But NZC chief executive David White and director of cricket John Buchanan are convinced they found the coach who can transform New Zealand from inconsistent underachievers into a side that can win the 2015 World Cup on home soil.
White trumpeted qualities like intelligence, organisation and technical ability, while Buchanan explained, despite Hesson's relative youth, his abundance of experience made him the right man for the job.
That experience is unquestionable. After representing Otago B an as opening batsman and finding his path blocked to the provincial side by the likes of Mark Richardson and Matt Horne, Hesson began his coaching career 18 years ago.
"I needed to make a decision pretty quickly and I think it was the right one," he said of his choice to move to the other side of the lines. "With coaching, you've got some real longevity in the game."
In 1998, his decision began to pay off. The then 23-year-old Hesson became the youngest person to attain the NZC level three coaching qualification and he put it to immediate use, fast-tracked into the role of coaching director at Otago Cricket.
During the five years he spent in the position, Hesson was in charge of older and wiser men, an experience which held him in good stead when he earned his maiden view of the first-class scene.
As assistant to former New Zealand batsman and two-time national coach Glenn Turner, Hesson leaned on and learned from a coach who led his country to their first-ever series victory in Australia.
Hesson had already made a name for himself within New Zealand coaching circles and he began to be noticed at international level, too.
In 2003, he was appointed by the ICC as national coach of Argentina in their bid to reach that year's World Cup. The venture was ultimately unsuccessful but Hesson showed promise, leading the South Americans to three wins after they had previously lost 31 straight games.
The promise was parlayed into a promotion with Otago two years later, after Hesson was selected to succeed Turner as coach of the first-class side.
Hesson repaid the faith shown in him by Otago Cricket by breaking a 20-year trophyless drought for the province, first winning the one-day competition in 2008 and following it up a year later with Twenty20 glory.
Suddenly, the union in which Hesson had spent his whole coaching career was starting to seem too small.
Hesson was certainly on the radar of NZC - coaching New Zealand A on various tours and participating in an elite high performance programme, along with All Blacks' coach Steve Hansen, at Sport New Zealand - but he wanted to make a quicker contribution at the highest level of the sport.
Frustrated with inaction over the roles of national selection manager and team manager when Buchanan began his overhaul of the NZC coaching system, Hesson saw an opportunity for growth and grasped it.
He accepted a two-year contract as national coach of Kenya, initially unperturbed by turmoil on and off the field in the fledgling cricket nation.
After 11 months in charge, Hesson abruptly left the post after his young family fell victim to an attempted car-jacking the day before a grenade exploded near their house in Nairobi.
"There were so many challenges in the 11 months we spent over there," he said. "Cricket-wise, there were a number of challenges, and dealing with administration and tribal issues and, obviously, security.
"Some of those experiences were great, some not so good - but certainly very valuable."
Black Caps' fans will hope those experiences help Hesson flourish in what he calls his dream job.
"I've had a number of jobs throughout my coaching career but this is one that makes your tummy churn," he said. "But there comes a time in your career when you know you're right, you know you're ready, and that time is now."
