Field Service Engineer in Somerset

Role Requirements and Location

• Field service role with focus on engineering and electrical aspects, specifically water treatment (but open to aligned experience).
• Will train candidates without specific water treatment experience.
• Looking for candidates who have a couple of years of experience in engineering, ideally with some electrical background.
• Water treatment experience is a bonus, especially knowledge of processes like reverse osmosis or deionization.
• Location: Role is based in the Southwest, but the team is open to candidates from other parts of the UK due to the rarity of the skill set required.
• Field-based, so candidates may work across various sites in the region.
• Expected to travel, with a mix of local and distant client visits. Travel time of about an hour each way, with some short and long days. Some days could be paperwork days working from home.

Challenges in Recruiting

• A previous offer was declined due to salary mismatch (candidate accepted a higher offer elsewhere).
• One candidate did well initially but was dismissed after a poor in-person interview due to unprofessional appearance.
• Another candidate had a good phone call but didn’t match expectations in person.
• This role opened up due to a promotion of an existing team member to Service Manager.
• The recruitment process has been ongoing for several months, but no ideal candidate has yet been found.

Candidate Package and Expectations

• Salary: Candidates with relevant experience could be offered around £40K, but those without it would likely be offered £35K to £38K.
• Bonus scheme (typically 10% of salary) and overtime could add another £2,000+ annually.
• Other Benefits: Training and support for candidates looking to transition into the field. Overtime and allowances for working away from home.
• Work Environment: Small company, meaning they cannot compete with larger corporates on salary and benefits, but they offer growth opportunities and training.

Process and Next Steps

• Initial 20-minute Teams call for an introductory chat. If there's mutual interest, the candidate will be invited to the office in Cheddar for a more detailed in-person interview.
• Kate is hoping to get an interview scheduled next week, depending on Matt’s availability (the person managing the recruitment and performing multiple roles).
• A provisional call is planned for Wednesday afternoon to review outstanding candidates.
• Oliver will send over CVs as soon as possible and will also provide a new signable document regarding fee adjustments.

Fee Structure Discussion

• Previous agreement: 18% fee with a 3-month replacement guarantee.
• Oliver is open to negotiating the fee but prefers not to reduce it below 18%. A potential compromise could be increasing the replacement period to 4 months.
• Fee reductions could come with the extension of the replacement period. Oliver suggested a 4-month replacement guarantee, and Kate agreed to look into that adjustment.

Next Steps and Follow-ups

• Oliver to send over candidates' CVs as soon as possible.
• Kate to confirm availability for interviews on Wednesday afternoon and finalize the fee document by the end of the week.