Building Talent at Speed and Scale
How a global vacuum manufacturer secured 40 technical hires across six countries through project hiring
As demand for vacuum and semiconductor technologies surged, a leading vacuum manufacturer faced an urgent need to scale its workforce. The company had ambitious growth targets and expanding international operations across the US, Europe and Asia. However, with limited internal recruitment capacity and inconsistent results from contingency agencies, its hiring model was no longer fit for purpose.
To sustain its growth and maintain market leadership, the business required a faster, more reliable and more transparent approach to talent acquisition.
Scaling in a competitive market meant changing the hiring model
The company’s success depended on building high-performing teams across multiple global sites. But its recruitment model was fragmented. Hiring was reactive, and agency partners were delivering inconsistent results.
Recruitment had become a constant cycle of briefings, follow-ups and missed deadlines. Internal HR teams were spending hours coordinating with multiple agencies, only for positions to remain open for months. The impact was being felt across manufacturing and sales teams, where unfilled roles were slowing project timelines and limiting growth potential.
With dozens of open roles at any given time, the business needed a way to balance speed, quality and control. The HR Director for North America recognised that their challenge wasn’t to simply fill positions. Rather, they needed to create a hiring infrastructure that could keep up with rapid expansion plans.
A project hiring partnership that delivered control and confidence
Chameleon introduced a project hiring solution that gave the company the structure and visibility it needed over its talent systems. Acting as an extension of the internal HR and talent teams, Chameleon delivered a service across multiple concurrent roles at a fixed cost per hire.
The model combined the rigour of executive search with the flexibility of project delivery. It gave the client full cost transparency through a two-stage structure: a research cost followed by a delivery fee for each hire. This allowed the HR Director to forecast budgets accurately, demonstrate ROI to leadership and build trust across regions.
By centralising all hiring through one strategic partner, the company achieved consistent representation in the market, a unified message to candidates and seamless collaboration between business units.
Following the success of the initial US phase, the partnership was extended into France, Germany, and Korea, expanding the approach globally.
Global hiring performance backed by insight and precision
The project hiring partnership transformed the client’s talent infrastructure and set new standards for delivery efficiency and quality.
Programme overview:
- 26 searches across the US, Europe, and Asia
- 12 locations including HQs, manufacturing plants, and regional offices
- 600+ profiles identified and engaged across technical and commercial functions
- 41 hires delivered across 6 countries over a 2.5-year partnership
Performance highlights:
- 42 days average to shortlist (target: 49 days)
- 78% of CVs invited to interview
- 60% of interviews advanced to second round
- 45% of all candidates met diversity criteria
- 96% offer-to-acceptance rate
A partnership that evolved with the business
The collaboration between Chameleon and the leading vacuum manufacturer created a sustainable, scalable talent model that grew alongside the business.
By simplifying hiring, improving candidate quality and creating predictable recruitment costs, the partnership enabled the company to scale efficiently whilst investing in its long-term talent infrastructure.
As internal teams matured and hiring stabilised, Chameleon’s remit naturally transitioned out having achieved its purpose: to build capability rather than dependency.
Ready to build your next phase of growth?
If your organisation is scaling globally or managing complex hiring programmes, Chameleon International can help you build the structure, clarity, and capability you need to deliver.
From high-volume projects to strategic transformation, we align people strategy with commercial ambition.