Global media telecoms business

Find out how we successfully supported a large, global telecoms business based in Hampshire UK, in managing their technical staffing needs across multiple departments.

Overview:

This case study demonstrates how Reqiva successfully supported a large, global telecommunications business based in Hampshire, UK in managing their technical staffing needs on an exclusive basis across multiple departments. Disciplines included Senior Appointments, Embedded Engineering, Hardware Engineering, Application Software, DSP and Solutions Engineering. This was a complex and multi-faceted project involving direct client engagement with 10–15 Line Managers across different departments.

Company background:

The company is a large media telecommunications business who had recently been purchased by a global player in the telco domain.

The Project:

Following the buy-out, a major review of the technology department was carried out and a total of 22 new positions created as a result. The requirements included very niche technical specialisms, at a range of levels from Senior Leadership through to Principal and Lead Engineers.

They required a recruitment partner who was able to understand the intricacies of these roles, whilst also handle the volume of new hires required. The initial project was to run for a period of 12 months, and a number of agencies across the UK tech recruitment market were invited to tender. Following a comprehensive assessment and tendering process, Reqiva were successfully appointed as the lead agency on the project.

Key Challenges:

There were two key challenges with this search assignment, the first being the volume of hires required in a relatively short period of time. The second being location of the business, which situated outside the core UK tech hubs and was particularly short of most of the specialist skill sets the client was seeking. Additionally, due to the nature of the roles themselves and business at the time, these roles were all office based, with limited hybrid / remote working options available.

The solution:

We commenced the project by building out a carefully selected Project Team. Due to the specialist nature and volume of the roles required, our Director and Co-Founder Antony Redmond took the lead on the project, supported by two Delivery Consultants.

From here, the Project Team attended a series of meetings with each of the Line Managers to understand the exact requirements of each role, the specific technical skill sets needed and the desired behavioural competencies that would be best aligned to each position. During these meetings we were also able to educate the Line Managers on the recruitment and hiring trends developing within their specific markets as well as key factors to be aware of to ensure a successful outcome was achieved. In many cases, this included re-education around salaries and remuneration packages, which had historically been an issue for the business with salaries falling short of the market averages. Using our annual Salary and Market Trends Report data, we were able to demonstrate the typical local and national salary levels required.

Following this, the team designed a go-to-market strategy to target both active and passive talent in the local and surrounding areas, tapping into our existing network whilst also advertising across all major job boards, LinkedIn and our own website which attracts on average 2,000 unique visitors per month.

We then worked closely with each of the Line Managers throughout the duration of the project, conducting weekly update meetings to discuss progress and performance, talk through any candidates in pipeline, co-ordinate interviews, manage offers and support with onboarding processes.

The result:

Despite the predicted timeframes for the initial project to run for 12 months, Reqiva successfully filled all 22 positions within a period of 8 months – a result which even surpassed our own expectations and project goals. We were also able to save the client approximately £150,000 in recruitment fees by choosing to work with us on an exclusive basis, benefitting from our reduced rate fee structure. Due to the success of this project, the client continued to engage with us on similar projects over a 7-year period.