Meeting the Demand for Niche Candidates

The Client

The client is a leader in advanced engineering and innovative technology solutions, serving industries such as defense, intelligence, energy and environment. They also provide comprehensive logistics, facility management and security solutions, ensuring seamless and efficient operations for their clients.

The Challenge

In 2020, following the sale of a larger infrastructure consulting firm’s Managed Services division, our client emerged as an independent entity. This shift transformed their Design and Construction team from a large, globally capable entity to a leaner, more focused group. Their internal HR and Talent Acquisition team concentrated solely on cyber, IT, aerospace, defense and strategic hires.

This left the department and project managers scrambling to fill vacancies by any means necessary, creating a significant staffing challenge. Additionally, the already limited pool of skilled architect and engineering (A&E) professionals in the Baltimore and DC area exacerbated the challenge.

The failure to address these staffing challenges would jeopardize their ability to deliver on contractual obligations, potentially forcing them to realign with other programs and agencies. Without an in-house development team, the client’s mission to provide essential design and construction management services was at risk. Faced with these obstacles, the client needed an innovative and effective solution to ensure they could meet their contractual obligations and maintain their critical operations.

The Actalent Solution

Actalent has been a trusted partner for this client for nearly 13 years. Our deep understanding of their culture and needs, combined with our highly valuable recruitment and vetting process, made us the ideal choice. Unlike our competitors who offered direct placement without local and specialized teams, Actalent provided a tailored approach that met the client’s unique requirements.

Our pre-interview and screening processes were particularly beneficial for the client’s team, which works on challenging projects with tight deadlines. These processes saved significant time and effort, ensuring that only the most qualified candidates were considered.

We closely collaborated with the client’s architecture and MEP department managers, who were fully available to qualify requirements and share the implications of unfilled positions. Building a strong relationship with the client’s division vice president also played a crucial role in our success.

Our primary goal was to keep the time to fill within two weeks of qualifying a requirement. Actalent’s specialization and rigorous screening and selection process proved to be the perfect solution for the client’s projects, ensuring they could meet their contractual obligations and maintain their critical operations.

The Results

The partnership was highly successful, particularly in meeting deadlines – with the time to fill positions consistently within the two-week target. Actalent effectively leveraged strong relationships and past performance with the local VP and department managers. The client valued our flexibility, quick alignment with their mission and the opportunity for performance feedback through quarterly touchpoints.

Actalent’s swift adaptability, industry specialization and rigorous screening process were key factors in their success. The client appreciated having a responsive partner that understood their needs in the design and construction space, ensuring they could meet contractual obligations and maintain critical operations.