Executive Search for Operationally Critical Roles
We help organizations hire leaders who can take accountability, make decisions, and deliver results in complex environments. Our experience is strongest in seniors living, healthcare, and operationally intensive sectors where leadership quality directly affects performance, stability, and service delivery.
Or call us directly: (343) 351-8801
Why Organizations Choose Dilys Search
Nearly two decades of experience recruiting for seniors living, healthcare, and other operationally complex environments. We understand compliance obligations, resident care continuity, union environments, and the operating context that determines whether a leader can actually succeed.
Strong Executive Directors, Directors of Care, and senior operators are often already employed. We combine active and passive outreach so the search is not limited to whoever happened to apply that week.
Hard mandates often stall because geography, compensation, or relocation expectations were never addressed honestly. We surface those constraints early so the search is grounded in the real market.
Structured interviews, sector-specific competency screening, and behavioural evaluation. Every candidate we present has been assessed against the mandate, not simply screened for keywords.
Leadership transitions can affect team confidence, board dynamics, and resident care continuity. We run searches with the confidentiality expected for sensitive or high-visibility mandates.
Your search is managed by Dilys Search's CEO from discovery through onboarding. Clients get senior judgment, direct communication, and accountability from start to finish.
Roles We Recruit
Our work is strongest in seniors living and healthcare, and we also support organizations operating in similarly complex and high-consequence environments.
Hard-to-fill leadership roles are not unsolvable. They require a structured search, realistic market judgment, and a partner who understands the terrain.
What We've Solved
These cases reflect the range of leadership challenges we solve - from urgent clinical vacancies to complex operational and labour relations searches.
The organization had been carrying a DOC vacancy for several months in a market with limited qualified local candidates. Dilys Search engaged beyond the immediate geography and delivered a vetted shortlist within two weeks.
Placement completed ahead of expected timeline. Director of Care in role within 45 days of search launch.
The search was a prolonged one in a difficult market. Three other search firms were engaged on the same mandate at various points and were unable to deliver. Dilys Search remained committed through the full process and ultimately brought the right candidate to the table.
ED placed. Three other firms had attempted the same mandate and could not deliver. Dilys Search did.
The organization needed experienced interim leadership immediately to stabilize operations while a permanent search was being planned. Speed without compromise on fit was the mandate.
Interim ED placed and on-site within days. Operations stabilized during a critical leadership gap.
Facing a sudden clinical leadership gap, the organization needed interim DOC coverage without delay. Dilys Search sourced a qualified interim with LTC regulatory experience and moved quickly.
Interim DOC in place within days. Clinical continuity maintained throughout the transition.
A BC retirement home needed a General Manager, Director of Care, and Assistant Director of Care filled within the same site. Dilys Search managed all three mandates simultaneously to maintain coverage at each level.
All three roles filled within a single engagement. Full leadership team in place.
The organization needed a shared DOC model to distribute clinical leadership and reduce burnout risk in a high-volume environment. Dilys Search identified candidates experienced in co-leadership structures and regulated care.
Co-DOC placed. Clinical leadership model implemented as planned.
The organization needed an NP to strengthen resident care and reduce dependence on physician availability for routine clinical decisions. Dilys Search sourced candidates with LTC-specific experience and Ontario regulatory standing.
NP placed and integrated into the existing care team.
Our Process
We define the role, reporting structure, success profile, and likely hiring barriers before search begins - including geography, compensation, confidentiality, and timing.
Active and passive outreach across Canada, reaching leaders who are not actively applying but may be open to the right opportunity.
Structured behavioural interviews, sector-specific competency evaluation, and rigorous referencing - not resume screening.
2–4 vetted leaders who match the role expectations, operating context, and regulatory realities of your organization - ready for your next conversation.
Coordination, candidate preparation, feedback management, and alignment support so the process keeps moving and the strongest candidates stay engaged.
We stay involved through offer strategy, transition planning, and the first 90 days - because a successful start is part of a successful search.
What Clients and Candidates Say
It is a pleasure to work with Tobi. Not only did he produce results for us, but we find him easy to work with, understanding and flexible. We appreciate his superior service and deep insight into the care sector.
Tobi has excellent knowledge of both healthcare and recruitment. He maintains and continuously develops his network of healthcare leaders. When we needed to move fast, he delivered.
I have known Tobi for seven years as both a candidate and a client. His understanding of how to support candidates and clients to maximize potential is rare in the recruitment industry.
Tobi was a great partner throughout the recruitment process. Excellent communications, superb analysis of industry opportunities, and highly collaborative from start to finish.
Part of Dilys Group
Leadership gaps rarely exist in isolation. A vacant executive role often puts pressure on frontline staffing and exposes operational gaps that the new leader will inherit from day one. When that is the picture, Dilys Group can address more than the search.
Athena
Frontline staffing — Ontario & Quebec
During a leadership transition, frontline staffing pressure typically intensifies. Athena provides temporary and contract staffing coverage while your search is in progress.
Visit Athena →Dilys Consulting
Operational modernization & AI delivery
Once the right leader is placed, Dilys Consulting can support the operational modernization agenda they inherit — from process design to AI adoption.
Visit Dilys Consulting →Start a Search
Tell us about the mandate. We will tell you how we would approach it, where the market is likely to be tight, and how quickly we can move. Most searches begin with a 30-minute discovery call.
Are you a senior leader exploring opportunities? Complete a candidate inquiry or email us at candidates@dilyssearch.ca