X.C. asks:
As an operations manager at a small deep-tech company, I serve as a crucial bridge. While the scientists and engineers focus on the laws of physics, I ensure that the laws of efficiency and commercial reality are upheld. My role is multifaceted: I’m both the architect of our processes and the daily firefighter.
Recently, we ran into a bit of a situation: An engineer in a key position announced to have accepted another job. This came as quite a shock, not only because it’s a vital role, but also because we’ve never once received a spontaneous application for it. Furthermore, it’s a position no one else in the company knows anything about, meaning we can’t simply hire a junior and coach them up to the required level. It’s a role where specializations from various fields converge – one for which only a handful of people in the country, or perhaps even the world, are qualified.
When we map out the profile for the ideal candidate, we land on a senior engineer with at least eight years of professional experience in a corporate environment and in-depth knowledge of the field. Additionally, we expect them to function independently while collaborating effectively with colleagues from other disciplines. An added complication is that specialists in this field working in other sectors earn salaries that are up to 50 percent higher than their ‘peers’ in our company, which only intensifies our “war for talent.” These ‘skewed’ salary scales are a challenge because they don’t sit well within the team, though we remain realistic. We simply have no other choice.
In the meantime, a strong candidate has withdrawn after receiving an offer from us. Their current employer entered negotiations, topped our offer and made concrete commitments to improve their position. That put us right back at square one. There’s one other candidate with even less experience in a complex subfield. He has a lot of potential but lacks the experience to make system-level decisions independently. As it stands, we’re empty-handed. What now?
The headhunter answers:
If I understand correctly, you’ve failed to secure a good candidate and the development of a key technology has now ground to a halt. If nothing else, you can learn to handle things differently next time. I’d suggest losing less time to internal discussions about the budget and making an offer that actually reels the candidate in. All current discussions regarding salary will pale in comparison if you were to find a candidate abroad. Costs will likely be much higher then, especially if you find someone from the US.
Alternatively, you could hire an experienced engineer and bring them up to the required level through an intensive training program. With a PhD in RF engineering, the theoretical foundation – parameters, noise temperature, transmission line theory – is already fully covered. Transitioning them into your specific niche is largely a matter of specializing in material behavior and nanoscale thermal management. You could fast-track this by sending them to workshops at prominent conferences, such as the Cryogenic Engineering Conference (CEC) and the International Cryogenic Materials Conference (ICMC). Furthermore, you can leverage the state-of-the-art IEEE papers from research groups at EPFL and Delft University of Technology about RF circuits at cryogenic temperatures.
If you hire a candidate with a rock-solid RF foundation and the right motivation, your R&D will be back up to speed sooner than you think.