President: What is the cost of hiring?

What is a president?

A president is a senior executive who is responsible for overseeing an organization’s overall strategy, operations and performance. This leader sets the company’s vision, guides major decisions and ensures that business goals are achieved across all departments.

Why hire a president?

Hiring a president provides strategic leadership, operational oversight and alignment across departments to drive growth and long-term success. This role is important for scaling operations, entering new markets or relieving a founder or CEO from day-to-day management. It may be time to hire a president if your business is experiencing stalled growth, leadership bandwidth issues or the need for stronger cross-functional coordination.

Contributions of a great president:

• Drives strategic vision and ensures company-wide alignment with long-term goals
• Builds and leads high-performing executive teams to execute operational excellence
• Fosters growth through innovation, partnerships and market expansion

Defining your hiring needs for a president

To determine hiring needs for a president, start by assessing the scope of leadership required. Consider strategic goals, operational complexity and current executive bandwidth. Evaluate your budget to ensure you can support a senior-level salary and benefits. Choose the appropriate job title (e.g. President vs. COO or CEO) based on responsibilities and reporting structure, and decide whether the role should be full-time, part-time or interim. If you’re unsure whether you need a president or another executive, compare roles such as President vs. CEO or President vs. General Manager to clarify the best fit.

What are the types of presidents?

When writing your president job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on president jobs, according to Indeed data:

• chief operating officer
• president
• chief marketing officer
• CEO

Want more hiring insights for your president role? Sign in or create your free Indeed account.

Where to find a president

To find the right president for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Executive networking: Consider attending national leadership events like the Canadian Leadership Summit or the Rotman Executive Leadership Conference, where seasoned executives gather.
• Trade associations: Canadian Chamber of Commerce or industry-specific groups (e.g., Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters) often host networking events and maintain job boards.
• Executive search firms: Recruitment firms specializing in C-suite placements can help identify top-tier candidates.
• Promote internally: This is another strong option, especially if a senior leader has already demonstrated strategic vision and cross-functional leadership.

Post your job online: Try posting your president job on Indeed to find and attract quality president candidates.

Skills to look for in a president

A successful president candidate will typically have the following skills and competencies, which may be gained through a variety of experiences, training, or education:

• Strategic thinking with the ability to set long-term vision and align teams around business goals.
• Operational leadership and proven experience managing complex, cross-functional operations.
• Financial acumen with a strong grasp of budgeting, forecasting and driving profitability.
• Team building, talent development and skilled at attracting, retaining and mentoring top talent.
• Decision-making under uncertainty, including confident, data-informed leadership in dynamic environments.
• Stakeholder communication and excellent at engaging boards, investors, partners and employees.

Writing a president job description

Now that you know the key skills, salary expectations, popular job-seeker search terms and hiring insights for a president, you’re ready to write a job description.

A president job description typically includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position. You may also want to include information about your company culture, benefits and perks to attract candidates to your open role.

Ready to get started? See our full guide for writing president job descriptions.

Interviewing candidates for a president position

Strong candidates for president positions will be confident in answering questions regarding:

• Strategic decision-making and long-term planning
• Leadership during organizational change or crisis
• Track record of driving revenue growth and profitability
• Building and managing high-performing executive teams
• Stakeholder engagement, including board and investor relations

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of president interview questions for examples (with sample answers).