The Challenge
A UK local authority needed to recruit a Director of Law & Governance, a complex, high-impact leadership role with dual responsibilities:
Providing expert legal and governance leadership to a team of 100 staff.
Acting as the statutory Monitoring Officer, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards.
The council’s previous efforts had surfaced technically qualified candidates but none demonstrated the strategic leadership and innovation mindset needed to transform services into an integrated, forward-looking organisation capable of delivering better outcomes for customers and internal teams.
Key recruitment challenge: blending deep technical competence with visionary leadership and attracting hard-to-reach senior talent in a traditionally passive market.
The council turned to PeopleScout for our Apex senior professional hiring solution.
The Creative Solution
Rather than relying on a traditional job description, we worked closely with senior stakeholders to reframe the role’s narrative. We positioned the opportunity as a leadership mandate, focused on transformation, influence and long-term impact – helping the role resonate with senior legal leaders motivated by purpose and change, not just compliance.
We designed a targeted, research-led search strategy to reach high-calibre legal leaders who were not actively job-seeking. Our outreach was personalised and insight-driven, highlighting the creative and strategic scope of the role rather than leading with process or policy.
To move beyond CVs, we implemented a structured yet creative assessment approach, combining expert-led interviews, psychometric profiling and tailored reporting. This allowed us to assess leadership style, decision-making and cultural alignment alongside legal expertise.
Every touchpoint was treated as a reflection of the council’s employer brand. From briefing to feedback, candidates experienced a transparent, considered and human recruitment journey, reinforcing the council’s credibility as a progressive, values-led employer.
Rather than relying on a traditional job description, we worked closely with senior stakeholders to reframe the role’s narrative. We positioned the opportunity as a leadership mandate, focused on transformation, influence and long-term impact – helping the role resonate with senior legal leaders motivated by purpose and change, not just compliance.
To move beyond CVs, we implemented a structured yet creative assessment approach, combining expert-led interviews, psychometric profiling and tailored reporting. This allowed us to assess leadership style, decision-making and cultural alignment alongside legal expertise.
We designed a targeted, research-led search strategy to reach high-calibre legal leaders who were not actively job-seeking. Our outreach was personalised and insight-driven, highlighting the creative and strategic scope of the role rather than leading with process or policy.
Every touchpoint was treated as a reflection of the council’s employer brand. From briefing to feedback, candidates experienced a transparent, considered and human recruitment journey, reinforcing the council’s credibility as a progressive, values-led employer.
The Results
Our creatively led, nationwide search delivered a high-quality and diverse talent pool, giving the panel confidence from the outset. We presented a curated shortlist of 12 strategically aligned candidates, each selected not only for technical expertise but for leadership potential and cultural fit.
From this, we conducted five in-depth technical interviews, supported by personality assessments and insight-driven evaluation reports. These reports clearly articulated each candidate’s strengths, development areas and leadership capability, enabling informed decision-making.
Two standout candidates progressed to the final panel stage, both sourced by the PeopleScout Apex team, resulting in a successful appointment that met both the council’s immediate needs and long-term strategic ambitions.