Word template · Executive
Position specification template for executive search
A position specification is the document a search firm sends to the candidates it approaches on a retained search: who the organisation is, why the role is open, what the role covers, the person the client is looking for, and how the process runs. This Word template sets those sections out over three to four pages in the firm's brand, with a key-facts panel on the organisation, the reporting lines, the key responsibilities, the leadership competencies sought and the consultants to contact. Formatix fills it from the client's brief or the intake notes; remuneration, a diversity and inclusion statement and process dates appear only when the brief states them.
The specification is the first thing a senior candidate reads about a role, and it is read as a statement of how the firm works. A consistent, well-designed specification is part of the firm's reputation, and it should not depend on which associate wrote it or how the client's job description happened to be laid out.
10 free credits, no card needed. One credit fills one document.
An editable file with neutral branding and a fictional example candidate, to fill in by hand. Formatix fills it automatically from a CV.
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What's in the template
The candidate-facing brief for a retained search: the organisation, the opportunity, the role and the person, with terms, process and contacts only where the brief states them.
- Cover band with the role, the organisation, location, date and search reference
- The organisation, with a key-facts panel: sector, ownership, revenue, employees, headquarters
- The opportunity and the role: reporting line, direct reports and key relationships
- Key responsibilities
- The person: experience and qualifications, leadership competencies and personal qualities
- Remuneration and a diversity and inclusion statement, only when the brief gives them
- Process and timetable, how to apply and the consultants' contact details
What it's for: Sending the brief for a retained search to the candidates you approach.
WordDelivered as an editable Word file, or saved as PDF.
Who uses it
Executive search firms
The brief sent to the candidates approached on a retained search, one per mandate.
In-house executive recruiting teams
A candidate brief for senior hires, in the company's own brand.
Board practices
Specifications for chair and non-executive roles, written from the board's own brief.
Every page of the example
The example is in Formatix branding with fictional content. When you pick this template, it is rebuilt with your logo, colours and fonts before you use it.
How you use it
- 1
Pick the template
Open Formatix, choose this template in Studio, and give us your website. We pull your logo, colours and fonts and rebuild the template in your brand. You see a sample before you use it.
- 2
Drop the brief
Upload the client's brief: a job description, intake or briefing notes, or the client's own role profile, in any layout. One credit fills one document.
- 3
Check and send
The filled document appears beside the original for checking. Edit anything in place, then download the Word, PowerPoint or Excel file, or save it as PDF.
Download or automate? The free download is a plain file you fill in by hand. In Formatix the template is rebuilt in your brand, with your logo, colours and fonts taken from your website, and filled from a CV or your notes in about a minute. What you keep is the finished document: an editable Word, PowerPoint or Excel file.
Ask for changes in plain words, such as "move the photo to the right" or "add a Languages section", and the template is updated with the rest of its formatting kept. If you already have a document you send clients, upload that instead and Formatix turns it into a template. How Studio builds templates
Questions about this template
- What does a position specification contain?
- The organisation and its key facts; the opportunity and why the role is open; the role, its reporting line, direct reports and key relationships; the key responsibilities; the experience, qualifications, leadership competencies and personal qualities sought; remuneration and a diversity and inclusion statement where the client has agreed to state them; the process and timetable; and how to apply, with the consultants' contact details. This template has each section.
- What is it filled from?
- The client's brief: a job description, intake or briefing notes, the client's own role profile, or several of these together. Upload or paste them and the sections are filled; you check and edit the result before it goes to candidates.
- Will it add a salary or dates the brief does not give?
- No. Remuneration, benefits, a diversity statement and process dates are filled only when the brief states them; otherwise those sections are left out of the document. Anything the notes mark as internal, such as the fee or private comments about people, is not included.
- Can the client's name be kept confidential?
- Yes. When the brief says the client must stay anonymous, the specification uses the description the brief gives, such as "a listed industrial group", instead of the name.
- Can I download this template?
- Yes. A free, editable Word version with neutral branding and fictional example content is on this page, to fill in by hand. To have it rebuilt in your brand and filled automatically, use it in Formatix; what you keep is an editable Word file.
Related templates and pages
PowerPointClient proposalThe pitch for a retained mandate: your understanding of the brief, the approach and timetable, the team and relevant experience, and the terms.
PowerPointSearch progress reportThe weekly client update on a live retained search: the funnel, a milestone timeline, the candidate pipeline, market feedback, risks and next steps.
Use the position specification in your brand
Give us your website, and the template is rebuilt with your logo, colours and fonts. Your first ten documents are free, with no card, valid for 14 days.
Formatix fills it from the CV for you: see our CV formatting software, or bulk CV formatting for a whole shortlist at once.