Supply Chain Manager Case Study: Building a Supply Chain Function at VOLM

Client profile

VOLM is a mid-sized packaging manufacturer based in a small town in northern Wisconsin. The company had no centralized supply chain department and needed a Supply Chain Manager to build one. Its talent acquisition team and hiring manager had been recruiting for the role internally before bringing us in.

The challenge

VOLM needed a leader who could create a supply chain function from the ground up and run it day to day. Three factors made the role hard to fill.

1. A small-town location

The role was on site in a small town in northern Wisconsin, where few experienced supply chain leaders live. VOLM had posted the role and retitled it to get more traction, but the right candidates weren't applying. Early on, the team was already asking whether qualified candidates existed locally at all, or whether the search would have to bring someone in from outside the area and support the move.

2. No supply chain function in place

VOLM had no centralized supply chain department. The new manager would be the first person to own supply chain across the company, setting up the structure, processes, and team while running daily operations. The role also covered sales, inventory, and operations planning (SIOP), so the manager would be connecting planning across those areas from the start.

3. A profile few candidates have

The role needed manufacturing experience, SIOP and planning expertise, and experience building a supply chain function. The original posting also asked for five years of leadership experience. Leaders with that much management experience are often aiming for director roles. That made it harder to find someone at the right level who would also move to a small town.

How we approached the search

1. A profile built around building a function

We worked with VOLM's talent team and hiring manager to define the ideal candidate. The profile focused on manufacturing experience and experience building or restructuring a supply chain function.

2. A passive search that started locally

We started with candidates close to VOLM and widened the search from there. We reached out directly to passive candidates with the right manufacturing and supply chain experience and explained the opportunity.

3. Screening by recruiters with supply chain backgrounds

Our recruiters have all worked in supply chain. We screened each candidate for hands-on experience building a function, and every candidate we submitted came with a scorecard comparing them to the ideal profile.

The placement

We placed a Supply Chain Manager with a strong consulting and manufacturing background who had been in a similar situation before. As it turned out, they also had family in the area and were looking to move back home.

The results

We filled VOLM's Supply Chain Manager role in 6 weeks.

Takeaway

VOLM needed someone to build a supply chain function from scratch, in a small town with a limited local talent pool. We built the search around those requirements. The candidate profile focused on experience building a function, and the outreach reached passive candidates starting locally. Recruiters with supply chain backgrounds did the screening. That approach filled the role in 6 weeks.

If you're hiring a supply chain leader to build or grow a function, talk with our supply chain recruiting firm about your search.