In 2008, the northern German pipeline network of BEB Erdgas Erdöl GmbH and ExxonMobil Production Germany GmbH was acquired by the Dutch company N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie. The contractually agreed division resulted in 45 vacant positions in 7 business units at two locations. These included engineering positions, but IT specialists and functions in HSE and finance were also sought. As interim recruiter, the HR interim manager was entrusted with the planning and implementation of all HR activities in Germany.
According to the project plan, the recruiting activities had to be realized within a very tight time frame of 4 months. On the one hand, there was a close connection to the board in Holland, in particular with the responsible HR workstream and the leading HR business partner. On the other hand, there were two HR officers on site who switched to the new structure during the transition in accordance with Section 613a of the German Civil Code (BGB) and supported the interim manager in his work.
The client had initially planned to find all vacant positions with the help of a nationwide campaign. After detailed consultation and technical discussion, the interim recruiter was convinced of the advantages of a regional and multi-channel recruitment strategy. The implementation was so successful that the project traffic light turned green after a short start-up phase. The regular professional exchange with the Dutch client took on the character of an up-to-date status report in view of the visible successes. Ultimately, the workstream managers gave the interim recruiter free rein to finalize the project. At the handover, all vacancies except for two positions were closed within the agreed timeframe.
This is all the more remarkable given the challenging circumstances surrounding the project. The Dutch company did not yet have a permanent establishment at the time. The interim recruiter therefore handled some of the application management directly via the company's own office. The operational base was located on the premises of the selling companies, which meant that there were also many inquiries from the sales staff on site. Due to an extensive sales purchase agreement, it was often necessary to work with professional and personal sensitivity in order to avoid infringing on the often conflicting interests of the parties involved.
