Chemicals & Materials

Fewer than half of chemical executives we recently surveyed say that their organization is thought of as the “employer of choice.” And only 34% said their firms have an effective online strategy for attracting external talent to open positions. In part, that’s due to a perception in the job market that the chemical industry is old-school and focuses on producing commodities, while the revolutionary work is being done in tech, pharma and healthcare. With a shortage of manufacturing talent on the horizon, chemical manufacturers worry they may not be able to find the talent they need—or have to pay a premium for essential skills.

We can help you reposition your business to attract top-tier talent. We give you access to the industry’s richest data on employee compensation and rewards so you can construct a competitive position in the market. Then, we put our innovative search process to work for you, giving you unparalleled access to active and passive candidate pools. With our assessment data, you’ll know the essential traits to look for to ensure that job candidates have the highest potential for success. Both in the role and as a cultural fit within your team.

There’s a problem with career progression for women in the chemical industry. While women make up 40% to 50% of U.S. college campus recruits, only 30% to 35% become supervisors and first-level managers. Worse yet, only 10% of senior-level executives are women. And it’s not just a challenge for gender— there’s a visible lack of diversity across the board. For many chemical manufacturers, the problem is culture. They often lack the formal policies and informal practices necessary to increase the upward mobility of underrepresented groups.

We can help you create a positive, engaging and inclusive business environment for all employees. We examine your hiring, development, compensation and promotion practices to ensure that opportunities are equally available to everyone. We use our proprietary assessments and other research-validated tools to help you identify and develop high-potential talent. And we work with you to construct clearly defined career tracks that give up-and-coming talent the experience that positions them for leadership roles. In short, we help you build a transformational, inclusive talent strategy that will accelerate your company’s performance. 

In the past, it may have taken five to 10 years to develop a new chemical or product. Today, the pace of innovation is accelerating, shortening the time to market. Chemical manufacturers feel increasing pressure to produce results in the short term while also investing in innovations for the future. And they must also consider how their products will contribute to the digital world, which requires knowledge of the cloud, cybersecurity and more. Deciding how to meet current and future challenges requires more than an advanced degree in chemistry or engineering, it also requires business acumen and learning agility. Leaders and professionals need new communication skills and critical thinking abilities, and they must be able to thrive in a rapidly changing workplace.

We can help you recruit and develop talent with the right cross-functional skills to excel in the future. We know what great digital organizations look like and the attributes of best-in-class digital leaders and talent that make those organizations work. We use this knowledge to help you create structures and job definitions focused on digital transformation, geared toward key competencies such as agility, connectivity, discipline and focus, empowerment and alignment, and openness and transparency. Then we help you identify and assess candidates who match your ideal profile so you can achieve your goals. Our solutions will allow you to put the right people in the right place, so your organization is positioned to seize new opportunities in the digital world.