[jt2190]

The candidate was being considered for a management position, with a lot of responsibilities including creating a good workplace for their reports. This is something you absolutely don’t want to get wrong, it can’t be a “I dunno… seems ok to me” hire because it will literally set the tone for that department for years.

[johnjreiser]

I can agree with that in principle, however it shouldn’t take months. If there are multiple levels of middle management here, issues that arise in a probationary/grace period should be addressed and course-corrected. You have that period post hiring, not in a drawn out review process.

[jt2190]

There aren’t multiple levels of middle management though. This position reports directly to a very senior manager and will be expected to grow an “tree” of managers and employees under them.

[shnock]

Please correct me if I misunderstand, but doesn’t that mean there will be multiple levels of middle management?

[starky]

The author was already managing the team though. So it seems like there is an obvious recovery plan if the manager doesn't work out after a few months. Sure it sucks for the author to have all that work re-added, but the effect of a bad hire isn't dire enough to justify the long hiring process. They should have identified any unsure feelings about the candidate within a couple interviews and maybe had one more to address them before making a decision.