Principle Recruitment Consultant (Construction, Fit Out, Design & Architecture)
Charterhouse
Total years of experience :6 years, 2 Months
Brought in to initiate and develop a cold business desk for Interiors and Fit-Out Clients in Qatar - quickly developing into becoming joint lead on Construction (Main / Sub Contractors, Project Management Consultancies, Architecture, Design & Fit Out) across the entire GCC. Clients include many high profile Main Contractors, such as China State, Obayashi, Drake & Skull, Samsung C&T, CCC, HLG, Unicorp, Larsen & Toubro and Dutco BB - as well as many well known architects & PMCs; for instance QPM, AEB, KBR, Killla Design, Calatrava & OBE, working on various iconic projects within the Middle East. Project exposure includes; Emaar’s Observation Tower, Expo 2020 (inc the new Dubai Convention Centre), the Sharq Crossing, the Museum of the Future & several Fifa 2022 sites and stadiums. This includes interaction with Clients themselves, as well as gaining Municipality & Developer approval.
Duties include;
Mentoring of other members of the Construction team
Liaison with Directors and Managing Director within the business in order to accurately forecast financials
Interaction with external stakeholders within the Construction field; including large main contractors, project management consultancies, architecture practises and real estate developers
Business development; new clients as well as building upon existing relationships
Business planning; analysing and adapting to market trends
Profile building / networking within selected market areas
Negotiation; between Candidate & Client, as well as Client and Charterhouse Middle East
Maintaining excellent levels of customer service & professionalism at all times throughout business transactions
Maintaining accurate internal & external administration / documentation
Roles recruited for were of a mixed nature; from bespoke, tailored searches / headhunts for senior levels - to large scale, bulk recruitment objectives.
Given the nature of agency recruitment, my workload was often very heavy, therefore careful planning and work distribution to each of the multiple requirements was essential.
Built and developed cold business streams in order to generate income and maximise profit margins.
Worked in partnership with 2nd and 3rd-party clients in order to manage, advise and design practical, efficient and cost-effective recruitment strategies for various asset management & construction projects.
Became a trusted advisor to numerous London Housing Associations (including the largest in the United Kingdom) as well as regeneration and new-build contractors such as Keepmoat, Mears, Rydon and Mitie.
Designed and implemented best working practices in order to improve service delivery, efficiency, productivity and customer satisfaction - which includes working closely with senior management teams to devise strategic objectives and formulate roll-out plans; most recently implementing a revitalised candidate matrix, new KPI / Billing monitoring process and daily time planners for wider department. This was brought in after conducting analysis of organisation’s position within the market, and how it satisfied its clients against competitors.
Assisted with new business bids and submissions.
Facilitate regular on-site client meetings and carry out contractor service reviews and updates.
Forecast and track weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual milestones comprising of financials, contractors out and relationships developed. This includes full business planning for each calendar year.
Hit regular quarterly KPI targets and outputs. Largely financially un-targeted until January 2015 where annual billing target was £98, 000; £33, 000 (£40, 000 including forward fees) achieved in the first quarter of 2015.
Q2 was un targeted due to planning a move to the United Arab Emirates.
Monthly reviews / analysis of work; including identifying areas of improvements and sharing successes.
Although the business had a long history in such a saturated sector, I was still able to bring in several new clients, contributing to the billings stated above. These contracts have also brought successful business and revenue streams to other areas of the organisation. The majority of the challenge in this role was gaining back lost market share with our existing customer base from issues before my tenure.
Operated within a rapidly growing Food & Beverage / Hospitality group, the company held tenancies from larger pub conglomerates - Punch, Enterprise, Spirit, Mitchells & Butlers to name a few - and managed the outlets accordingly.
This was an internal move from operating a field based role for the previous 18 months. This was an opportunity to concentrate on the more analytical side of the business and operate at the level above my previous position. Instead of managing 15 (or so) outlets, my role now incorporated the marketing, recruitment stock control & analysis for the whole group - some 50+ outlets.
Duties included;
Daily management and liaison with Office staff (4) and Regional Managers (4/5) who each managed 10-15 sites each. Each site would have a manager based on site, then a team staff working for them.
Involved in all recruitment activities; writing advertisements, conducting personality & competency based interviews, for all roles (either field or head office based). Negotiated contracts, salaries & benefits, etc.
Thorough analysis of monthly stock audits per outlet, evaluating stock levels, gross profits per product and wastage. Overall objective was to ensure each site kept a maximum of 10 days stock period, keeping in line with the cash flow directorate of the business.
Reporting to Operations, Financial & Managing Director; development, implementation & project management of marketing and sales schemes / promotions, based on above information (4Ps, etc).
Managed and took control of company online presence, including websites & social media platforms.
Attended courses, seminars and workshops which provided tools to formulate, pitch and implement new marketing systems others the company had not trialled before. It was vital for the business to recognise and adapt to new marketing techniques and trends. I implemented innovative changes and improvements to the company and overall business growth.
Strategies implemented included; data collection, newsletters, table talkers, rate of sale offers, menus, food and drink deals, social networking via Facebook, Twitter and PR via news publications.
Enhanced time management and personal organisation skills, being office based allowing for thoroughness, structure and improved efficiency.
Enhanced a comprehensive understanding of profitability, cash flow & business health - working closely alongside the Financial Director, and being instrumental in helping the company run a leaner and more efficient practise; introducing new internal structures to aid cash flow, increase profitability, reduce wastage / unnecessary expenditure.
Gained a comprehensive understanding of the business organism from all sides - office and field & top to bottom, from the MD’s office to the point of sale.
Started out as a regular part-time (2 days pw) purchase ledger & account management role through final year of university. Upon Graduating I was offered a vastly promoted, area field managerial position for 15 Food & Beverage Outlets within the Yorkshire and Both Nottinghamshire area.
Duties included;
Ultimately responsible for each site, which were run like small autonomous enterprises in accordance with their individual characteristics, differing market sectors, different demographics.
Recruitment of staff - both of senior and junior levels for each outlet. Included advertisement construction, search and selection, interviewing, negotiating contracts. Given the often urgent nature for staff, constant networking and interviewing was essential to fix crisis situations and maintain a continuous improvement strategy.
Personal performance and performance of each site was analysed in weekly reviews with the Operational Director; setting fresh targets for each establishment in terms of turnover and profitability as well as setting objectives and plans for the arrival of new / departure of existing venues.
Liaison and rapport building with external clients (professionals from the larger pub companies) to bring in new business streams.
Crisis-managed emergency circumstances on a regular basis, including full investigation and reconciliation of deficits and thefts.
Ensured customer satisfaction (and standards) were upheld and maximised.
Reported directly to Operations Director.
Developed Business & Marketing strategy for each site.
Generated cash flow and expense forecasting, as well as profit & loss analysis and stock Audit and GP% analysis.
Maintained strict budgets - controlling the wages & expenses budget for each site accordingly.
Adhered to and upheld TUPE regulations and consultation.
Participated in external profile-raising & business-building practises