How To Build a Succession Plan for Senior Living Leadership

A succession plan for senior living leadership ensures operational stability and quality of care by preparing future leaders before transitions occur. It identifies key roles, assesses internal talent, and develops successors through training, mentorship, and documented procedures.

Steps to Build a Senior Living Succession Plan:

1. Lay the foundation: Establish a committee, define criteria for successors, and identify critical leadership positions such as Administrator or Director of Nursing.
2. Assess internal talent: Evaluate current employees’ potential and create successor profiles outlining skill gaps and development goals.
3. Develop future leaders: Implement mentorship, job shadowing, and individual development plans (IDPs) to build leadership capacity.
4. Plan and document: Write a clear, living succession plan with protocols for emergencies and interim coverage.
5. Review and communicate: Align the plan with your organization’s strategic goals, involve stakeholders, and review it regularly to keep it current.

A proactive and transparent succession plan helps senior living communities preserve culture, maintain compliance, and ensure leadership continuity — even during unexpected changes.

At the core of any successful senior living facility is a team of leaders. However, when a leader decides to leave, retire, or take a medical leave of absence, it can leave a vacuum of instability in the facility if there isn’t a plan already in place. This plan, otherwise known as a succession plan, preserves the culture and values of a facility, prepares the next generation of leaders to thrive in the place of previous generations, and ultimately cultivates a growth-based mindset that keeps the community strong for years to come. Let’s cover what this succession plan should include, how to create one, and why communities need to do so. 

The Cost of Neglecting Succession Planning

When senior living communities delay or overlook succession planning, the consequences reach far beyond vacant leadership positions. The absence of a clear plan can trigger a ripple effect that the entire community will eventually feel, such as:

• High staff turnover: Without an established pathway for internal advancement, team members may feel uncertain about their future and seek opportunities elsewhere. This will then increase recruitment and training costs.
• Compliance and operational lapses: Unprepared leaders may struggle to maintain consistent policies and procedures, leading to oversights that jeopardize licensing, inspections, or adherence to state and federal regulations.
• A decline in quality of care: When turnover disrupts daily routines or staff dynamics, it can diminish that sense of continuity, leading to lower resident satisfaction scores and an overall decrease in the standard of care.

Alternatively, a succession plan that identifies and develops future leaders can help senior living communities maintain and even exceed their own standards of excellence. 

Steps in Building a Succession Plan

Senior living communities can’t and shouldn’t build a succession plan overnight. The best ones are well thought-out and include the following steps:

Build a Hiring Committee

If you haven’t already, you should establish a hiring committee that should be involved in every step of the succession plan — from picking potential candidates to helping them transition. Your hiring committee should include a balanced mix of executive leadership, executive search firm representatives, department heads, human resources professionals, and other stakeholders — each bringing a unique perspective to leadership selection.

The committee’s responsibilities extend beyond candidate selection. They help define the criteria for leadership success, review internal performance data, and identify areas where potential leaders need additional training or mentorship. By involving multiple stakeholders early, your succession plan gains credibility and balance. The process becomes more transparent, reducing bias and promoting confidence across all levels of the organization. Ultimately, a strong hiring committee sets the tone for consistency, fairness, and alignment — foundations that will carry through every stage of the succession planning process.

Assess Current and Future Leadership Gaps

The first step in creating a strong succession plan is understanding where your leadership strengths — and vulnerabilities — lie. Begin by taking an objective look at your current organizational chart and the specific roles that keep your community running smoothly. For example, positions like nursing home administrators carry a unique blend of responsibilities that extend beyond daily management. They oversee compliance, financial performance, and resident satisfaction. You should include roles like these in your succession plan because, without a quick replacement, your facility can’t afford disruption if leadership changes unexpectedly.

Once you’ve mapped out existing leadership roles, evaluate the competencies required to succeed in those positions, such as:

• Regulatory expertise: Understanding state and federal compliance requirements and maintaining rigorous standards during transitions.
• Resident engagement: Building strong community connections that foster trust, belonging, and satisfaction among residents and their families.
• Crisis management: Navigating staffing shortages, health emergencies, or reputational risks with confidence and clarity.

To accurately identify leadership gaps, use performance evaluations and succession readiness assessments in your review process. These tools reveal not only who excels in their current role but also who shows potential for greater responsibility. By pairing these evaluations with discussions about future professional development opportunities, you can pinpoint areas where potential leaders can gain additional training or mentorship when needed and proactively strengthen your leadership pipeline before vacancies occur.

Have a Leadership Pipeline in Place

Senior living leaders won’t just magically appear in front of you. A part of a well-run succession plan includes identifying high-performing internal employees and nurturing their leadership skills so they can easily step into a promotion. When identifying these employees, look for those who demonstrate initiative, problem-solving abilities, and interpersonal skills. Often, these individuals naturally align with your organization’s values, even if they aren’t already leaders. 

Once you identify these potential leaders, you can set them up for success by offering structured development opportunities or individual development plans (IDPs) that include: 

• Mentorship programs: These programs pair rising talent with seasoned leaders, providing invaluable guidance and institutional knowledge that employees can’t learn alone.
• Leadership training programs: These programs can either take place in-house or through formal certifications, but can build essential skills such as communication, financial oversight, and conflict resolution.
• Cross-departmental exposure: By learning about departments across the facility, employees can gain a broader understanding of how clinical, operational, and administrative functions interconnect, preparing them for executive-level decision-making.

Establishing this kind of pipeline not only secures the future for the senior living community but also strengthens it in the meantime. Employees who see a clear path for advancement are more likely to stay engaged, motivated, and loyal. This proactive investment in people reduces turnover, enhances morale, and fosters a culture where staff members feel valued and supported in their professional growth.

Create a Criteria for Successors 

The key to any successful succession is creating a set of criteria of what a qualified candidate should have under their professional tool belt before a facility actually needs it. This may include both certifications and experiences, along with skills like:

• Emotional intelligence: The ability to lead with empathy, build trust among staff, and create meaningful connections with residents and families.
• Compliance knowledge: A deep understanding of state and federal regulations, documentation standards, and ethical best practices.
• Team leadership: The capacity to inspire collaboration, delegate effectively, and maintain accountability within interdisciplinary teams.

To make the process fair and transparent, use metrics such as employee engagement scores, compliance audit results, or department retention rates. You can also pair these data points with qualitative assessments from mentors and supervisors for a more holistic view.

Partner with an Executive Search Firm

When transitioning leaders, all hands are on deck, which requires hiring outside help, such as an executive search firm. For many senior living facilities, an executive search firm is an essential part of a succession plan. They help identify, vet, and secure qualified candidates, which can be non-negotiable for some facilities that don’t have the resources or time to find the candidates alone. Many recruiters also offer permanent and interim placement services, which can both be part of your facility’s succession plan. 

When looking for a reliable firm, collaborate with recruiters who understand the complexities of the senior living landscape.  Recruiters familiar with nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and senior care organizations bring a deep understanding of regulatory requirements, resident-centered values, and the leadership qualities that make these environments thrive.

Utilize Interim Coverage 

Even if you have a strong leadership pipeline in place, your facility may still experience a gap in operations while the new candidate transitions. This is when an interim leader can step in. When you hire an interim leader, you do so with the intention that they will keep your facility stable during transitions, keeping daily operations running while you develop long-term solutions and hire an executive. 

They maintain essential processes such as state and federal compliance reporting, staffing oversight, and resident engagement, helping the community avoid costly disruptions. In addition, their objective perspective often uncovers operational improvements that can strengthen systems even after a permanent leader takes over.

The key to hiring an interim leader is to utilize an executive recruitment firm, such as MedBest, that utilizes a vast network of interim leaders ready to take over the reins on day one. With them, you can find a temporary leader for the following positions:

• Interim Nursing Home Administrator
• Interim Executive Director
• Interim Director of Nursing
• Interim Resident Care Director
• Interim Assisted Living Administrator
• Interim MDS Coordinator

Ultimately, think of hiring an interim leader as a proactive safeguard. With them, you can focus on finding the right long-term leader instead of scrambling to find a replacement simply to keep daily operations running. 

Ensure Cultural Continuity and Compliance

Leaders aren’t just those who sit in the executive chair — they can reshape the culture and standards that define the organization. A new leader’s management style, communication habits, and decision-making approach all influence how staff interact, how residents feel, and how the facility delivers care. Without careful planning, even a positive leadership change can unintentionally disrupt morale or compromise compliance.

The best way to keep your facility’s culture intact and better than ever is to prioritize communication among staff, residents, and families. Outgoing leaders should share operational insights, the values, traditions, and best practices that make the community unique. Introducing new leaders through meet-and-greet sessions, team discussions, or resident town halls can reinforce continuity and provide reassurance that the community’s mission and standards remain constant.

Likewise, compliance is equally critical. Regulatory adherence in senior living is highly detailed, and even brief lapses can result in citations or fines. To prevent this, thoroughly document and standardize all policies, procedures, and reporting processes. Keep these documents in a shareable but secure system that can be accessible to whoever is in charge. When passing off these documents, schedule a compliance handoff meeting before or during leadership transitions to help address ongoing audits, deadlines, and key responsibilities without interruption.

Outline a Training and Transition Timeline

A succession plan doesn’t end when you hire a qualified candidate. It should also account for the time following hiring when an executive trains, onboards, and transitions into their new role. This training process should include time for job shadowing, allowing new hires to learn not just policies and procedures, but also the interpersonal dynamics that define effective leadership in a senior living environment. From here, gradually introduce new responsibilities, such as managing team meetings, handling compliance reports, or overseeing resident care initiatives. This will help successors gain confidence and competence before assuming full authority.

To keep executives accountable, establish milestones, such as a quarterly progress review. This will help current leaders understand their role in mentoring and transferring knowledge, while providing a roadmap for successors with clear expectations for their growth. With a timeline in place, you can help prevent turnover, leading to more stability across the facility. 

Effective succession planning is more than a contingency strategy—it’s an investment in the long-term health of your senior living community. Leadership transitions, whether planned or unexpected, don’t have to create uncertainty or disrupt the quality of care residents rely on. With the proper framework in place, even the most disruptive change can strengthen your community rather than destabilize it.

Most importantly, enlisting the help of an executive search firm such as Medbest can help you create a seamless succession plan. Secure your community’s future — partner with MedBest to build a stronger, more resilient leadership team today!

FAQs for Succession Planning in Senior Living

Why Is Succession Planning So Important in Senior Living Organizations?

Succession planning in senior living is critical because leadership transitions affect every aspect of a community — from resident care and compliance to team morale. When organizations prepare future leaders in advance, they maintain continuity, avoid operational disruptions, and preserve the community’s core values. It’s not just about replacing a leader; it’s about ensuring the entire organization continues to function smoothly.

How Often Should a Senior Living Organization Update Its Succession Plan?

A succession plan should be reviewed and updated at least once a year or whenever significant organizational changes occur. This includes leadership promotions, new regulatory requirements, or expansions into new care services. Regular reviews keep the plan aligned with evolving goals, compliance standards, and workforce realities.

What Roles Should I Include in a Leadership Succession Plan?

Every key leadership role that impacts vision, care, culture, compliance, and operations should be included, such as C-Suite, VP-level, Regional roles, Executive Director, Nursing Home Administrator, Assisted Living Administrator, Director of Nursing, and department heads of HR, finance, and compliance.. Each role requires a clear successor profile and a plan for both interim and long-term coverage.

How Can Smaller Senior Living Organizations Build a Succession Plan With Limited Staff?

Smaller facilities can still create strong succession strategies by focusing on cross-training and leadership development. Even without a large internal pipeline, they can invest in mentorship, professional certification programs, and relationships with executive recruiters. Partnering with firms like MedBest can provide access to qualified interim leaders or external candidates who align with the organization’s mission and culture.

What Happens If There’s No Interim Plan in Place During a Leadership Transition?

Without an interim coverage plan, senior living communities risk care disruption, compliance violations, and staff uncertainty. Interim leaders serve as a stabilizing force — maintaining operations, supporting staff, and ensuring residents continue to receive high-quality care. Planning for interim coverage is a crucial component of a strong succession plan.

When Should An Organization Consider Hiring an Executive Recruiter?

It’s best to involve an executive recruiter early — ideally once you identify leadership gaps or future retirements. Recruiters who specialize in healthcare and senior living, such as MedBest, can provide strategic support by sourcing experienced interim and permanent candidates, ensuring cultural fit, and accelerating the hiring timeline.

How Can Senior Living Organizations Identify High-Potential Employees For Future Leadership Roles?

High-potential employees often demonstrate initiative, strong communication skills, and alignment with the organization’s values. Leaders can identify them through performance reviews, leadership assessments, and mentorship programs. Investing in these individuals through targeted training builds a sustainable leadership pipeline and improves retention across all levels of care.