Recruiting expertise for the RSPCA.

Following on from the Digital Marketing Transformation strategy and recommendations we delivered previously, plus requirements from the charity’s organisation-wide digital transformation programme, a need was identified to restructure the existing digital team.

As a result of this restructuring, the RSPCA created four new digital roles, these were:

• Assistant Director of Digital
• Head of Digital Performance Marketing
• Digital Experience Manager
• CRO Lead.

Additionally, the role of Senior UX Designer had become vacant and required a suitable replacement.

The RSPCA turned to us for recruitment support to ensure they could appoint the right people with the required knowledge, skills and experience.

Their choice was partly down to their team knowing that because our people work in those roles (or have done so previously and are experts in the specialisms required), we were in a perfect position to guide the recruitment process and select and appoint the right people.

Fresh Egg helped us to build a strong, successful, expert in-house team with confidence. The team took the trouble to understand the change that we needed in our digital capability and to craft the right roles and requirements. Their technical knowledge and experience were invaluable in helping us to compare candidates and ensure we made good choices. Our digital team is going strong!

Tracey Pritchard, Director of Engagement & Income Generation, RSPCA

After being briefed on the roles and requirements, our recruitment services team assembled our digital experts to act as consultants. The group included our Head of Conversion Optimisation, Strategy Director and Paid Media Lead.

The team had all worked on projects for the RSPCA before, so they were well-versed in the charity's background, including its digital activity and operations.

After discussing critical role requirements, we distributed relevant jobs across the team for which they would be responsible for overseeing.

Before advertising the roles on their website, our experts were:

• Asked to review the job descriptions and job adverts the RSPCA team had created
• Provide feedback, ensuring the information was suitable to attract quality candidates to the roles.

Once approved, the RSPCA listed the jobs on their website and collected applications.

Our team of experts worked with relevant stakeholders at the RSPCA (including their internal HR team) to carry out the following:

• Review applications (CVs and cover letters) and shortlist suitable candidates for interviews
• Feed into interview question sets with relevant challenges and questions
• Created interview presentation tasks for candidates to complete in second interviews
• Active participation roles as part of the interview panels for both the first and second interviews
• Participated in interview debriefs and candidate selection sessions.

It was enjoyable to be part of the recruitment process to find and hire some new candidates for the RSPCA. Having worked on delivering their digital marketing strategy prior to this, it was satisfying to then find people who would be able to take the recommendations and bring them to life.

Emma Couling, Head of Recruitment

Following the recruitment activity, the RSPCA hired candidates immediately in all but one of the roles.

The RSPCA gained a new and exceptional group of talented people to help drive its digital ambitions and achieve its marketing and fundraising goals.

Our involvement meant the organisation quickly met their recruitment targets. We saved valuable time during the recruitment drive by getting the right people into their roles, having the right content in the job adverts, and utilising a thorough candidate screening process. Our efficient methodology prevented interviewing unsuitable candidates.

We helped them to ensure they recruited the perfect candidates most suited to the roles. Importantly:

• It reduces the chances of employing someone who is not suitable for the position and ends up leaving
• It negates having to start the costly recruitment process again sooner and saves the charity money.

Ultimately, our knowledge of digital specialisms, the charity sector and the RSPCA itself meant the recruitment process was far more effective than employing the services of a ‘traditional’ recruitment agency.

It was really rewarding to be involved in the recruitment of the RSPCA’s new team of digital experts. At the point which we supported with this recruitment we had worked with the RSPCA for over two years and had a very good grasp not only on what skills they needed, but what they were looking for in terms of a cultural fit. It’s been a pleasure to work directly with the new hires since then too!

Nicky Moody, Project Director