Attracting a Key Leader to a Challenging Location
The Client
A Korean organization with a U.S.-based regional headquarters,
specializing in supplying semiconductor wafers to Tier 1 manufacturers
in applications that involve power.
The Situation
The Client was expanding their manufacturing capacity with a new
state-of-the-art facility near their US headquarters, located in the
Upper Midwest.
They were seeking a Manufacturing Director with deep experience in
semiconductor manufacturing, operations management, and
organizational leadership to ramp up the new facility and begin
production immediately.
The Challenge
Despite the best efforts of The Client’s Talent Acquisition team, many
potential candidates declined to engage due to the location of the site,
because they perceived it as a risk to their future career opportunities.
In addition, The Client offered the position to two candidates they were
able to recruit, but each declined due to dissatisfaction with their offers
– which The Client attributed to the difference in cost of living.
The Approach
We interviewed the hiring manager and site leaders in depth to gather
role requirements, define the criteria for the Director’s success, and
learn about the impact this role would have on the candidate’s career.
We leveraged our network to benchmark potential candidates, including
their level of interest and compensation, then shared our findings with
The Client to refine qualifications and provide compensation insights.
The Solution
We researched various source environments in depth to identify
semiconductor manufacturing leaders with expertise in:
- Pilot to high-volume production
- Workforce restructuring
- Fab site turnaround
Our team shared a narrative which highlighted the positive attributes of
The Client, their location, and the significance of launching a new fab in
terms of the candidate’s career growth. This was instrumental in
compelling passive candidates to consider the opportunity.
As the final candidates advanced to the offer stage, our team guided
them in evaluating The Client’s region; providing housing and economic
data. We also organized on-site interviews and a local tour.
The Results
We identified 20 suitable candidates, who we screened and
narrowed down to 6 profiles to share with leadership.
Leadership agreed to interview 5 candidates and two advanced to
onsite interviews.
Both finalists were approved, and their top choice accepted the
offer.
In 35 days, we completed the search for a role that had remained
open for over a year.