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Client case · biomass

Five shift leaders for a trade with no school

In Nesle, in the Somme, IDEX operates the Kogeban biomass plant for Picardie Biomasse Énergie, 24 hours a day. Since early 2024, Volta Executive has been hiring the shift leaders there, by direct search, where job ads produce nothing.

The case in 30 seconds

  • 5

    shift leaders on permanent contracts

  • 2024

    start of the partnership

  • 24/7

    non-stop operation

  • 12months

    of on-site training for each hire

01 · The case in 30 seconds

The assignment brief

A site in continuous operation,a permanent need

The assignment as it was entrusted to us, and five hires for the same role, quarter after quarter.

Assignment briefIDEX · Kogeban, Nesle × Volta Executive
Client
IDEX, operator of the Kogeban plant on behalf of Picardie Biomasse Énergie (PBE)
Site
Nesle, Somme (80): a town of 3,000 inhabitants, 1 h 30 from Paris
Activity
Wood-chip biomass heating plant supplying the Nesle district heating network: local authorities, social housing, public facilities
Role
Shift leader, hired five times, on permanent contracts
Method
Direct search for passive candidates, within a 150 km radius of Nesle
Partnership
Since early 2024, recurring assignment, exclusive partner of the site

Five hires, quarter after quarter

  1. Q1 2024First hireThe firm's test: scoping, shortlist, successful integration
  2. Q2 2024Second hireRenewal on an internal IDEX recommendation
  3. Q3 2024Third hireOptimised process, shorter lead times
  4. Q4 2024Fourth hireExclusive partner confirmed on the site
  5. Q1 2025Fifth hireThe site, the IDEX culture and the selection criteria, known from the inside

02 · The challenge

The context

A profile that cannot be founddeep in the Hauts-de-France

The shift leader runs the plant during their shift, between technical and management. No training programme delivers this profile ready-made : we hire a high-potential electrotechnician and train them for twelve months on site.

  1. A small town, with no industrial basin

    Nesle has 3,000 inhabitants, 1 h 30 from Paris. Electrotechnicians do not look for jobs here and job boards produce no relevant candidate.

  2. There is no school for shift leaders

    The candidate accepts an implicit contract: a year of on-site training. Finding someone who accepts it is a challenge in itself.

  3. Four fields at once

    Industrial electricity, process mechanics, automation and SCADA supervision, control and reading P&ID diagrams: this versatile profile is very rare.

  4. No vacancy tolerated

    In 24/7 operation, any vacant shift leader post puts production continuity at risk. The site cannot stop.

P&ID diagram and supervision screen on a control desk
Control desk of a biomass heating plant · illustrative photo

03 · The assignment

The role, five times

Shift leader,between technical and management

Pivotal role in biomass operations. On shift work, turnover is unavoidable: departures, internal moves, promotions. Hence a long-term partnership rather than a one-off hire.

  1. Shift leader, biomass plant

    IDEX · Kogeban, Nesle (80) · 24/7 operations

    Five permanent contracts filled

    The scope

    • Industrial electrical work: reading diagrams, working on cabinets, MV/LV certifications
    • Process mechanics: pumps, valves, heat exchangers, biomass boiler
    • Automation and SCADA supervision: Siemens and Schneider PLCs, HMI interface, alarm management
    • Process control: PID loops, parameter setting, combustion optimisation
    • Reading P&ID diagrams, essential to understand the processes and intervene
    • Managing a shift team on a 3×8 pattern, three to five operators, managing lockouts

    The profile

    BTS or DUT in electrical engineering, industrial maintenance or thermal engineering, with a firm electrotechnical foundation. Not necessarily biomass experience: solid fundamentals to be trained for twelve months on site. Technical curiosity, rigour, autonomy, field leadership.

    MV/LV electricity · Process mechanics · SCADA · PID control · 3×8 shift work

    Permanent contract · field management · Nesle (80) · €38-48k

The betWe hire potential, not experience: a solid electrotechnician, who absorbs the site's biomass specifics in twelve months.

04 · The result

The result

Five hires,an exclusive partner

Five electrotechnicians hired to become shift leaders. Five times, in a rural area, without going through job boards.

  • 5

    shift leaders filled on permanent contracts

  • 3

    qualified profiles presented within 10 days

  • 5follow-up

    check-ins: 1 week, 1, 2, 3 and 6 months

What the client says

Volta is a highly committed partner alongside Idex. At first, we tested it successfully on hires in a difficult geographic area where we had been without a solution for several months. Having proved satisfactory, we were able to entrust it with more searches and Volta delivered again. It is a partner that takes care to understand the client’s needs properly upfront, which is a guarantee of efficiency and of candidate selectivity.

Yann VincentDirector of energy production units, IDEX Hauts-de-France

A well-oiled process

1 hour of scoping, reply within 48 hours, three qualified profiles on the shortlist within 10 days.

Close onboarding follow-up

Check-ins at one week, then one, two, three and six months: critical here, the new hire is in training for twelve months.

No re-brief

After five hires, Volta Executive knows the site, the IDEX culture and the selection criteria. Each hire benefits from the lessons of the previous ones.

05 · The method

The Volta Executive method

Four stages,kept for every shift leader

A 1-hour scoping session and a scorecard, the mapping of the search ecosystem, a shortlist within 10 days, a hire within 3 weeks. The 3 weeks run from scoping to the chosen candidate with the offer accepted, when the five key success factors are in place. The candidate’s notice period, often three months for a manager in post, comes on top.

  1. Day 1

    A 1-hour scoping session and a scorecard

    One hour with the future manager, not just HR. We come out with the three results expected at twelve months, the real budget including variable pay, and a scorecard ranking each skill: essential, necessary, useful, bonus.

  2. Days 1 to 3

    Map the search ecosystem

    The companies, sites and roles where the profile really exists: competitors, suppliers, customers, neighbouring sectors doing the same job under another name. We know how many people fit the scorecard before writing the first message.

  3. Within 10 days

    A shortlist within 10 days

    Three to five candidates approached directly, met, assessed against the scorecard by an engineer, presented with their motivations and real salary expectations. Not a pile of CVs.

  4. Within 3 weeks

    A hire within 3 weeks by direct search

    Two interview rounds at most, with the direct manager. The package and the counter-offer are prepared before the final interview: the offer goes out within 24 hours and the chosen candidate says yes.

Hunt the electrotechnician, not the shift leader

We are not looking for an experienced shift leader: we are looking for an electrotechnician or maintenance technician with a real process culture, curious, mobile, ready to be trained.

3×8 sites within 150 km of Nesle

Incineration, cogeneration, cement works, sugar mills, paper mills: these sites employ operations technicians who have exactly the required technical foundation. We approach them directly.

A counterpart who speaks the language of the site

P&ID, Intouch supervision, combustion control, steam lockouts: Florian Beurtey technically qualifies every candidate before presenting them.

First confidential conversation

A similar site to manage?Let's talk partnership.

Rare operations profiles, direct search only, field knowledge of energy and biomass. Thirty minutes to scope the role, no commitment.

Our full track record

Reply within 48 hours · shortlist within 10 days · hire within 3 weeks

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