When a medical-device employer hires a senior commercial executive, the search should begin with the leadership mandate. What business change must this person own, what authority will come with it, and which teams and resources will support the work? A broad title such as chief commercial officer or vice president of sales cannot answer those questions by itself.
This guide is for employers defining a senior commercial leadership search. For a position focused on an individual medical-device sales role, use our medical-device sales hiring scorecard. The two briefs serve different decisions: one sets the executive mandate; the other defines the requirements for a sales position.
1. Name the reason for the hire
Start with the organizational need that makes the position necessary now. The company may be creating a commercial function, changing its go-to-market structure, building leadership capacity for a new phase, or replacing a departing executive. State the situation in plain language, then identify the change the new leader is expected to lead.
Separate the trigger from the outcome. “We need a commercial leader” describes the request. “We need one executive accountable for aligning sales, channel strategy, and market development across these business units” describes a possible mandate. Use the employer’s actual context, and mark assumptions that still need a decision.
2. Set the executive’s decision rights
Clarify which decisions the leader can make, which require executive approval, and which belong to another function. For example, the brief can distinguish ownership of commercial priorities from approval of product, financial, quality, regulatory, or legal decisions. Define the handoffs with the people who hold those responsibilities instead of leaving candidates to infer them from the title.
This is also where the company should identify unresolved ownership questions. If two leaders expect to control the same decision, settle that internally before the search begins. A candidate cannot compensate for a mandate that gives conflicting instructions.
3. Match accountability to the operating model
Map the teams and functions the executive will lead, influence, or depend on. Record direct reports, peer leaders, decision forums, and the points where commercial work connects with product, clinical, technical, operations, finance, and other teams. The map should reflect the company’s real structure, not an idealized organization chart.
Then compare the mandate with the resources available. Note the team, budget, systems, partner support, and executive sponsorship the company expects to provide. If the leader is being asked to build a function, make clear which parts already exist and which must be proposed or developed after hire.
4. Sequence the work and define how progress will be reviewed
A senior leader may need time to learn the business before recommending structural or commercial changes. Separate early discovery from later execution. Agree who will review progress, when the review will happen, what information will be available, and which company priorities will guide decisions.
Use the employer’s plans and sales cycle to set measures. Do not import generic revenue targets or first-year benchmarks that may not fit the product portfolio, organizational readiness, or available resources. Where a target depends on an untested assumption, name the assumption and decide how the executive should evaluate it.
5. Distinguish essential experience from a familiar résumé
Translate the mandate into evidence a search team can assess. Which experiences are essential because of the decisions or relationships the role must handle? Which credentials are simply familiar signals? Decide where relevant leadership in an adjacent market could transfer, and where the company needs direct experience.
Build interview questions around the work: setting priorities, organizing a team, resolving cross-functional decisions, allocating resources, and learning from results. Ask candidates to explain their own responsibility and the context around an example. Do not confuse a company’s past growth with one person’s individual contribution, and do not ask for confidential information about another employer.
6. Prepare an executive mandate brief
Align the CEO or hiring executive, commercial leadership, HR, and relevant functional partners on one short brief before opening the search.
| Brief field | Decision to record |
|---|---|
| Reason for hire | The current business situation and why the role is needed now |
| Mandate | The change the executive will own |
| Decision rights | What the leader can decide, recommend, or must escalate |
| Organization | Direct reports, peer partners, and cross-functional handoffs |
| Resources | Team, budget, systems, and executive support available |
| Success review | Company-defined outcomes, review timing, and accountable reviewers |
| Open assumptions | Questions the company expects the executive to evaluate |
Use the brief to write the role description, assess candidates consistently, and explain the opportunity accurately. If the company cannot agree on the mandate, authority, and support, resolve those questions before asking candidates to commit their time to a search process.
Choose the search support to fit the mandate
Once the role is defined, employers can decide what recruiting support fits its scope, confidentiality, timeline, and internal capacity. HealthStaffingGroup works with medical-device, MedTech, and medical-manufacturing employers on permanent placement, contingency search, retained and executive search, and Recruiting Subscription Service. Discuss a medical-device leadership search with HSG.
