Introduction
Based in Crawley, the client is one of the UK’s largest workplace pension providers, supporting more than 5.8 million members and managing over £17 billion in assets on their behalf.
Our collaboration began with the client outlining several key challenges, including an overstretched in-house team focused primarily on high-volume recruitment and a need to transition from a contractor-based model towards a more permanent workforce.
We proposed a solution aligned with the organisation’s goals and growth ambitions. With significant demand for technology expertise, we recommended our Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solution, drawing on Harvey Nash’s extensive experience and specialist expertise in technology recruitment.
The Challenge
The organisation was experiencing a period of significant growth but faced challenging market conditions that were slowing recruitment momentum. Factors including location, salary and working patterns were limiting market interest in available roles, while candidate behaviours were contributing to delays throughout the recruitment process.
The organisation had also been operating below its approved headcount for a considerable period and lacked the internal resources required to recruit effectively at the scale needed.
As a result, contractors were increasingly being used to bridge gaps in permanent recruitment. While this provided short-term access to skills, widespread contractor use was creating key-person dependencies and limiting opportunities for effective knowledge transfer.
Against this backdrop, the client partnered with Harvey Nash to implement a tailored hybrid embedded Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) solution. The aim was to transition towards a more sustainable permanent workforce while securing the specialist technology talent required to support its growth plans. We were initially challenged with filling 20 permanent technology roles.
Our Solution
Harvey Nash provided a dedicated service delivery manager and specialist delivery resource to streamline the recruitment process, deliver value for money and attract high-quality talent into the organisation.
Our hybrid embedded RPO solution operated as an extension of the client’s internal team. A dedicated consultant worked closely with the organisation as its primary point of contact, supported by specialist Harvey Nash teams to provide an adaptable and responsive approach to talent acquisition.
Embedding our expertise within the organisation enabled us to build trusted relationships with the hiring community and gain a deeper understanding of its talent requirements. This resulted in Harvey Nash taking responsibility for additional hard-to-fill positions, some of which had remained unfilled for more than 12 months.
As requirements increased and specialist skills were needed, we brought in additional expertise from across Harvey Nash to respond to the surge in demand and manage multiple vacancies simultaneously.
Our approach also focused on improving the candidate experience from initial engagement through to appointment. Rigorous candidate screening helped ensure that hiring managers received relevant, high-quality candidates, while a dedicated talent partner supported candidates throughout the recruitment journey.
Results
Balancing candidate quality with speed of hiring remained a continuous priority throughout the project. We achieved a more than 20% increase in first-interview success rates, reduced technical test dropout to 0%, and shortened the test review period from one week to just two days.
Our ratio of two CVs per hire reflected our focus on carefully matched candidates rather than volume. This supported stronger candidate engagement and a positive experience throughout the recruitment journey, while helping to strengthen the client’s employer brand within the market.
The project also delivered cost savings of more than 35% compared with standard agency mark-ups, demonstrating the commercial value of the RPO model alongside improvements in recruitment performance.
Our work to streamline processes significantly improved hiring and onboarding efficiency. What had previously been a complex six-step scheduling process was simplified into a more efficient two-step internal journey, reducing administrative burden and helping to move candidates through the process more quickly.
Proactive candidate vetting was another important factor in the success of the partnership. By identifying and addressing potential issues earlier in the recruitment process, we improved the quality of candidate submissions and reduced withdrawals, particularly during the technical testing stage. This created a smoother recruitment process while reducing the client’s operational burden and accelerating the integration of new team members.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) also remained an important focus throughout the partnership, with 25% of placements being female. This contributed to the development of a more diverse talent pool and reflected Harvey Nash’s proactive approach to helping clients build more diverse and representative workforces.
Overall, the collaboration between Harvey Nash and the client not only addressed immediate hiring requirements but also established a stronger foundation for sustainable and effective talent acquisition.
Discover more about our RPO offering or speak to one of our consultants here.
