and evolve. Examples include the company’s One Customer | One Papé initiative that is designed to strengthen the relationship between customers and the company through a variety of mediums, with a heavy emphasis on leveraging technology. The CIO will be a proven technology and business leader and possess broad-based progressive IT leadership experience. The role requires sophisticated management skills in IT planning, organizational design and development, and process thinking. Papé has completed 25+ acquisitions over the past 8 years, with each acquisition being fully integrated into Papé’s technology infrastructure and systems on day one. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Team Management and Development Lead, train, develop, and coach a high-performance information technology team; identifying appropriate staffing needs, skill sets, or alternative outsourcing. Align IT's organizational structure and initiatives with company-wide requirements for technology solutions, information needs and security requirements. Responsible for optimizing the IT demands and the supply capacity of the teams to prioritize the assignment of resources. Set objectives and strategies for the IT team. Strategic and Business Planning Develop and execute short-, mid-, and long-term strategic technology and system roadmaps that translate business requirements into projects, goals, objectives, and deliverables with the business partners and end-user experience in mind. Establish the objectives for operations, maintenance, and enhancement of the IT systems and a plan for continuous improvement of the service levels. Help define IT infrastructure strategy, architecture, and processes. Drive a coordinated ERP approach across all of Papé’s operating companies to ensure the success and integrity of the overall design and integrations with other technologies. Technology and Infrastructure Full operational management responsibility for information and telecommunication technology functions and services; ensures appropriate implementation and support for business systems by managing and coordinating applications development/maintenance, data processing, data center infrastructure, local/wide area network administration, office automation, and technical support activities. Responsible for building and optimizing the evolving needs of system-level architectural capabilities to support the data and integration strategies. Evaluate effectiveness, efficiency, and costs of existing technology and systems, research new or alternative solutions, and make recommendations to senior management as appropriate. Maintain working knowledge of new and evolving technologies and systems for possible application to development or future organization needs. Identify emerging issues in technology and digital processes and develop strategies to implement value-added technology, collaborating with functional areas of the business impacted. Participate in the evaluation of new tools, platforms and technologies and articulate the business case for investments. Provide architecture leadership around technology interfaces with systems outside of the ERP, including those that reside with the OEMs, and the company’s CRM. Ensure that the organization continues to stay current with the latest technology security applications and tools to guard against cyber threats. Project Management Develop and manage project plans in collaboration with functional business leaders to ensure proper resource utilization, expense management, and timely completion. Leads large IT projects, including the design and deployment of new IT systems and services. Develop and manage the annual information technology department budget; includes project planning, expense management, and external resource utilization. Prioritize, assign, and manage a portfolio of technology projects in support of business goals; ensure delivery of projects within time and cost limitations. Partner with other functional leaders on implementation and company-wide adoption of new technology and/or processes through effective change management. External Relationships Provide expertise and leadership in the selection and management of vendors to provide low-cost, high-efficiency solutions. Represent Papé at industry conferences and be an active member with the OEMs to help influence technology outcomes. Business Partnering Engage, build, and partner with executive leaders and key stakeholders to ensure alignment with current and long-term business objectives. Work closely with cross-functional leaders to identify technology business needs, develop collaborative solutions and execution plans in alignment with the business strategy. Be obsessed with delivering results, insist on high standards, possess a knack for thinking strategically and “finding a way”, and an external awareness and curiosity to innovate and disrupt within the capital equipment market. Participate, as a member of the business leadership team, in strategic planning activities by providing systemic and technological solutions where business opportunities or challenges are identified. Ensure a business intelligence structure and tools are in place to deliver appropriate information to decision makers. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in information systems, business, or equivalent analytical and strategic management capabilities acquired through on-the-job experience and training. 10+ years of progressive leadership experience with 5+ years in a senior leadership position managing a similar scope and size technology team. Proven success leading IT, preferably in a complex, multi-location, multi-business organization, preferably involving equipment dealerships, distribution, or similar operationally intensive businesses. Experience integrating and progressively modernizing custom legacy applications alongside cloud, SaaS, and emerging AI technologies. Ability to analyze business needs and recommend and implement appropriate solutions. Ability to develop and collect key performance indicators to measure performance. Experience managing a wide variety and scope of information technology projects that successfully achieve time, cost, and operational expectations. Comprehensive knowledge of IS technology architecture, software, ERP experience, cloud computing, mobile computing, IT security, and company-wide training. Experienced in leading teams of IT professionals and staff across multiple technical disciplines Ability to communicate vision, motivate workforce, create effective teams, and build strong peer relationships. Ability to prioritize and manage multiple ongoing projects and responsibilities to meet business technology needs. Experience in developing and supporting customer-facing business systems and/or implementing related digital transformation initiatives. Strong ability to collaborate functionally with other management and leadership team members. An effective communicator who clearly and concisely conveys information and ideas to all levels of the organization and uses your influencing skills to advance shared interests and business goals. Innovative problem solver with critical thinking skills and strong analytical abilities. Experience with system integration and change management. Interested in Learning More? 180one is assisting The Papé Group in this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Tom Haley/ 503.334.1350/ tom@180one.com .
Chief Financial Officer ABOUT THE COMPANY Kenworth Sales Company is a multi-generation, family-owned commercial truck dealership founded in 1945 and headquartered in West Valley City, Utah. With more than 1,400 employees across 38 locations, the company provides comprehensive truck sales, parts, service, leasing, rental, and financing solutions throughout the Intermountain West and Mid-Atlantic regions. Recognized as Kenworth Dealer of the Year in both 2020 and 2025, Kenworth Sales Company has built its reputation on quality products, superior service, and a long-standing commitment to its customers and communities. ABOUT THE POSITION Reporting directly to the President, the Chief Financial Officer provides strategic leadership and oversight across accounting, financial reporting, compliance, information technology, security and risk management, finance, and treasury. As a key member of the senior leadership team, the CFO plays an integral role in shaping the Company’s business strategy, financial direction, capital planning, and overall operations. Essential Duties and Responsibilities SENIOR MANAGEMENT Actively participate as a member of senior management to execute the company’s business strategy. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the dealer principal, board of directors, family business council, president, COO’s, and senior management. Ensure compliance with the company’s vision, mission, and values. Coordinate the preparation of annual business plans for all departments, including forecasts for future business growth, general economic, industry, and financial conditions. Analyze financial operations and identify areas of improvement. Develop innovative and effective financing strategies to support Company operations and growth. Evaluate growth opportunities including valuation analysis, due diligence, financing, risk assessment, purchase agreement support, and post-acquisition integration planning. Develop and foster productive relationships with outside tax, legal, accounting, banking, insurance, and investment advisors as appropriate to support succession planning for ownership and management. FINANCIAL REPORTING Supervise the company’s accounting and financial reporting systems. Ensure financial statements fully and accurately represent the financial position of Company operations and comply with GAAP standards. Design, maintain, and enforce appropriate internal controls, approval authorities, segregation of duties, financial policies, and fraud prevention processes to safeguard Company assets and ensure the integrity of financial reporting and business practices. Ensure reporting compliance with government authorities and regulators, franchisors, and funding institutions. Engage and coordinate all audit functions as directed by the board of directors. Coordinate and supervise internal audits for compliance with Corporate financial standards and related Company policies and procedures. Develop and maintain financial dashboards, key performance indicators, variance analyses, and management reporting tools that provide Management timely insight into financial performance, profitability, liquidity, departmental results, and emerging business trends. RISK MANAGEMENT Supervise the company's risk oversight, including the identification, management, and remediation of physical, virtual, reputational, financial, strategic, and operational risks inherent in all Company operations. Engage and effectively manage physical damage, liability, and business operations insurance coverage, loss prevention, cybersecurity, etc. CASH MANAGEMENT Supervise the company's cash flow. Develop and review pro forma financial and cash flow forecasts to ensure adequate money supply for Company operations. Oversee customer account services, including the receivables process. Develop and maintain strong banking and lender relationships including credit facilities, borrowing capacity, debt obligations, lender reporting, covenant compliance, and other treasury activities. Administer the company's financial obligations, ensuring compliance with contract terms including accounts payable and payment schedules. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Supervise the company’s information technology (IT) program, including cybersecurity oversight, systems reliability, data protection, software and vendor management, disaster recovery planning, business continuity support, and technology initiatives. QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business, or related field required; MBA and/or CPA preferred. Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in senior financial, accounting, or audit roles, with experience operating at a leadership level. Strong knowledge of GAAP, financial reporting, corporate compliance, financial analysis, acquisitions, and negotiations. Experience with business operations, information technology, and/or the heavy-truck or commercial vehicle industry preferred. Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and retain high-performing teams while improving organizational effectiveness. Excellent communication, interpersonal, organizational, time-management, and decision-making skills. Ability to analyze complex business issues, develop sound financial and business-case recommendations, and communicate them effectively to senior leadership. Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and operate effectively in a fast-paced, changing business environment. Willingness and ability to travel as needed for business purposes. Interested in Learning More? 180one has been retained by Kenworth Sales Company to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Lisa Heffernan / 971.256.3076/ lisa@180one.com .
