Following the decision of favoured candidate Stuart Dew to stick with the Sydney Swans for the next three seasons, Melbourne indicated on Monday it is in no rush to appoint a senior assistant coach to work alongside newly appointed coach Paul Roos.
The person who wins the job will become the Demons senior coach when Roos finishes in the job after two or three seasons.
Jackson said the club remained committed to finding the best candidate rather than the best available candidate to fill the position.
"When Paul Roos was announced as coach, we were clear that there was no timeline on the appointment of his senior assistant," Jackson said.
"It’s an important decision and not one we are going to rush as a club. If we have to wait a year to find the best candidate, we are comfortable in doing so."
After appointing Roos to a two-year contract with the option of a third, the club set about finding a senior assistant. It interviewed Adam Simpson – who won the West Coast Eagles job, Scott Burns – who joined Collingwood as an assistant coach, and hoped to attract Dew.
In the meantime the club has appointed Brett Allison, Ben Mathews and Brad Miller to development roles, and retained Jade Rawlings as an assistant coach.
Former Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling – who is working part-time as a leadership adviser at North Melbourne – may be available next year. St Kilda champion Lenny Hayes is also likely to play his last season in 2014 and the Lions Simon Black may also be in retirement.
Although the inability to fill the role at this stage may be considered disappointing in relation to providing certainty to players it wants to attract or re-sign, it has time to make the right decision.
Roos coached the Sydney Swans to 116 wins and one premiership in 202 games as coach.
