Project Recruitment Transforms Talent Acquisition for Northern Powergrid
Having worked alongside Northern Powergrid for many years, Greenbean was chosen as its recruitment partner of choice to support the launch of their state-of-the-art, purpose-built offices in Sunderland. This initiative went far beyond a traditional recruitment drive—it became a strategic PR campaign aimed at generating excitement, showcasing their modern branding, and reinforcing their unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional service.
To achieve this, Northern Powergrid required a partner capable of delivering a comprehensive solution, including:
Full recruitment process diagnostic and design aligned with Northern Powergrid’s Power of 10 mantra and 5 Power Principles, embedding these core values throughout the entire talent acquisition journey—from attraction to onboarding.
A bespoke recruitment marketing and PR campaign designed to amplify visibility and engagement through collaborative and strategic efforts.
Candidate application management to ensure a positive and engaging experience at every stage of the recruitment process. This approach ensured all candidates, regardless of outcome, felt valued while consistently protecting and enhancing Northern Powergrid’s employer brand.
Provide guidance on inclusive recruitment practices to engage and attract a diverse talent pool, eliminate barriers, and mitigate unconscious bias throughout the hiring process.
Solution
Greenbean implemented a strategic, collaborative approach that transformed Northern Powergrid's recruitment process by embedding the company's Power of 10 mantra and 5 Power Principles into every stage of talent acquisition.
Conducted detailed on-site assessments with key stakeholders to redefine role requirements and redesign the recruitment framework, ensuring alignment with Northern Powergrid’s strategic objectives and core values.
Design an end-to-end inclusive recruitment process that proactively eliminates barriers and mitigates unconscious bias, ensuring fairness and accessibility for all candidates.
Introduced principle-based assessment techniques that focused on behavioural insights, aligning evaluations with the Power of 10 mantra and 5 Power Principles.
Developing enhanced scoring matrices and structured interview protocols to improve candidate assessment accuracy
The recruitment marketing campaign employed a strategic, co-branded, multi-channel approach to attract top-tier talent, seamlessly aligning with Northern Powergrid’s brand identity and organisational values.
Comprehensively showcased Northern Powergrid's modern workplace, culture and unwavering commitment to delivering 10/10 service excellence
Created engaging multimedia content, including workplace journey reels and boosted social media advertising
Strategic outreach to local educational institutions to attract early-career talent and engage community interest to the campaign
A joint press release amplified brand awareness and generated excitement for the Sunderland site launch.
This holistic approach ensured a cohesive recruitment strategy, achieving high-quality hires while reinforcing Northern Powergrid’s brand and values.
Results
These results demonstrate the successful integration of the Power of 10 mantra and 5 Power Principles into the attraction and recruitment strategy. By ensuring all hires aligned with Northern Powergrid’s values and standards, the campaign protected the employer brand while delivering a consistently positive candidate experience for all applicants, regardless of the outcome.
30% of applicants progressed to screening calls, supported by timely and transparent communication.
22% of screened candidates advanced to virtual interviews, maintaining a strong focus on alignment with values and potential.
90% of virtual interviewees were invited to assessment centres, reflecting high engagement and the effectiveness of clear and open communication.
66% of invited candidates attended assessment centres, supported by flexible scheduling and comprehensive preparation materials.
46% of assessment centre attendees received offers, with those not successful leaving the process with detailed, respectful feedback and a positive impression of the brand.
Collaboration with Northern Powergrid’s internal marketing team seamlessly blended their strong brand identity with Greenbean’s recruitment marketing expertise. This creative partnership generated excitement around the Sunderland site and reinforced the organisation’s forward-thinking ethos.
By strategically managing the talent pipeline, the recruitment process delivered exceptional hires while maintaining a candidate-centric approach. Every applicant, regardless of the outcome, was treated with respect and provided with meaningful, constructive feedback, ensuring a positive experience throughout.
This principles-driven recruitment campaign showcased Northern Powergrid’s commitment to operational excellence and employee engagement. By advancing only the most suitable candidates, the targeted strategy achieved both a high acceptance rate and strong cultural alignment.
"At Northern Powergrid, we're not just recruiting employees; we're building a team that powers the future of our regions. Greenbean helped us transform our recruitment from a transactional process to a strategic inclusive initiative that truly reflects our 'Power of 10' principles. Greenbean’s approach went beyond filling roles – they helped us find passionate professionals who understand our vision of delivering a 10/10 service and our mission of delivering the critical infrastructure to over 8 million people. The fulfilment rate speak volumes about the precision and care they brought to our talent acquisition strategy." Mark Cobb, Head of Customer Contact.
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