The challenge.

One of the largest emitters of CO₂ globally needed to assemble a project management team at their manufacturing facility in North America, following a multimillion-pound award to tackle their 2035 carbon commitments. The initial requirement was to hire a Business Unit Director (BUD) and three Project Managers (PMs), with a further three PMs to be recruited over the following 12 months. Suitable candidates needed to possess exceptional organisational skills, the ability to prioritise, influence, and delegate effectively, all while meeting performance, cost, and timescale targets. The BUD would also be tasked with mentoring the lead PM to step into the BUD role within two years or less, enabling the Director to move on to delivering a cluster of similar projects elsewhere in the region.

The solution.

Chad Harrison International (CHI) proposed a retained search approach, incorporating talent mapping for planned future hires. Our sector specialists compiled a diverse long list of candidates, all of whom possessed the required skill set, as well as excellent industry and technical knowledge. This list was provisionally presented to the client to ensure there were no candidates or companies they preferred us not to approach. We then commenced a targeted headhunt of all preferred candidates, considering their credentials, salary requirements, and motivations.

The result.

A diverse shortlist of 11 BUD candidates and 36 PM candidates was sourced, and all vacancies were filled within four weeks. The hiring process comprised three stages: a telephone interview, a General Manager (GM) interview, and a panel interview. Furthermore, we sourced and placed three additional PMs 18 months later to work closely with the BUD as their role progressed into the group-wide delivery of the 2025 plan.