Staffing SAP Implementations in Hi-Tech & Engineering
As SAP implementations in Hybris, SAP EWM, FMS and S4/HANA kick off into 2018, the demand for consultants and the expertise to get these programmes off the ground and running skyrockets. While this is not something that’s wholly unfamiliar or unpredictable for consultancies, systems integrators or staffing agencies, the high demand can be hard to meet when the supply, or candidate pool, is stretched or small to begin with.
I asked our Industry Division Heads here at Global Enterprise Partners, how they manage these situations in order to ensure successful outcomes for candidates and clients alike. In the second part of a three part series, I spoke to Marco Eindhoven, Head of our Energy & Hi-Tech Division on how he manages expectations and strives to deliver quality service.
Marco Eindhoven, Head of the Energy & Hi-Tech Division
Marco is an experienced recruitment lead, with over nine years of experience in the project support and staffing industry. Today he works to support clients in the energy, manufacturing and telecom fields with their enterprise technology programs.
The demand: Marco often receives open requirements for SAP EH&S, QM, IS-U, FICA and TM- all of which are niche skillsets necessary to drive and support his clients’ projects.
The supply: Within these modules, consultants are often receiving competitive offers from multiple agencies and projects multiple times a day. Given the small candidate pool with fixed rates on the client side, this can become a difficult negotiation territory to navigate. Even once committed to a project, nothing is secure until a contract is fully signed, sealed and delivered.
Marco’s strategy: “Maintain constant communication with the business in order to ensure they are there with you on the path to the end goal— securing the services of the consultant they need.”
For Marco, communication is key and this starts with taking a job spec with the client. “From the beginning it’s important to share your experience with the client. If a role is difficult to fill, or you may have challenges finding a candidate, it’s important to be transparent from the start.”
“I maintain open lines of communication with the client so that they understand the challenge in as much detail as is appropriate. They are often interested to know that I’ve spoken with x number of consultants, x of whom are qualified for the role, and only x of whom are available to take on the project. If they understand the numbers, they understand the need for flexibility.”
For Marco, ensuring his client’s project needs are met are as much about the client as it is about the consultants his team works with. Maintaining a strong network of consultants in these hard-to-find competencies is vital.
Through updates with these professionals on their availability and project needs, Marco seeks to provide a seamless transition from one project to another. At the end of the day, he aims to share his understanding of market demands with the consultants he partners with in order to ensure that everyone is satisfied on both supply and demand sides.
