Helping an International Boarding School Find the Right Student Residence Manager

When a Canadian boarding school needed to fill a highly specialized leadership role, Altis took the time to understand the community, culture and unique requirements of the position before beginning the search.

‍

The Challenge

A Canadian international boarding school approached Altis to recruit a Student Residence Manager, a role that plays an important part in supporting students both inside and outside the classroom.

The position required a unique combination of leadership experience, relationship-building skills and an understanding of boarding school life. Experience within a boarding school or International Baccalaureate (IB) environment was highly preferred, narrowing an already limited talent pool.

In addition to the technical requirements of the role, the school was looking for someone who would thrive within their community and contribute positively to the student experience.

‍

Our Approach

Before launching the search, we spent time getting to know the school, its leadership team and the environment they had worked hard to create.

Members of our team met directly with school leadership to gain a deeper understanding of the role, the culture and the qualities that would make someone successful in the position. Those conversations helped us move beyond the job description and focus on what the school truly needed.

With that foundation in place, we conducted a targeted national search, focusing on professionals with relevant boarding school, education and student residence experience.

Because the candidate pool was highly specialized, the search required a thoughtful and personalized approach. We leveraged our national network, engaged with sector-specific communities and carefully evaluated candidates for both experience and long-term fit.

The result was a highly curated shortlist of candidates who closely aligned with the school's needs.

‍

The Results

• Four qualified candidates were presented and all progressed to client interviews
• A successful placement was made with a candidate who relocated from another region of Canada to join the school
• The success of the search led to a second engagement for a Manager of Extracurricular Programs position
• A strong foundation was established for an ongoing recruitment partnership

‍

Understanding the Environment Matters

Some roles require more than matching skills and experience on a resume.

When hiring for positions that shape workplace culture, student experience or community wellbeing, taking the time to understand the environment can make all the difference.

By listening first and building a clear understanding of what success looked like for this school, we were able to connect them with a candidate who was well positioned to contribute from day one.

If you’re looking to strengthen your hiring process, get in touch.