HELP!! a Desperate HR Manager for a Sr. Project Engineer Profile

morrisg

Help, I’m getting desperate!. I have been recruiting for a Senior Project Engineer. We are in the process of an 80 million dollar manufacturing expansion. However, my boss as well as the engineers asking me to find this position are not real clear on what they want. (what else is new ): ) Engineers are not notorious for doing a good job at writing and thus they basically say they will know the right one when they see it. I realize that's a poor answer, but that's what I have to work with. I know I need someone who can read design drawings and ensure that what's being constructed is consistent with the drawings, that they most likely need to be an ME with 6-8 years experience. But can anyone provide me with hiring profile or even a good position description foe a Senior Level ME Project Engineer to provide my engineering group with a stawman to consider. Does anyone have any acutual profile or description they could send me that has worked for them?

Mentel

I can send you one for a Sr. Project Engineer - Civil. I don't have anyone with a mechanical design degree or experience. I get generic descriptions from the companies that do salary surveys of engineers. You could try dietrich & associates, Abbot Langer or NSPE. My email is [email]mentelm@crispell-snyder.com[/email].

morrisg

Yes, even a profile for a Civle Engineer would be helpful.

Thanks

Don D

the engineer group is playing you like a three-dollar fiddle. Engineers are experienced with the detail required to put to writing a certain set of requirements. They thrive on the process. Problem here is that the process is being suggested by you, an outsider to engineering, who dares to suggest they spend their time in a certain way. To expedite your process, give them each a form memo setting out the instruction to reduce to writing a minimum of 5 particular components of the job, 4 candidate experience/training prerequisites, 1 additional for education, and 4 expectations for the successful candidate. Don't enable them further by telling them to 'forget it, you'll work it all out'. If you are to satisfy them with a product, they must place their order a bit more specifically. Otherwise, you will (in spite of all your efforts) leave them twisting in the wind for several weeks while you struggle to understand the position and what they are seeking.

morrisg

I certainly can't disagree with your philosophy, but I have no choice the matter since I was not asked but told to do this. Our HR group is an influential part of our plant operations and as such I'm going to do what it takes to get things done. In the grand scheme of things this is a marginal problem, just time consuming and a real pain in the $#$%.

Don D

This does seem to be philosophical. You indicate that you were 'told not asked' and that you've 'been recruiting for a while for this position', BUT that you have been able to get no guidance as to what it will take to best please your internal customer. I am sure we all do what it takes to get the job done, but, there are limitations, which if we allow others to place them on us, actually will KEEP us from doing our job, which is to please them through excellent staff work. But, not having intimate knowledge of your particular circumstance, I can only say that if I were in a similar pickle, I would go, legal pad in hand, and sit down with a couple of the key customers and be sure we were all on the same productive page. Even HR has limited miracle working abilities. An 80 million dollar expansion project really requires everybody pulling together to get the ox out of the ditch. Good recruiting results count heavily on adequate knowledge from which to proceed or we move in circular motions. And I would never hesitate to tell a manager, "I don't really know jack about that new position. I would love for you to explain it to me so I can get you just what you need to advance that new project."
Just my thoughts. Good luck.

morrisg

Thanks, we have done that, but not as effectively as I think w should and I've going to so other technical resources to be sure we get it right. Believe it or not one of the problems is that one of the principles associated with this has a terrible time writing!!