Major Shipyard Offshore Programme: Bulk Backfilling of a Production Management Team (Permanent)
For a major domestic shipyard's offshore division, we delivered 18 mid-to-senior production management roles within six months, supporting the on-schedule launch of two offshore project lines, with 100% one-year retention.
Project Background
The client had taken on multiple high-value offshore and special-vessel projects. After capacity expansion, a leadership gap appeared in production management: project managers, hull and outfitting workshop directors, and planning and cost managers were open simultaneously, threatening project kick-off and delivery milestones. The division sits in a coastal city, where it competes less well than first-tier city employers for mid-to-senior talent.
Client Challenges
- Openings existed from manager up to director level, leaving a serious leadership pipeline gap
- Candidate interest in shipyard production management roles had declined, with strong candidates flowing to EPC contractors and design institutes
- The client required candidates with construction experience on comparable vessel types (FPSO modules, LNG carriers, etc.)
- Long interview cycles and rigid processes let competitors pick off strong candidates mid-process
KUTA's Approach
Targeted search mapped to comparable vessel types
Built target-company lists around the client's vessel portfolio and approached candidate managers at comparable shipyards and offshore contractors one by one, rather than passively collecting CVs from public postings.
Streamlined process with consultant accompaniment
Compressed the interview process to two rounds plus a compensation discussion, with a consultant accompanying candidates throughout — cutting the lock-in cycle from the industry-average 45 days to under 30.
Winning candidates with the project pipeline
Presented candidates with clear project schedules and capacity-expansion plans matched to their career aspirations, raising offer acceptance rates.
Onboarding care and probation management
30/60/90-day check-ins after joining helped smooth integration with departments, keeping probation attrition at zero.