The Context
A global organisation within the legal and professional services sector approached us to support the hiring of a newly created senior leadership role: Head of Legal Operations.
This was a pivotal appointment tasked with modernising operational capability, driving transformation and embedding scalable governance and performance frameworks within the legal function.
The role required a rare blend of legal fluency, operational acumen, cross-functional leadership and change capability. Cultural fit was as important as functional expertise. The client was clear: this was a high-stakes hire, and the selection process needed to reflect that.
Our Approach
We believe that critical leadership appointments demand more than intuition or credentials.
Our process integrates behavioural science, executive coaching insight and organisational psychology to enable evidence-based hiring decisions, while elevating the candidate experience.
We designed and delivered a rigorous, end-to-end selection process, underpinned by the Lumina suite of psychometric tools, role profiling and competency potential analysis.
Phase 1: Role and Success Profiling
We began with in-depth consultations with multiple internal stakeholders. Our objective was not simply to interpret the job description, but to define a clear success profile—identifying the behavioural and emotional attributes that would enable sustained impact in the role.
Using the Lumina Select framework, we co-created a role-specific competency model aligned with both current business priorities and future strategic direction. This included mapping key indicators across 16 core competencies such as strategic delivery, systems thinking, resilience, influence, and leading through others.
Phase 2: Candidate Assessment and Differentiation
All shortlisted candidates completed a suite of Lumina psychometrics, including:
- Lumina Select – competency potential, mapped to role
- Lumina Spark – behavioural preferences and working styles
- Lumina Emotion – emotional agility and response under pressure
These insights were synthesised into integrated candidate portraits, offering a multidimensional view of each individual’s natural strengths, growth areas, and likely patterns of behaviour in role.
Phase 3: Integrated Analysis, Executive Reporting & Decision Support
We produced a comparative analysis of the shortlisted candidates, presented in a structured, evidence-based executive report. This translated complex psychometric insights into clear, leadership-relevant language—enabling informed and confident decision-making.
Each candidate was also offered a one-to-one feedback and coaching session, adding value regardless of outcome and laying the groundwork for onboarding readiness.
The Outcome
The appointed candidate demonstrated both the strategic capability and emotional intelligence required to thrive in a highly matrixed legal environment. Their profile aligned strongly with the mapped competencies and cultural context—showcasing strengths in systems thinking, operational rigour, and influence without authority.
Since appointment, the individual has led priority transformation initiatives and implemented performance frameworks with strong early impact. Client feedback confirmed that expectations have been exceeded, and the hire is seen as a long-term asset to the organisation.
“We were very pleased with the outcome. This process gave us the clarity to make a confident, future-focused hire.” Member of the C-Suite
Results & Impact
- Clear role-specific behavioural competency match
- Greater confidence in differentiating candidates
- Streamlined, evidence-based decision-making
- Strong onboarding impact and role integration
- Enhanced candidate experience through developmental feedback
Why It Matters
In senior hiring, the cost of a poor decision—whether through cultural misalignment, performance derailment, or early exit—can be significant and far-reaching.
Our approach mitigates this risk by applying behavioural science, coaching insight, and psychometric rigour to every stage of the process. This enables truly strategic hiring decisions where the focus shifts from “qualified” to “best fit.”
This is what effective talent selection looks like in modern organisations: methodical, ethical, evidence-led and impact-driven.
Above all, we treat hiring not as a transaction, but as a moment of transformation for both the business and the leader stepping into it.
Ready to elevate your hiring process with strategic precision?
We’d be delighted to explore how we can support you.
