From Vacancy to Value: Rethinking How You Fill Critical Roles

In today’s resource-constrained and fast-changing business landscape, how organisations respond to critical vacancies has become a key differentiator in business continuity. A resignation, retirement, or internal promotion often triggers a familiar response: post the job, run the interviews, fill the gap (FAST!)

But treating every vacancy as a role to be backfilled can limit strategic progress. Instead, why not think about vacancies as a chance to re-evaluate, realign, and ultimately add greater value to the organisation.

For small and medium-sized businesses in particular, where teams are lean and agility is essential, vacancies offer a rare opportunity to pause and ask: What do we need most right now?

Rethink the Role Before You Refill It

Not every vacancy should be filled exactly as it was. Before initiating recruitment, organisations can benefit from conducting a brief role audit:

• Are the original responsibilities still aligned to business priorities?

• Have recent changes (structure, tools, strategy) made parts of the role redundant or more urgent?

• Could the outcomes be delivered through a different shape of role or by someone already inside the business?

This kind of reassessment can lead to more effective resource use, increased internal mobility, and better alignment between people and business goals.

Internal Talent: An Undervalued First Step

Too often, internal mobility is overlooked in the rush to fill roles. Yet team members may be closer to ready than assumed. An internal candidate who is 70–80% there can often succeed with structured onboarding or short-term support.

A 2023 report by Gartner found that companies that prioritise internal hiring reduce time-to-fill by 42% and increase retention by 20%. Internal candidates already understand the organisation’s culture and can hit the ground running: saving time, cost, and risk.

To make this viable, leaders need:

• Clear visibility into internal capability and potential

• Lightweight frameworks to assess readiness (e.g., skills matrices, manager feedback)

• Development plans to close any identified gaps

Consider Role Redesign and Redistribution

Not every role needs to be directly replaced. In many cases, organisations can redistribute tasks across existing roles, automate routine work, or reshape the position to serve emerging needs.

For example:

• A departing operations manager might prompt a split between compliance and continuous improvement functions.

• A specialist role could be replaced with a broader one, creating stretch opportunities for team members.

• Some tasks might no longer be relevant and can be removed altogether.

This approach also gives teams a chance to eliminate outdated workflows and realign effort to where it creates the most value.

Use Data to Guide the Decision

As with bench strength, many of the insights needed to inform hiring decisions already exist within the business:

• How long has this role been in place, and how has it evolved?

• What does performance or engagement data suggest about its impact?

• Where have similar hires worked (or failed) in the past?

Even simple dashboards or spreadsheets tracking turnover, tenure, and outcomes can help leaders make more informed choices about what to change, retain, or elevate in the next version of the role.

Plan for the Future, Not Just the Present

Vacancies are also a key moment to consider future needs. Rather than designing for “right now,” ask:

• Will this role support where we want to be in 12–18 months?

• What skills will become more critical as the business grows or pivots?

• Can we use this opportunity to bring in fresh thinking or diversify leadership?

Hiring for potential and long-term fit, not just quick replacement, builds a more resilient organisation.

How Caerus Strategy Can Help

At Caerus Strategy, we help clients turn critical vacancies into strategic turning points. Our approach helps organisations:

• Reassess roles for alignment with evolving business goals

• Uncover and evaluate internal talent options

• Redesign job scopes to reflect future needs

• Build hiring plans that prioritise fit, value, and long-term impact

We believe the best hiring decisions begin well before a job is posted and that smart resourcing doesn’t always mean starting from scratch.

Every vacancy is a chance to rethink what the role could become, not just who should fill it. Turning that moment into strategic value is what we help our clients do every day.