UpGuard · Strategic talent mapping
Mapping talent for business-critical roles.
- My contribution
- Turn an initial talent-mapping objective into a prioritisation framework, research process and engagement plan.
- Outcome
- A prioritised role map, researched candidate longlists and an agreed approach for future outreach and relationship management.
A broad ambition to map external talent needed a clear rationale and a practical process. I designed an approach that connected business continuity, growth requirements and succession coverage to focused research and future candidate engagement.
Give proactive talent research a clear priority.
UpGuard wanted to map external talent ahead of future leadership needs. The initial brief was broad; the business needed a way to decide which roles mattered most and how the research would support future hiring.
Connect role criticality with focused market research.
Working with the Head of People, CEO and other senior leaders, I assessed executive and VP-level roles against business continuity, growth impact and internal succession coverage.
I ranked approximately ten critical roles, then focused initial research on the top six. Meetings with the relevant hiring managers helped define the experience each role required.
Research across eastern Australia and the US West Coast produced initial longlists of approximately 20–30 potential candidates per role.
Define how relationships would be developed.
I designed and agreed an engagement approach covering candidate outreach, relationship ownership and tracking through existing systems.
A prioritised role map and a practical engagement plan.
The business received researched longlists for six priority roles and an agreed process for future engagement. My contract ended before outreach began, so candidate interest, availability and suitability remained to be explored in conversation.