Inmarsat – Upskilling And Growing The Procurement Function

The Background

Following the appointment of Inmarsat’s first Global VP of Procurement, and based on our proven track record of delivery across a number of her previous leadership roles, we were engaged to lead the delivery of a complex programme of recruitment in order to drive the growth of a new procurement organisation in a ‘Brownfield’ environment.  A clearly defined strategy was needed to raise the profile of the procurement function within the global business to deliver both commercial benefit in terms of cost saving opportunities and also longer term value-add from a niche, technology led, supply base.  In line with the newly created procurement operating structure, we were tasked with recruiting ‘best in class’ talent on both an interim and permanent basis to embrace and deliver the VP’s strategy, and to up-skill the overall capability of the function.

The new organisational design, that was created to ensure that Procurement met the demands of its global stakeholder base, created a broad range of skill-gaps spanning Category Management, Contracts & Commercial Management, Process & Systems Architecture, Analysts and Administrators.

Our Approach

We needed to identify not only a diverse range of skills but also candidates with the capability to affect cultural change. We also had to identify a number of category skill sets unique to the Satellites/Telecoms market where additional language skills were also considered highly desirable.  Our approach encompassed all “routes to market”, underpinned by our team of researchers who were tasked with conducting a ‘deep-dive’ market mapping exercise spanning all global telecoms, technology, aerospace and defence organisations. In addition, the Managing Consultants utilised our full network of passive candidates and approached each with a tailored introduction to Inmarsat. Qualified shortlists were compiled following detailed competency based interviews (agreed in advance with the client), which were presented to the VP of Procurement with comprehensive interview notes.  We provided candidates with continual coaching/guidance/support and 360 communication throughout all stages of the interview process, ultimately leading the offer management process and associated on-boarding for all permanent and interim appointments.

The Outcome

Our success has been built upon development of a deep understanding of Inmarsat as well as the associated challenges, culture and delivery expectations. This expertise has been critical in successfully delivering 10 of the most critical vacancies within the function. We continue to partner with Inmarsat proving deep market insight, reports, skill-set mapping and salary benchmarking for both Procurement and their associated recruitment business partners.