Victoria Payne is the Workforce Solutions Director at ersg. Having worked here for three years, and with over twenty-five years’ experience in the recruitment sector, her work is vital for the continued growth of renewable energy recruitment, helping in the journey towards the world’s sustainability goals. We sat down to ask her about her journey in this role, and her experience working in renewables at ersg.
Tell us about your background and why your interest moved to renewable recruitment.
I spent two decades at a global recruitment firm before transitioning to ersg. While my previous experience involved collaborating with clients in the energy sector, it wasn't specifically focused on renewables. Despite my extensive background in recruitment, delving into a new sector presented a learning curve.
The exponential growth of renewables on a global scale motivated my decision to join an industry that not only expands but also contributes positively to the world ethically. I aspired to play a role in driving renewable energy forward, choosing to work for a company dedicated to sourcing talent for a sustainable future.
Given my extensive background in the technology sector, I observed a saturation of recruitment companies in the market. Leveraging my experience, I aimed to address our clients' recruitment challenges by introducing workforce solutions to the industry.
Tell us about your role at ersg and what a day in the life looks like as the Solutions Director in a booming Renewable Energy market.
Every day is dynamic and engaging. I love connecting with individuals from various corners of the globe. Given the nature of our business, my work may involve interacting with stakeholders in Europe one day, shifting to the United States the next, and then reaching remote locations in Scotland. The spectrum of opportunities extends from framework agreements to Managed Service and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) prospects. What excites me most is the chance to design solutions that can offer life-changing career opportunities and contribute to job creation in local communities.
What's the most exciting bid you have won or been involved in and why?
Winning the first RPO for my organisation over 15 years ago. It was to hire huge volumes of technical roles within a short time period. I absolutely loved it, and I learnt a lot from that experience and those I worked with. More recently with a client as the RPO provider to recruit up to 1,000 hires for a production facility in the US.
Have you learnt any interesting about renewable energy since working within the market?
Yes, the different stages of a wind farm and how specialised the recruiters must be to hire into this industry, as it can be very niche.
Are there any exciting changes/projects coming up soon within Bids that you’re looking forward to and could make a huge impact for the renewables market?
In recent months we’ve seen a surge in projects and bidding opportunities. I love looking at ways in which we can create solutions to solve our client’s recruitment challenges. What greater impact than working in Renewable Energy and “sourcing talent for a sustainable tomorrow”.
What challenges, if any, do you face within Bids in Renewables/Engineering?
The increased resource demand vs the candidates available. Renewable energy is a fast-growing sector, meaning there isn’t always the volume of talent to match the rising demand.
What solutions do you offer to companies within Renewables/Engineering?
We offer a full range of services to support our clients, such as framework agreements, RPO, MSP and Master Vendor solutions. Solutions are scalable and flexible to meet our clients needs.
Established in 2008, ersg is an award-winning international leader in recruitment & staffing services to the global energy, renewables, engineering, power & built markets, providing white & blue collar workers to some of the most reputable global brands, with global offices in the UK, Europe, US & Asia
How can ersg help you?
If you are looking for solutions to your recruitment challenges please get in contact [email protected].
