The Definition of a Mandate Health Score
A Mandate Health Score is a real-time composite operational metric calculated for a single active search mandate — aggregating the key performance signals for that specific search into a single number that indicates its current health and the probability of on-time close. It is the unit-level equivalent of the portfolio-level Hiring Health Score, providing granular visibility into the state of each individual mandate rather than the aggregate state of the recruiting function.
The Mandate Health Score updates continuously as new signals come in: a response rate change, a hiring manager delay in reviewing a shortlist, a pipeline stage stall, a recruiter load increase. The score is not a weekly snapshot — it is a live operational instrument.
The Signals That Feed the Score
Outreach Performance
Current response rate vs. mandate baseline, sequence engagement, and pool exhaustion indicators. The earliest and most sensitive component.
Pipeline Velocity
Days per stage vs. SLO target. Slowing velocity is the most reliable mid-stage failure signal — detectable before pipeline thinning becomes visible.
Candidate Volume
Active candidates in pipeline by stage. Thinning at any stage signals sourcing exhaustion or excessive rejection rates.
Stakeholder Engagement
Hiring manager response times and shortlist approval rates. Low engagement is the most common invisible bottleneck in executive searches.
SLO Adherence
Current progress vs. the target close date. Compresses as the SLO approaches without an offer pending — adding urgency weight to the other signals.
Recruiter Load Context
The assigned recruiter's current mandate portfolio, weighted by complexity. High load reduces the score because it predicts future execution risk even if current indicators look healthy.
"The Mandate Health Score does not tell recruiters what they already know. It tells them what they do not yet know but soon will: that the mandate is degrading in week 3, not week 10. The score is valuable precisely because it leads the failure, not follows it."