Director, Competitive Search

CIBC; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Incentive pay

Benefits program

Pension plan

Employee stock purchase plan

Wellbeing support

MomentMakers program

Job summary

CIBC is seeking a Director, Competitive Search to lead a national talent strategy for attracting top Financial Advisors and advisor teams across Canada. You will blend business development, market intelligence, and high-touch engagement to build pipelines that support long-term growth.

You will collaborate with senior leaders, HR, and CGMs to set priorities, track metrics, and optimize sourcing using ATS/CRM tools.

Qualifications

• Experience leading competitive search in financial services or wealth management is required.
• Proven ability to build and manage advisor pipelines and senior stakeholder partnerships.
• Strong data-led decision making and experience using ATS/CRM tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead national competitive search strategy for Financial Advisors and advisor teams.
• Build and maintain robust pipelines of high-calibre candidates across Canada.
• Drive full-cycle candidate experience from outreach through onboarding and negotiation.
• Advise MVPs, Region Heads and HR on market trends, compensation benchmarks, and priorities.
• Coach a two-person team and optimize recruitment metrics and tooling.
• Partner with business leaders to design onboarding and retention programs.

Skills

Talent acquisition leadership

Competitive search

Relationship building

Data analytics

ATS/CRM proficiency

LinkedIn Recruiter

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

ATS

CRM platforms

LinkedIn Recruiter

Job description

We’re building a relationship-oriented bank for the modern world. We need talented, passionate professionals who are dedicated to doing what’s right for our clients.

At CIBC, we embrace your strengths and your ambitions, so you are empowered at work. Our team members have what they need to make a meaningful impact and are truly valued for who they are and what they contribute.

To learn more about CIBC, please visit CIBC.com

What you’ll be doing

Our Talent Acquisition team is focused on building strong, forward-looking talent strategies that support growth across CIBC. As Director, Competitive Search, you’ll lead a specialized capability designed to attract high-value external mass affluent Financial Advisor talent through a model that blends business development, strategic sourcing, market intelligence, and high-touch talent engagement. You’ll help shape the strategy and operating model for identifying and engaging top Financial Advisors and advisor teams across Canada, while building a disciplined, data-led, relationship-based hiring engine. Working closely with senior business leaders, Client Growth Managers (CGMs), Talent Acquisition partners, and other internal stakeholders, you’ll create advisor talent pipelines that support long-term business growth. This role requires deep knowledge of the Financial Advisor and wealth management landscape, including books of business, portability, team structures, succession dynamics, candidate motivations, transition considerations, and the competitive market.

At CIBC we enable the work environment most optimal for you to thrive in your role. You’ll have the flexibility to manage your work activities within a hybrid work arrangement where you’ll spend 1-3 days per week on‑site, while other days will be remote.

How you’ll succeed

• Lead competitive search strategy - Develop and execute a national talent strategy focused on identifying and attracting experienced Financial Advisors from competitor firms and the broader financial services market. Build a year-long plan aligned to business growth priorities, target markets, and advisor acquisition opportunities.

• Build talent pipelines - Create and maintain robust pipelines of high‑calibre advisor candidates through proactive sourcing, networking, and market intelligence. Oversee talent maps, target lists, dashboards, and candidate portfolios for top advisor prospects across Canada.

• Deliver an exceptional candidate experience - Lead full‑cycle recruitment from sourcing and outreach to offer negotiation and onboarding. Develop tailored value propositions and messaging to engage passive candidates, while building trusted relationships that reflect CIBC’s brand and values.

• Advise and influence stakeholders - Partner closely with Market Vice Presidents (MVPs), Region Heads, CGMs, Human Resources Business Partners, and senior leaders to understand hiring priorities, team dynamics, and growth objectives. Provide insight on market trends, talent availability, compensation benchmarks, and competitive positioning.

• Lead the team and optimize operations - Coach and develop a team of two Senior Consultants while establishing and tracking key metrics such as time‑to‑fill, offer acceptance rates, retention, and pipeline health. Use recruitment technology, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, and data analytics to continuously improve sourcing strategies, reporting, and overall effectiveness.

• Support onboarding and retention - Partner with business leaders and Human Resources to design onboarding experiences that help advisors integrate quickly and accelerate productivity. Monitor early‑tenure performance and engagement, and share insights that support long‑term retention.

Who you are

• You have deep industry expertise. You bring strong knowledge of the financial advisory and wealth management landscape, including advisor compensation models, books of business transitions, team structures, and regulatory considerations such as Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) requirements and securities licensing.

• You’re passionate about people. You have established relationships within the financial advisory community and a proven ability to engage passive, high‑performing advisors. You build trust quickly and bring strong negotiation and closing skills.

• You are a caring and accountable leader. You have experience leading and developing high‑performing teams in a fast‑paced, high‑stakes environment. You bring sound judgment, professionalism, discretion, and resilience to competitive search work.

• You give meaning to data. You use insights to inform decisions and strengthen sourcing strategies. You have experience working with applicant tracking systems (ATS), CRM platforms, LinkedIn Recruiter, and other tools that support data‑led talent acquisition.

• You can demonstrate experience in talent acquisition , executive or competitive search, and financial services. It’s an asset if you bring direct experience recruiting Financial Advisors or advisor teams in a highly competitive market.

• Values matter to you. You bring your real self to work, and you live our values - trust, teamwork, and accountability.

What CIBC Offers

At CIBC, your goals are a priority. We start with your strengths and ambitions as an employee and strive to create opportunities to tap into your potential. We aspire to give you a career, rather than just a paycheck.

• We work to recognize you in meaningful, personalized ways including a competitive salary, incentive pay, banking benefits, a benefits program*, defined benefit pension plan*, an employee share purchase plan, a vacation offering, wellbeing support, and MomentMakers, our social, points‑based recognition program.

• Our spaces and technological toolkit will make it simple to bring together great minds to create innovative solutions that make a difference for our clients.

• We cultivate a culture where you can express your ambition through initiatives like Purpose Day; a paid day off dedicated for you to use to invest in your growth and development.

What you need to know

• CIBC is committed to creating an inclusive environment where all team members and clients feel like they belong. We seek applicants with a wide range of abilities and we provide an accessible candidate experience. If you need accommodation, please contact [e-mail]

• CIBC is committed to clarity in our hiring process. All roles posted are opportunities we’re actively recruiting for, unless stated otherwise.

• You need to be legally eligible to work at the location(s) specified above and, where applicable, must have a valid work or study permit.

• We may ask you to complete an attribute‑based assessment and other skills test (such as simulation, coding, French proficiency).

• We use artificial intelligence tools during the recruitment process. Our goal for the application process is to get to know more about you, all that you have to offer, and give you the opportunity to learn more about us.

Job Location

Toronto-181 Bay St. 6th

Employment Type

Regular

Weekly Hours

37.5

Skills

Business Effectiveness, Coaching, Communication, Cross-Functional Teamwork, Long Term Planning, People Leadership, People Management, Process Improvements, Recruiting, Recruiting Strategies