50% faster talent acquisition: how randstad digital transformed a global energy leader’s GCCs.

about the customer: 

a leading global energy corporation with a presence in over 70 countries, specializing in the exploration, production, refining, and marketing of oil and natural gas.

scenario:

The client sought to scale its in-house R&D ecosystem but encountered challenges in expanding talent acquisition for their Global Capability Centers (GCC) in Chennai and Bengaluru. Key issues included lengthy hiring turnaround times, low diversity in technical roles, and high dropout rates, all of which delayed effective onboarding. Sourcing top-tier talent within short windows proved challenging, particularly for specialized skills like SAP ERP, ABAP development, Azure Data engineers and ETL IICS engineers and functional support. Even when talent was sourced quickly, internal onboarding processes such as paperwork and orientation caused bottlenecks, further slowing down deployment.

Addressing critical talent gaps in SAP ERP, ABAP development, Azure Data Engineering, and ETL IICS Engineering was essential to supporting the client’s operations across upstream, downstream, and midstream divisions. Additionally, the client's reliance on too many vendors complicated talent procurement and scaling, creating a need for a more streamlined, unified approach.

our approach:

The client selected Randstad Digital for our expertise in talent advisory, augmenting and scaling GCC operations, and our ability to rapidly source and deploy SAP talent. Leveraging our vast network of skilled tech talent, we meticulously curated a talent pool aligned with the client’s needs. We conducted an in-depth assessment of the client’s need for SAP ERP, ABAP developers, Azure Data engineers and ETL IICS engineers, and functional support, crafting a proactive, scalable strategy to meet these specific objectives. 

We delivered a comprehensive talent acquisition strategy, enhancing every stage from sourcing to onboarding. A dedicated team ensured efficient recruitment and onboarding of SAP talent. Our AI-powered talent sourcing platform ensured a high conversion rate from candidate selection to hires, meeting the client’s stringent standards for SAP expertise. Further, our SAP domain, blended with industry expertise, empowered the client to assemble a world-class development team in India. This highly skilled workforce is now instrumental in driving innovation and growth.

benefits/value creation:

• Accelerated hiring and onboarding for GCC: By optimizing recruitment processes tailored for the client’s GCCs, we reduced the sourcing-to-onboarding timeline from 12 to 6 weeks. This enabled the client to rapidly scale their SAP development, and functional support teams, ensuring timely support for global operations.

In just two years, we successfully onboarded 400+ candidates, filling critical roles in SAP and other technical areas. We also significantly reduced the time it took to build functional teams while maintaining an attrition rate under 12%.

• Increased diversity: In alignment with the client’s diversity and inclusion goals, we improved the diversity hiring ratio from 30% to 45%. This initiative brought in a wider range of perspectives and skills, which were crucial for driving innovation and enhancing the performance of their R&D ecosystem.
• Enhanced conversion, performance, & retention: Leveraging an agile, GCC-specific recruitment and retention strategy, we achieved a 3:1 candidate-to-selection ratio, with a 90%+ joining rate. This was critical for addressing high-demand SAP roles, and functional support, ensuring minimal gaps in their operations and project execution timelines. Additionally, 35% of the talent sourced was transferred to the client’s permanent workforce, strengthening their core team for long-term success.
• Vendor consolidation: Acting as the client's master vendor, we streamlined the hiring process by consolidating multiple sub-vendor contracts into a unified, scalable talent acquisition strategy. This helped reduce administrative overhead and improved the consistency of talent delivered.
• Operational efficiency: We reduced the overall hiring cycle, improved diversity, and boosted candidate conversion rates. These improvements directly contributed to higher operational efficiency, ensuring that the client could scale rapidly to meet growing global demands.
• Quality & development: Achieving a CSAT score of 4.5+, we focused on developing the talent within the client by curating learning and certification programs for 30% of the SAP talent pool. Furthermore, we delivered a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model across the two key delivery centers in Chennai and Bengaluru, enabling seamless knowledge transfer and operational excellence for the long term.

why randstad digital?

Randstad Digital was chosen for its rapid scale-up capabilities and advanced Talent Advisory and Intelligence, which enable it to deliver customized solutions and address complex talent challenges for GCCs. 

• Global Talent Expertise: Randstad Digital leverages its extensive global talent network and expertise in establishing and scaling Global Capability Centers (GCCs) to drive operational excellence and scalability, enabling clients to expand capabilities, optimize costs, and access high-quality talent globally.
• Tailored Solutions: Detailed assessments to customize solutions, collaborating with the client to optimize talent management.
• Specialized Team: A dedicated delivery team and account manager ensuring seamless communication, progress tracking, and alignment with client goals, focusing on critical and non-critical positions.
• Rigorous Validation: Our platform-based evaluation ensured a high conversion rate (60-70%) from candidate selection to hire.