The Client

Our client is an industry leading, UK based provider of infrastructure services to a wide range of sectors. Their rail division provide services including overhead lines, electrification, track maintenance, compliance and design. 

The Business Challenge

The company is in a period of growth and the Infrastructure Director wanted to bring an experienced rail professional into the organisation to take full management responsibility for this division of the organisation. 

The Role

The Rail Service Director position was a newly created role within the organisation and therefore needed a senior infrastructure professional with vast rail experience to manage the entire division. This role would also involve working very closely with the Commercial Director to target new business opportunities, especially within Network Rail.

The Rail Services Director is a highly complex multi-disciplinary role. Candidates needed to have proven senior rail experience with skills in health and safety, operations, business development, systems and processes plus full P&L responsibility for a multi-million pound business. 

Our Solution

Collingwood produced an assignment specification for the role, this included company information, job description, candidate profile and remuneration package details. The document confirmed to our client that Collingwood had fully interpreted their requirements. Using comprehensive experience and knowledge of the industry, our consultant compiled and presented a list of target companies to the client. From this agreed list, 147 key individuals were identified and approached confidentially to discuss the opportunity.

10 candidates were invited to attend competency based interviews with our rail business unit manager. From these 10, a candidate shortlist of 5 was presented to our client along with individual interview reports highlighting the key strengths and drivers for each candidate. The supporting documentation identified motivation for wanting to work for our client and highlighted synergies between our clients and candidates cultural values. 

The Result

The HR Director met with 4 of the 5 candidates for their first stage interview process. From here 2 candidates were selected and progressed to be interviewed by the Infrastructure Director.

The client was extremely impressed with both candidates and was looking at an option to bring both into the organisation. In the end, one candidate was offered and as with all our assignments Collingwood managed the contract negotiations through to completion.