Key learnings from sourcing top talent for a multi-national manufacturer

Hiring top talent in the engineering and manufacturing space has rarely been as tough as it is right now – even for market leaders with great brand recognition. The longstanding hard skills gap in UK manufacturing has coincided with a wider post-pandemic talent shortage. Meanwhile, recruitment competition has increased significantly, as businesses continue to bounce back and pursue growth

In such a challenging recruitment market, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen a big influx of large employers seeking expert assistance with their talent acquisition needs. Here, we’ll be doing a deep dive into our recent work with multi-national manufacturer Sika.

What our partner needed

Sika is a global organisation which produces state of the art products and systems across multiple industries. After working closely with Michael Page Manufacturing to make a senior hire 18 months prior, Sika approached Michal Page to work on the recruitment of a new head of procurement.

Jonathan Weller, our Business Director for Procurement and Supply Chain, worked closely with Sika throughout the hiring process.

The role required a candidate with a mixture of strong technical ability and leadership qualities – Sika strongly emphasised both, as the role entailed the management of four separate teams across the UK. It was for this reason that they decided to contact Michael Page, knowing that our robust UK-wide network would enable us to quickly pull together a shortlist of highly qualified and well-suited candidates.

How we made it happen

During an initial meeting to understand Sika’s priorities for the role, we agreed to focus on the regions in which their largest sites were located. This approach allowed us to utilise our global network of expert recruiters to manage the focused search required within the chosen regions.

We soon presented a robust shortlist of 7 candidates, with talent drawn from both the North and South of the country, as requested by the client. To develop a deeper understanding of each candidate, we then worked with Sika to establish a five-point set of criteria, which the ideal candidate would need to satisfy.

One key element of the project’s success was the high level of engagement we maintained with the client throughout the process, ensuring they remained well-informed and had our consistent support.

The results of our search

We were delighted to be able to provide a high standard of support to Sika throughout the six-week process from initial briefing to final offer, assisting with queries, requests, and negotiations. Sika were likewise satisfied that they had been able to thoroughly screen the UK candidate market through Michael Page. Plus, our seamless collaboration freed up some of their own time to focus on their core business aim of expansion.

Here's what they had to say about working with Michael Page Manufacturing:

Michael Page is our trusted partner when it comes to recruitment. They stepped in to help with several key executive positions when we struggled to fill positions elsewhere. They understood the brief, worked to agreed timelines, communicated effectively, and delivered. Their service is professional and friendly, and consultants are easy to work with. We would recommend them.

Are you looking for top manufacturing talent to join your team and help drive growth? At Michael Page Manufacturing, we place hundreds of specialists every year. To start hiring today, get in touch with one of our expert consultants.

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