The Challenge and Scope

The client embarked on a five-year, end-to-end greenfield implementation of SAP S/4HANA, implementing critical modules such as Transportation Management (TM), Extended Warehouse Management (EWM), Global Trade Services (GTS), and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).

The pharmaceutical industry’s heavily regulated environment meant the quality of the implementation had to be impeccable. The client required specialists with deep knowledge of SAP modules, particularly in supply chain management, to ensure a smooth and compliant transition. However, finding talent with the required expertise, especially in niche SAP modules such as TM, EWM, and GTS, was exceptionally difficult.

Additionally, the client needed a flexible workforce solution. Their internal team was knowledgeable in SAP, but lacked specialists for key modules. The project demanded a combination of freelance professionals and permanent staff who could work in unison.

Furthermore, the client insisted on local, German-speaking talent who could integrate seamlessly into the existing company culture and understand the regulatory landscape of the pharmaceutical industry.

The Solution

To address talent sourcing challenges, Uniting Enterprise were contacted and asked to develop a tailored recruitment strategy, providing a blend of freelance expertise and permanent staff support. The Uniting Enterprise team started by arranging calls with key stakeholders across the business to gain knowledge of the organisation. This ensured Uniting Enterprise would understand the culture, environment and project in-depth, allowing the team to act as an extension of the business.

The Uniting Enterprise team placed highly skilled freelance SAP professionals at speed, leveraging its network of over 20,000 professionals, and managing the recruitment process from end-to-end. This allowed for immediate access to the niche expertise required, with no delay.

Within one week Uniting Enterprise had placed the first permanent team member. By integrating freelancers with the permanent team, the client could progressively reduce their reliance on contractors, transferring knowledge to their own employees. This approach not only controlled costs but also ensured that the client's team would be fully equipped to manage future SAP updates and ongoing maintenance independently.

Our database of professionals can be subdivided by industry and language certification enabling us to focus on sourcing German-speaking SAP specialists with experience in the pharmaceutical sector. We were then able to present the project to prospective candidates, sharing the benefits of working at our client and the exciting nature of the transformation.

Traditional headhunting activities were also used to uncover talent that was not actively seeking for a new position but were open to opportunities. Uniting Enterprise’s in-house technology was pivotal here in discovering talent that met qualifying criteria.

Results

By the conclusion of the project, Uniting Enterprise had successfully contributed to the build of a 40-person team for the client, including 23 permanent placements and 12 contract placements, and 5 sourced by the clients talent acquisition team. Each team member brought substantial experience in SAP S/4HANA, with a minimum of three years' expertise in SAP supply chain and logistics and a minimum of B2 level German language skills.

Working in partnership with Uniting Enterprise allowed the client to manage the transformation efficiently while keeping costs in check. Over time, the reliance on freelance specialists diminished as permanent staff took on more responsibilities, ensuring a sustainable workforce for future maintenance.