Finding a Director of SHEQ to Drive Behavioural Change at RES

14 November 2019 by Ben Flint
blog author

“The Acre Frameworks assessment provided objective data on candidates’ fit for role which gave us the confidence that the successful candidate was both a technical expert and the right person for the job. The data dashboard tool enabled us to benchmark the candidates’ behavioural competencies against data from hundreds of health and safety leaders, further supporting our hiring decision. I would highly recommend Acre to anyone who is looking to partner with first class, data-driven recruitment businesses.”Group HR Director, RES

Renewable Energy Services (RES) is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, with a 16GW+ portfolio and the expertise to develop, engineer, construct, finance and operate projects around the globe. RES is active in a range of energy technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar, energy storage and transmission, and distribution. Their vision is for everyone to have access to affordable low-carbon energy.

The privately-owned company currently employs around 2,000 staff across EMEA and North America, of which, around two thirds are based in the USA. With such a large, diverse workforce, RES needed to hire a new HSEQ Director who could take ownership of their new SHEQ strategy and drive forward the brand as an industry leader, while meeting overarching business objectives.

RES needed to replace their 17-year incumbent Director of SHEQ, a direct report into the CEO, with someone who could implement a behavioural change programme on a global scale. To drive the cultural change required, amid high staff turnover due to seasonal working, it was vital that the incoming person possessed the non-technical skills required to take management of a global remote team and deliver consistent, continuous improvement.

Acre began the assignment by meeting with the key stakeholders at RES, including the CEO, to gain a detailed understanding of the business requirements and to agree the search process. This was followed by creating a job description that clearly and compellingly communicated the non-technical skills required of candidates for the SHEQ Director role.

The team then set about attracting high-calibre candidates through a strategic marketing plan, while providing RES with a regularly updated market map detailing candidate progress throughout the search. This provided useful market information, including salary benchmarking, as well as candidate feedback on RES.

To ensure a good fit for the role beyond technical skills, Acre conducted behavioural competency assessments to provide objective data on key workplace behavioural preferences that impact effectiveness in an SHEQ role.

RES stakeholders were able to visualise and directly compare candidates’ strengths and limiting behaviours online via a bespoke and user-friendly Acre Frameworks dashboard. Candidates spoke with an Acre Frameworks consultant to further explore potential limiting areas as part of the data-driven interview process.

Acre’s extensive network of candidates in the HSE profession, working in combination with our strategic candidate acquisition strategy, ensured the speedy assembly of a shortlist of suitable candidates. The Acre Frameworks non-technical competency assessment ensured RES had objective data to inform their hiring decision and ensure that, as well as being a
technical expert, the chosen candidate was the right person for the role. This led to a highly qualified and experienced individual being offered the role of Director of SHEQ less than 8 weeks after the search began.

To discuss similar positions, or how we can help you find the right people for your team, please contact Ben Flint from our Environment, Health and Safety team via ben.flint@acre.com​.