Finance Director
Rolling Stock Refurbishment and Upgrade

As the large UK subsidiary of an international group, our client wished to recruit a strong Finance Director to the board to improve the contribution made by finance to a number of areas of operational and commercial management. There was also a need to adopt group operating systems at a subsidiary level, requiring leadership for a substantial IT oriented project, and a potential requirement to manage acquisitions in the UK.

There was a strong need to ensure that the new Finance Director would fit in well with the rest of the board, much of which (including the MD) had been recently appointed.

An advertising led recruitment assignment resulted in a strong long list of candidates, from a large response, who were assessed in detail through interview. A reduced number were shortlisted and reference checked with former employers and other sources. Qualifications were also checked.

Shortlist interviews were held with the MD in the UK and the final two candidates had a video conference interview with the overseas based Group CEO and HR Director.

A reduced notice period was negotiated so the successful candidate could start six weeks after terms had been agreed.

Shortlist interviews were held with the MD in the UK and the final two candidates had a video conference interview with the overseas based Group CEO and HR Director.

Account Services Director
Asset Management and Leasing

Our client is a strong asset management and leasing business in the rail industry and sought to recruit a senior manager to develop and implement relationship and account management strategies impacting on suppliers, customers and other parties such as regulators.

The role required managing a professional team of people running individual account activities and the provision of leadership in this area. There was also a preference, if possible, for candidates to have engineering backgrounds, ideally at graduate/chartered levels.

The assignment approach included a combination of advertising; head-hunting and database search to attract candidates from within the rail sector as well as those from relevant other sectors. The shortlist included a mixture of both.

The final choice was between one candidate with strong rail expertise at senior levels and another who had worked in the sector at an earlier stage but had recently done some very relevant work in the Nuclear Power sector. Both had strong mixes of customer/commercial experience and technical engineering backgrounds.

Assessment included competency based interviewing.

The role required managing a professional team of people running individual account activities and the provision of leadership in this area.

Business Development Manager
Logistics and Transport

Our client is a logistics business in the transport sector and part of a much larger logistics group that services a number of other sectors in the UK and overseas.

This database search led assignment was managed on a contingency basis focusing on our clients’ requirement to develop further business streams in their existing customer portfolios involving new products and services. There was also a secondary purpose which was to develop new customers through strategic business development.

Candidates were required, ideally, to have good industry knowledge but their skills in business development management were paramount together with the ability to think creatively about new products and services.

Our database search work produced a number of options but there was one stand-out candidate who quickly became the focus of our clients’ attention.

Assessment including a structured presentation at second interview by the preferred candidate but this quickly became a round the table discussion about a number of aspects of business development and options for sales and profitability improvement.

Our database search work produced a number of options but there was one stand-out candidate who quickly became the focus of our clients’ attention.

Engineering Project Manager
Railway Rolling Stock

Our client is a technology led business that is introducing new products to the UK rolling stock industry that are installed on-board and enable improved operating efficiencies with direct results in terms of cost savings.

The recruitment requirement was for someone to drive the programmes for installing equipment to various different rolling stock fleets and to manage all the engineering and IT design and interface issues that arise along the way. Management would be required for arrangements with depot engineering facilities, technical consultants, internal product design and development functions and a range of other parties.

Candidates were sought through database search that had good project management skills gained in rail backgrounds and personal skills sufficient to be able to act as both the supplier and the customer in contractual arrangements.

The nature of the requirement was such that the assessment was very much driven by the need of the MD to be confident that the successful candidate would manage business critical activities as he would see fit. One to one discussions in both formal and informal situations were therefore set up.

The recruitment requirement was for someone to drive the programmes for installing equipment to various different rolling stock fleets.

Head of Electrical Engineering
Rolling Stock Upgrade and Refurbishment

Our client had a requirement to further develop their in house technical engineering function to provide stronger support to production areas and to enable a reduction in reliance upon external consultancies.

This new role was identified as a focus for the electrical engineering discipline within the engineering team and as a position of leadership and development for that specialist activity.

Strong combinations of technical and managerial skills were sought together with the ability to work flexibly in a busy project led business.

The supply of graduate/chartered electrical engineers in the rolling stock side of the rail industry is not great and so we decided to run an advertising campaign in the rail press and through internet sources in support of our database search work.

Only a relatively small number of appropriately qualified candidates were identified but quality was quite high and a candidate with excellent potential for longer term development was selected.

Assessment was driven by the Director responsible for the engineering function and focussed on technical competency together with judgements on management style.

Only a relatively small number of appropriately qualified candidates were identified but quality was quite high and a candidate with excellent potential for longer term development was selected.

Senior Rolling Stock Engineer
Rail Engineering Consultancy

Our client has a number of opportunities to grow their rolling stock engineering consultancy business and require professionally qualified (graduate/chartered) individuals with good consulting skills including the ability the handle client activities in support of an account management/development structure.

The instruction from our client was to assess and inform them of good quality people matching the specification that we became aware of as a result of our activity in rail sector recruitment and to promote their business to these candidates. Understanding our clients’ requirement and recognising candidates that can help our client to grow their business was the key issue.

In this particular case, a candidate was sourced through our database development work who had a strong background in consultancy and met the technical qualifications but who was unsettled as a result of a change in direction by his employer at the time.

Although the candidate was a little sceptical about continuing in the consultancy arena, we were able to put together an attractive profile for our client and the candidate accepted a job offer after the completion of some detailed negotiation concerning salary and benefits and consideration of other opportunities.

Understanding our clients’ requirement and recognising candidates that can help our client to grow their business was the key issue.

Salaries Analysis and Advice – Consultancy assignment
Rail Sector

Our client employs a wide range of rail professionals covering engineering, operations, projects, account management and a number of wider ranging business management and delivery roles.

RGS Executive was hired on a consultancy basis to review a large number of roles at executive, managerial and board levels in the business and to assess them in terms of remuneration levels as indicated by the market and trends at the time.

This project required us to meet heads of department and team leaders across the business to gain a full and clear understanding of the roles and to define the type of candidate required to fulfil the roles prior to being able to assess the remuneration for such a person.

Our comprehensive report provided managers at all levels with information sufficient to be able to assess the salary structures in their teams against market levels and to appreciate trends in this area.

RGS Executive was hired on a consultancy basis to review a large number of roles at executive, managerial and board levels.

Technical Engineering Specialists
Government Agency

Our client employs a number of expert specialists and sought to recruit a person knowledgeable in a particular area of rail engineering and science. The successful candidate could have been working in the operational rail industry or may be in academic posts in an appropriate University department.

The particular area of work is quite specialised and it was recognised from the outset that appropriately qualified candidates would not be great in number.

In order to attract and develop candidates, a retained advertised selection assignment was put together including advertising in the rail industry and utilising the university networks and e-facilities.

Candidates were attracted as a result of our advertising from the UK and overseas and were assessed in terms of their expert knowledge and experience as well as their overall “fit” into our clients department.

The successful candidate had a strong academic background and excellent specialist experience in the UK rail sector. A couple of other candidates on the shortlist were identified by our client for similar further roles.

Our client employs a number of expert specialists and sought to recruit a person knowledgeable in a particular area of rail engineering and science.

Rail Operations Manager – Interim Management
Rail Operations

Our client was a rail operations business with commitment to some significant industry projects over a foreseeable period of 12 months in the ERTMS/GSMR area.

The requirement was for an experienced, professional level operations manager with a strong background in driver and train crew development and training who could drive forward our clients’ significant contribution to the industry projects and provide some leadership in this area.

A particular challenge with this assignment was that our client wished to employ someone on a three day/week basis. The supply of high calibre candidates with particular expertise available for part time roles is low and many are reluctant to commit for a period as long as twelve months if they are seeking a full time post.

RGS Executive was able to source, from our database activities, an individual who had an ideal background and who had a potential option to take a complementary role for two days/week. He saw the projects through over the next twelve months prior to taking a permanent post; he had an option to continue with our client on an interim basis.

The challenge with this assignment was that our client wished to employ someone on a three day/week basis.

Project Manager
Infrastructure and Rolling Stock, Dubai

With a strong business developing and installing IT based equipment to fleets and infrastructure in the UK, our client also had a number of projects relating to new rail developments around the world, including in the Middle East.

The requirement was for a Project Manager to be based in Dubai and to handle the development and delivery of the project using third party suppliers. The role included the negotiation and agreement of commercial arrangements as well as close working with a number of colleagues to address technical issues that would arise during implementation and testing.

Candidates were sourced through an advertising led assignment and needed to have rail project management experience, technical knowledge sufficient to grasp the key issues and personal skills to meet the challenges of working in a multi-national situation from a Middle East base.

A short list of candidates was assessed in the UK from both personal and technical points of view. The preferred candidate had previous experience of delivering projects in the Middle East.

The requirement was for a Project Manager to be based in Dubai and to handle the development and delivery of the project using third party suppliers.

UK General Manager
Freight

Our client is a leasing company focussed on freight vehicles and sought to hire a General Manager for their UK business, to succeed the longstanding incumbent who was planning retirement and who had a very strong personal reputation in the sector.

A key issue in this assignment was to recruit someone with standing and credibility in the rail freight business sector sufficient to be regarded by customers and others as a worthy successor to the incumbent and so to maintain business continuity.

Candidates were sought through a combination of advertising, search and candidate referral and only a fairly low number of strong prospects were identified, which was no surprise given the relatively small size of the rail freight area and the criteria for recruitment. The long list for consultant assessment was not so long on this occasion.

However, a short list was presented and interviews were conducted with the current UK General Manager and the Group CEO. A very strong candidate was identified in the short list assessment process and this person was offered and accepted the role without hesitation.

It was key to recruit someone with standing and credibility in rail freight sufficient to be regard as a worthy successor to the incumbent.

Knowledge Manager
Government Agency

Our client holds a wide range of technical and operational information that is available for use by specialist organisations. The client was developing a knowledge management system for a large number of internal and external discreet users and contributors.

The requirement was for a professional level Knowledge Manager to handle the testing, development and roll out of the knowledge management system and to develop all the operational structures and user groups, including training.

An advertising led recruitment assignment and research into the knowledge management community resulted in a shortlist of candidates from mainly large organisations. The candidates had been early adopters of knowledge management and they had specific knowledge and experience of Sharepoint based systems and the application and use of Sharepoint (knowledge management software).

Telephone interviews were followed by long list of face to face interviews and subsequently shortlist interviews with the client. The final choice was between two very suitable and appointable candidates, the first one turned the job offer down (due to a change in personal circumstances) and the second one accepted without hesitation.

The final choice was between two very suitable and appointable candidates, the first one turned the job offer down (due to a change in personal circumstances) and the second one accepted without hesitation.

CEO
Major Business Development in Freight Logistics – Africa

Our client was a global minerals and mining group seeking to establish new logistics activities involving rail and shipping and including a significant new infrastructure and operations development in Africa.

The requirement was for an MD to lead the project through design, development and construction activities; to handle the commercial and financial negotiations with would be customers of this freight logistics service and then to see the service into operation.

This retained assignment utilised senior level executive search and advertising to source candidates in the UK and overseas and was delivered with assistance of specialist services in Paris, as a number of candidates were sourced from within French speaking parts of Africa.

Strong senior level candidates were identified in a number of different international locations but all had good backgrounds in freight and transport logistics and an enthusiasm for tackling and leading a major project in Africa with the potential for high rewards.

Long list interviewing took place in London, Paris and elsewhere after extensive desk research had been conducted on each candidate. Our client flew to Paris to conduct shortlist interviewing.

The preferred candidate came from a European based freight company that had interests in rail and shipping by sea and who had personally handled the development of such services in Africa including the establishment of port and rail terminals.

Long list interviewing took place in London, Paris and elsewhere after extensive desk research had been conducted on each candidate. Our client flew to Paris to conduct shortlist interviewing.

Managing Director – Consultancy Assignment
Engineering

In this case, our client had identified a person they wished to consider recruiting to run their UK engineering services business and RGS Executive was retained on a consultancy basis to contact and develop the individual as a candidate for the role.

We produced a profile for the role and of the client company to fairly position the opportunity and then discreetly approached the target candidate. An expression of interest was followed by a number of discussions leading to the presentation of the target candidate to our client.

Formal and informal meetings at group board and CEO level in Europe resulted in a job offer. RGS Executive handled all the salary and benefits negotiations and advised particularly on salary structures for such a role in the UK including areas such as pension and bonus schemes.

We produced a profile for the role and of the client company to fairly position the opportunity and then approached the target candidate.

Head of Sales and Commercial – International
Engineering Products and Services

With a strong international product range and brand, our client sought a Head of Sales with the ability to manage a number of global accounts involving a large proportion of face to face customer contact.

The role would involve potential new and existing product development and close co-ordination with colleagues in other specialist product areas. The position was part of the UK management team.

This retained assignment focussed on targeting candidates with relevant experience in analogous industry sectors including a track record of success that involved product enhancement or initiatives to improve service activities from the point of view of our client and its’ customers. Candidates needed to have high “energy” levels and to be able to commit on a long term basis in order to support customer account development over a period of time.

A strong short list of candidates was developed and assessed through a series of interviews and also with particular attention to verbal references from former employers and network sources.

Candidates needed to have high “energy” levels and to be able to commit on a long term basis .

Head of Procurement – Interim Manager
Advisory Services

A vacancy had arisen for a Head of Procurement but the role required some particular projects to be undertaken in the following twelve months that led to a decision to recruit on an interim basis for that period and then to recruit for the remaining permanent role.

RGS Executive sourced an experienced, professional level recruitment manager with a background in a relevant industry sector and a strong track record in delivering projects of a complex nature.

Our Interim Manager quickly took charge of the day to day procurement activity and subsequently set about the specific projects; working with colleagues across the business and a range of external parties.

After a period of about 10 months, it became clear that the projects would be extended and would take up the full attention of our interim manager. Our client made an appointment to the permanent role and the interim manager remained in place for a further six months or so to complete the projects.

In the end, due to an increase in workload from additional projects, the interim manager was hired by our client on a permanent basis.

Consultancy Assignment
Employee Assessment

The brief for this small assignment was to assess by interview an employee working for a client group against a requirement elsewhere in the group that represented a promotion opportunity for the individual to a more challenging senior management role.

It was necessary to gain a clear understanding of the new role and the associated organisation structure in advance of the employee assessment. It was also felt necessary to provide advice to the candidate on the implications of the promotion from a career development point of view and to discuss other directions that the individual might explore as alternatives, both internally and externally.

Our work resulted in a written assessment that supported a recommendation by the UK board to the US parent group that the appointment should be made.

The brief for this small assignment was to assess by interview an employee working for a client.

HR Director
Project Engineering

Having developed their business to quite a substantial level and employing about five hundred people, our client had become part of a strong overseas based group and looked set for further development.

The opportunity was to recruit a professional level HR Director for the UK business to join the management team and develop further the existing HR processes as well as to deliver a number of new initiatives.

The recruitment activity was initiated from the UK with strong support from the Group CEO and the Group HR Director and it was necessary at the start of the assignment to ensure that all parties were “singing from the same hymn sheet”.

Coinciding with the early stages of recession in the UK, a substantial response was received to our advertising programme including many who were recently redundant and keen to be considered for any role that may vaguely match their expertise. Furthermore, we were sensing at this time that many stronger potential candidates were not coming forward as security in their current roles was more attractive than the potential of a career move.

It was necessary to conduct an extensive amount of long list interviewing and assessment prior to arriving at a short list of six candidates for our client to meet. Short list interviews were conducted by the UK MD and the RGS Executive consultant with the Group CEO and Group HR Director meeting the preferred candidate and a strong alternate. Verbal references were taken from the referees of the final candidates.

The brief for this small assignment was to assess by interview an employee working for a client.

Commercial Manager
Asset Leasing

Our client has a strong commercial management team that drives negotiations with customers for major leasing arrangements involving new and previously operated large scale capital equipment.

The team manages residual value risk, portfolio renewal and growth and new product development, account of macro-economic analysis, market trends and intelligence and specific asset risks.

The assignment was to recruit a new member for the commercial team who would complement the existing team in terms of skills and experience rather than be a straight duplicate.

Candidates were sourced through advertising and database search that had strong knowledge of the types of assets being leased and the commercial structures and arrangements surrounding the operation of such assets. They needed to have good academic backgrounds, be highly numerate, analytical and good strategic thinkers.

A good long list of candidates narrowed down to a fairly small, but strong, short list of candidates who went through our clients’ assessment process. The successful candidate accepted an offer of employment after negotiation and agreement of remuneration terms.

The assignment was to recruit a new member for the commercial team who would complement the existing team in terms of skills and experience rather than be a straight duplicate.