Case Study | London South Bank University

​Unmatched HE professional talent network

The interim Head of Procurement at London South Bank University was required to hire both his own permanent replacement and a Category Manager to sustain and enrich the Procurement department.

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Priorities supported:

• Successful recruitment campaigns that would deliver where their own adverts and other agencies had failed

• Retain a specialist consultancy with knowledge and experience in the HE market to advise on and guide the process

• Ability to reach and attract professionals with the essential HE leadership experience for the Head of Procurement role and Estates category, and public sector knowledge for the Category Manager position

​Experience applied:

• Met with the interim Head of Procurement to fully understand the culture of the department and the granular detail of the requirements, allowing us to successfully take the role out to our professional network

• Advised the client to widen the parameters of the Head of Procurement role to align with current demands in the market and attract emerging talent

• Engaged with our network of known HE procurement professionals to identify potential candidates who were currently passive but would be open to the right role

​Outcomes delivered:

• Our comprehensive understanding of the roles and department enabled us to accurately pinpoint and effectively attract passive candidates

• Submitted two candidates with both appointed after their first-round interview

• Successful appointment of a Category Manager with five years' HE leadership to the Head of Procurement post, who prior to our consultation would have been overlooked

• Successful placement of a contractor within our network to the Category Manager role, who had made us exclusively aware of their potential interest in transitioning to a permanent role

• End-to-end campaigns delivered within one month, with both candidates embedded successfully into the department

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“I was very impressed with the quality CVs and candidates that Venn Group were able to put forward for both the Head of Procurement and Category Manager role which I needed to fill. Venn Group were not fazed by what appeared to be difficult roles to fill and they were extremely responsive, whilst ensuring I was kept informed at all stages of the process. They were able to successfully recruit into both positions.”

A. Mills, Interim Head of Procurement

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​Please contact Tom Ripley tripley@venngroup.com to learn more about our higher education recruitment solutions.