Recruitment of Head of Security to strengthen skills supply

Karlshamn Energi was faced with the complex challenge of recruiting a Security Protection Manager for its security-classified and socially critical operations. Through a close, structured and proactive collaboration with Unik Resurs, a high-quality recruitment process was ensured.

The result was a successful match where the candidate’s skills, leadership and personal drive aligned with Karlshamn Energi’s strategic business goals.

Recruitment for critical operations

Karlshamn Energi plays a central role in the local infrastructure and conducts critical operations that place extremely high demands on safety, quality and competence. To continue to deliver safe and sustainable solutions in a changing world, the right leadership is crucial. When the need for a new Head of Security arose, we at Unik Resurs were entrusted with supporting the managerial recruitment – as a long-term partner in skills supply with deep experience of recruitment to complex and demanding environments.

Executive recruitment and talent management in complex businesses

Recruiting a Security Manager for a security classified organization is a challenge that requires great precision. For Karlshamn Energi, just having the right formal skills was not enough. The real core challenge was to find a leader who deeply understood what it means to work in a security classified environment, and at the same time had the ability to inspire and lead the organization through continuous development work.

Johanna Hermansson, recruiter and executive seach at Unik Resurs, describes the difficulty of the assignment:

“There is not a large amount of candidates that would fulfill the requirements of the role, which made it interesting as it was really a challenge.”
– Johanna Hermansson

The CEO and management of Karlshamn Energi had clear expectations. They needed a person who was responsible, driven and able to create momentum in both the short and long term. The assignment required an extraordinary search process to identify candidates who were ready to take on this heavy responsibility.

The process behind a successful executive recruitment

To solve the skills challenge, we embarked on a thorough and proactive search and recruitment process. Our core competency is to understand our clients’ business, what is to be achieved and what conditions apply. This became the foundation for the entire process.

We focused on ensuring the match between Karlshamn Energi’s business objectives and the candidate’s leadership profile. This was done through in-depth interviews and reference checks that carefully mapped how the candidates had previously run successful safety work.

Ola Johansson from the Unik Resurs recruitment team explains the method:

“We were looking for strong confidence in the skills and previous experience, but also for a passion and genuine interest in taking on the assignment.”
– Ola Johansson

By highlighting the opportunity to immerse oneself in a socially critical business, combined with the good impression of leadership and culture at Karlshamn Energi, we managed to capture the interest of just the right target group of specialists. Throughout the process, we maintained a clear and close dialog with Karlshamn Energi, which created security and efficiency in decision-making.

Results of managerial recruitment and strengthening of skills supply

The recruitment process resulted in a very successful appointment of a new Head of Security. We found a candidate with both the right security expertise and the drive and ability to motivate others that the role required.

Peter Berglin, CEO of Karlshamn Energi, highlights the value of the collaboration:

“Throughout the recruitment process, the collaboration with Unik Resurs has been characterized by a high degree of professionalism with the aim of getting the recruitment just right. Unik Resurs has been proactive and clear in its communication with me as a client, which is appreciated as you do not have to ask for status in the process.”

When asked what he appreciated most about the support during the process, he replies

“That there is a genuine interest in delivering high quality with the ultimate goal of conducting high quality recruitments.” – Peter Berglin, CEO at Karlshamn Energi

Recruitment and skills supply for management roles in complex businesses

This collaboration shows how a well-executed recruitment process, based on proactive communication and deep business understanding, can solve complex skills needs. By focusing on both tough requirements and personal leadership, we created the right conditions together with Karlshamn Energi to successfully lead and develop the security protection work going forward.

We strive every day to add value and build long-term relationships with our clients. Is your organization facing a crucial and complex recruitment?

Contact us for an informal meeting on how we can help you find the right skills for the future. Read more of our success stories on our website.