Senior candidates decide quickly whether a role is real, so a vague profile loses strong applicants. This eight-page job description shows where the role sits, who it works with, what it decides, which requirements are essential, what the package is and how selection works, so boards and search firms can brief candidates with one document.

The sample profiles a Chief Operating Officer at Ironvale Foods, leading 640 people across three sites for £145,000 to £165,000 plus a 20% bonus. Replace the title, reporting line, pay range and dates first, then rewrite the mandate as outcomes and move anything not truly necessary into the desirable list.