Background: an impact investment fund asked us to find a profile who could set up and run an SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) to manage a project involving the construction of nurseries, a university and shops to rehabilitate an entire district.
Recruitment challenges: we needed to find a well-rounded profile with expertise in contractual and financial aspects, experience of managing construction projects and the ability to manage institutional partners, key elected officials, promoters and construction companies. This would all have to be done on the very tight budget of an impact investment.
We know the main draw of a good project manager is the size or complexity of a project. Our client’s project (nurseries, university, shops) was not technically or contractually complex enough to attract a really good profile. We needed to come up with some other motivating factors.
Added value provided by the firm/Skills used: through our network we have worked for non-profit organisations operating buildings and developing property projects as project owners. We started with this network to find people who might be attracted by the meaningful nature of an impact investment.
The highly professional and interesting environment of the investment fund from a professional networking point of view enabled us to offer greater prospects than just the position itself.
Result: a client working in the non-profit sector as project owner on buildings for children at risk put us in contact with one of their contractors. This project manager working for a construction company was immediately attracted by the project, which would add a more meaningful aspect to their work.