Recruitment agency for production, process operators and production managers
A site that runs continuously needs operators who run an installation safely and supervisors who bring a shift along. AltusConnect searches for process operators, production managers, team leaders and planners for chemicals, petrochemicals, pharma, food, metal and plastics. These are profiles that work in shifts and rarely apply themselves.
For the process operator in the chemical industry, VDAB ticks all three causes: too few candidates, too few with the right training, and working conditions such as continuous shifts that do not appeal to everyone. The production team leader, the production department manager and the production planner are also on the list of bottleneck professions.
How we search for operators and supervisors
We search by process type and shift system and check upfront whether the shifts and the commute work for the candidate. For supervisory roles we also approach experienced team leaders and shift supervisors who are ready for a next step. We then ask concretely how they handle safety and absence in their team.
What production people expect
A shift pattern that can be combined with family life, a solid shift premium, a safe site and a clear training path towards more responsibility. On top of that, supervisors want a clear mandate, realistic staffing and backing from the plant manager on hard decisions.
The question. A process operator is a bottleneck profession: those who can do it already work somewhere in shifts and rarely apply actively. Waiting for a fitting application would have left this vacancy open for months.
What we did. We approached the right people ourselves: operators who were not looking but were open to a conversation. One of them was interested in the site and the shift system, and we guided that conversation step by step.
The result. A placement with the client, with a candidate no job board would have surfaced.
Food, Brussels region
Technical manager with a very specific profile
The question. The role combined requirements that rarely come together. The client was receiving profiles from all sides that looked right on paper but fell through in every interview. That cost time and trust.
What we did. A thorough intake, down to the installations and the management style, followed by strict screening. We only introduced candidates we had interviewed at length ourselves and who matched every hard requirement.
The result. Fewer profiles than the client was used to, but the right ones: the role is filled and the stream of unsuitable CVs has stopped.
Real assignments, anonymised. We name no clients and no figures that are not ours.
Can you find operators who are not actively looking?
That is the core of our work for this profile. For a chemicals company in the Antwerp region we approached operators who were not looking but were open to a conversation, and found a candidate that no job board would ever have brought into view.
Do you also recruit operators from another industry?
Yes, if they have process technology training or worked in a comparable continuous environment. An operator from food can make the step to pharma or chemicals, but we discuss with you which training you provide for that yourself.
Do you also look for production planners?
Yes. A good planner knows the ERP and the production from the inside and is held on to internally, so here too we mainly approach people who are not looking. We look at the ERP package and the production environment, and also include logistics and production staff who already do part of the planning.
Do you also provide temporary production staff?
No. For temporary operators you are better off with a temp agency. We look for production people for a permanent hire, a freelance assignment or a project.