SDI ® provides professional permanent and contract recruitment services along fourteen dedicated lines of service. These include:
- Banking
- Construction, Engineering & Design
- Corporate Strategy
- Finance
- Hospitality
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Insurance
- Legal
- Oil & Gas
- Professional Support
- Retail
- Sales and Marketing
- Senior Executive
Banking:
London, New York, Singapore and Hong Kong have long been the traditional global hubs for banking and financial services across the world. Middle East is now challenging this. From the inception of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the robust and rapid expansion in retail banking to accommodate both increased tourism and population expansion, Middle East has become a key focus for banks across the globe.
Investment Banking, Retail Banking, Asset Management, Corporate Banking, Insurance and Securities are established and growing within the UAE. Currently, there are approximately 38 banks offering Retail and Corporate Banking in the region, including HSBC, National Bank of Dubai and ABN Amro. The International Investment Banks include Barclays Capital, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. By 2008 virtually all multinational banks and investment companies will have offices in the UAE.
This growth has in turn created jobs for well experienced, top-tier banking professionals, across all divisions of banking and investment advisory services. This demand is now being met by a strong supply of candidates looking to capitalize on the career opportunities in a region that has incredible liquidity, sophisticated banking and growth potential that far exceeds the developed economies in the world.
The Banking & Financial Services team here at SDI ® comprises of highly experienced consultants with global industry exposure. Working across all divisions of financial services and a geographical coverage spanning the whole of the Middle East, we offer cutting-edge service and the most sought after opportunities with our clients – the key global and regional institutions.
Areas of coverage:
- Corporate Banking
- Islamic Finance
- Retail Banking
- Corporate Finance
- Private Equity
- Fund Management
- Sales and Trading
- Private Banking
- Asset Management
- Treasury
- Operations and Compliance
- Risk Management (Market and Credit)
- Wealth Management
Construction, Engineering & Design:
The Gulf region has stepped onto the global construction platform over the past five years. Projects of huge size and complexity that have never been attempted are reaching completion and the Middle East is boasting some of the highest buildings in the world, man-made islands, an underwater hotel, the list continues to impress and each year sees projects launched that are equally as spectacular as the last. Although global events have slowed the speed at which projects are released the gulf still boasts an impressive pipeline of new developments.
Since our inception into the market in 2006, the construction division has formed strong and continuing relationships with some of the regions leading consultants, contractors and developers.
Taking full advantage of our global representation, our ‘reach’ proves invaluable in sourcing experienced and qualified construction professionals from around the world.
Our Consultants have been specifically selected for their specific focus on sectors within the industry and combine to form a team capable and qualified of dealing with the whole construction process from design, to execution, to maintenance. From Interior Designers to Facilities Managers, we are working with clients who are involved in the regions most impressive and demanding projects.
Harnessing our professional approach and reputation in the market, we continue to develop as the regions leading construction recruiter. Charterhouse have consultants dedicated to the Dubai / Abu Dhabi market as well as coverage across Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and surrounding GCC countries
Areas of coverage:
- Architects (Project & Design)
- Building services Managers
- Commercial Managers
- Construction Directors
- Construction Managers
- Construction Planners/Programmers
- Cost Managers
- Design manager
- Development Managers
- Electrical Engineers (Design & Execution)
- Environmental/Water Engineers
- Estimators
- Facilities management
- Fit Out & Interiors
- Interior Designers
- Land Surveyors
- Landscape Architects
- Mechanical Engineers (Design & Execution)
- Planners.
- Project Engineers
- Project Managers
- Quantity Surveyors
- Resident Engineers
- Structural Engineers
Corporate Strategy:
Globally, Corporate Strategy and Business Excellency are at the heart of all business operations and increasingly the UAE market is becoming more and more aware of the importance of effective business planning and best practice tools. As a result Charterhouse have seen a higher demand from clients for these kinds of professionals and as one of the newer business areas to be introduced, organizations are finding that strong talent is hard to attract.
With the introduction of the Dubai Quality Award organizations are able to measure business performance and produce road maps to achieve Excellency, Local organizations are increasingly looking to attract experienced EFQM assessors and Business Excellency specialists into the business in order to change cultures and adopt best practice. Talent pools tend to be greatest in Gulf countries such as Jordan and Egypt where these strategies are already in operation, some of which have entered the local market but the trend suggest that many more from overseas may look to enter the UAE market or look to home grown talent.
Areas of coverage:
- Business Excellency
- EFQM
- Business process re-engineering
- Lead assessors (ISO certification)
Within the UAE and across the Gulf states many of the International Management Consultancy firms are already in operation, but again good talent is difficult to attract and retain. Traditionally candidates have looked to develop their strategy and corporate planning skills with these types of organisations, but the trend suggests that increasingly local and international firms are placing high importance on this area and are recruiting Strategy Management Consultants to perform in-house roles and typically look at activities ranging from short to long term business planning, competitive strategies, identification of new markets/products, business development etc. During times of slow growth and tough market conditions, organisations are looking towards these professionals to offer turnaround strategies and candidate pools are generated predominantly from the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, UK and USA.
Areas of Coverage:
- Management Consultants
- Strategic business planning
- Change management
- Strategy analysts
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Finace:
As we see regional business and our clients becoming more in tune with Human Resource and recruitment issues, SDI ® position as a leading finance recruiter is becoming increasingly apparent. Finance and Accountancy recruitment within the Middle East has become heavily regionalised, a process whereby corporates are accessing the increasing pools of talent that exists within the region’s markets. This could be compared to historical recruitment drives which may have involved large multinationals recruiting from Europe or through their global network.
Regional experience continues to be a desirable attribute for potential employers as more international operations are establishing in parts of the Middle East; the exposure to the Middle Eastern work culture and environment is becoming an increasingly important requirement. In line with this, businesses are also becoming increasingly aware of diversity, drives are underway whereby organisations are keen to hire a true representation of the demographics of the region. Albeit a market wide factor, diversity within finance and accountancy sectors is not always an easy undertaking due mainly to the strong and well established professional accountancy qualification systems in place across the Indian sub-continent.
Certainly another trend within the market is one whereby businesses are looking to source people from the Gulf markets to return to their native homelands. This could include countries such as Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt and India and provides further evidence that the local talent pools are becoming stronger and more accessible. With the expansion and diversification of the Middle East economies the opportunities for finance professionals continues to grow, this coupled with further liberalisation of the labour markets has increased the mobility of labour across the region.
Finance is a generic function and subsequently our client base is very diverse within this area of the SDI ® business. All organisations require a Finance team and our client base reflects this both in terms of numbers and type, this is also reflected in the range of functional coverage listed below.
Areas of coverage:
- Accountants (Qualified & Part Qualified)
- Accounts Assistants
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable
- Business Analysts
- Business Controllers
- Chief Financial Officers
- Commercial Finance Managers
- Financial Analysts
- Financial Controllers
- Finance Directors
- Finance Managers
- Internal Auditors
- Management Accountants
- Performance & Planning Managers
- Project Accountants
Hospitality:
The Middle East is not just about oil and gas. Following a strategic move to lesser the region’s reliance on these traditional areas, governments of the Middle East made significant investments in the tourism sector. The robust market has attracted multinational companies in droves to develop hotels, resorts, restaurants, health spas and the like, creating a huge demand for hospitality positions.
Hospitality now constitutes a significant portion of the regions gross domestic product. The tourism sector is underpinning the regions growing hospitality industry.
Charterhouse Partnership is one of the few recruitment consultancy’s in the Middle East to have a specialist hospitality division. Our consultants have broad international experience in various sectors including hotels, aviation and food and beverage retail. Having worked and gained respect in their various fields, our consultants understand the intricacies of the positions for which they are recruiting, which make Charterhouse the preferred recruiter amongst employers and provide our candidates with a high level of service.
Areas of coverage:
Aviation
- Airline management
- Cabin crew
- Cargo
- Flight operations
- Ground operations
- Sales, marketing and pricing
Destination Management
- Business development and marketing
- Event management
Food and Beverage Retail
- Executive, head and sous chefs
- General, operational & outlet management
- Sales, brand, training & event management
Hotels & Resorts
- Executive committee
- Food & beverage
- Recreation
- Rooms division
- Sales, marketing, public relations and revenue
Travel Management
- Corporate and marketing communications
Spa & Recreation
- Operations
- Sales, marketing and public relations
- Spa management
Human Resources:
Human Resources are at the heart of every organisation as it looks after the most valuable asset: people, and SDI ® knows how important this is to both clients and candidates.
Over the past few years the Middle East has changed the way they had previously viewed Human Resources and have begun to realise the way you utilise your staff will impact upon the level of the success of the business as a whole. Human Resources is now more about strategy and how to maximum the return on the investment a company has made in its people by getting people more committed and productive.
SDI ® understands just how important getting the right HR team on board can be and with the broad knowledge range of their HR consultants, SDI ® is placed to not only resourcing the right HR candidates but also about providing constructive consultative advice to clients to ensure they have the right HR function in place for the size, growth and development of their organisation.
Areas of Coverage:
- Compensation & Benefits
- Employee Relations
- HR Administration
- HR Consultancy
- HR Generalist
- Organizational Development/Planning
- Recruitment
- Training & Development
- Other
Information Technology:
The depth and success of Industry & Commerce across a wide variety of vertical markets in the Middle East has gone from strength to strength in recent years. This growth is underpinned by technology - IT is now widely appreciated as a profit centre by all successful organisations throughout the region.
This shift in general corporate culture has induced incredible growth in the Middle East's IT and Telecoms marketplace; as a consequence it is vital that any organisation wishing to maintain success is able to source and select the best candidates to manage and develop its technical infrastructure.
SDI ® has a specialist team of IT Recruitment Consultants that offers both international experience and a deep understanding of the local market. We can demonstrate an enviable track record of successful recruitment service delivery across a wide variety of technically focused roles across both the private and public sectors.
For clients, SDI ® IT offers an unparalleled network of contacts throughout the Middle East and beyond, an in-depth insight into the latest technologies and trends that could affect your business, and access to a comprehensive database of outstanding candidates.
Candidates can be confident that we have well established relationships with all the major players in the region and a total commitment to exceptional customer service.
SDI ® IT is well placed to deliver an outstanding service across the full spectrum of roles, from Applications Support through top Senior Management and board level appointments.
Areas of coverage:
- Executive Management
- General Management
- Project / Program Management
- Enterprise Architecture
- Infrastructure
- Development
- Security
- Governance
- Quality Assurance
- Testing
- Service Delivery
- ERP
- Data Warehousing / Business Intelligence
- Analysis
- Support
- Pre-sales
- Solutions
Insurance:
The UAE and the Middle East have shown exceptional financial growth over the recent years and the Insurance industry has been one to capitalize on this growth. As a result Charterhouse has recognized the necessity to source and supply exceptional - high caliber candidates with insurance experience to meet the needs and requirements of such organizations. Charterhouse is dedicated to providing recruitment solutions to the insurance industry by proactively searching for both active and dormant job seekers. We ensure that we maintain a constant candidate pool of insurance professionals with the relevant qualifications and experience such as; ACII, FCII, FIA, FFA.
The insurance industry is flourishing by approximately 20% per annum. The introduction of obligatory health insurance (which must be provided by employers for their employees) is one of the drivers that have fuelled this extraordinary growth over the years. The Dubai government is encouraging the growth of the Dubai International Finance Center (DIFC), which has seen many Insurance companies enter the market on an international scale. We forecast a large growth phase in the years ahead and with that in mind; we have successfully armed ourselves with the knowledge, skill and expertise to tackle the manpower demand of organizational growth and expansion.
At Charterhouse, we have dedicated consultants focusing on the insurance market and are constantly aware of market trends, changes and new arrivals & entries into the industry. We strongly believe that our dedication to this sector has lead to us being a market leader in providing Insurance (manpower) solutions to some of the GCC most reputable insurance companies. We have successfully allied ourselves with local, international and emerging market insurance organizations in providing fast, accurate and reliable recruitment services which minimizes the time to fill and ensures sustained productivity within the organization.
The insurance industry is now being recognized to be an essential part of any growing economy and a core necessity to ensuring protection against the unforeseen circumstances. With the recent financial crisis taking its toll on most financial sectors, it has been made relatively evident that companies are regarding insurance as a core requirement to ensuring security and ease of mind to their shareholders and its people.
Here at charterhouse we pride ourselves on providing a wide and diversified coverage of the insurance sector which cover a range of products to both corporate as well as individuals. Some of the different segments we currently cover include:
- General Insurance ( non Life)
- Life / Medical
- Banc-assurance
- Commercial Insurance
- Industrial Insurance
- Credit Insurance- Commercial
- Brokerage Insurance
- Aviation and Marine Insurance
- PI- Professional Indemnity Insurance
- Manufacturing – Insurance divisions
Legal:
Charterhouse Partnership believes the key values of legal counsel are honesty, integrity, and respect and we employ experienced consultants with both international and local experience who are focused, caring and dedicated to understanding our clients and candidates needs. With this focus, our end result leads to a successful match.
Areas of coverage:
- Paralegal
- Legal Secretary
- Company Secretary
- Solicitor/Legal Counsel
- In House Counsel
- NQ Graduate
- Other
Oil & Gas:
Charterhouse has seen great success and expansion over the last 12 months, and with this brings the launch of the Oil & Gas division. Having spotted a market that has not been effectively catered for by many companies, we now offer a service second to none.
Our Oil & Gas division covers, but is not limited to the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. With our global presence, also covering the Far East and Australasia, we can source candidates for most roles and projects. As with all our Consultants they have relevant industry knowledge and experience.
Having already taken on board some of the leading industry companies we continue to offer our services at the highest level. We look forward to assisting both clients and candidates alike with their requirements.
Areas of coverage:
- Business Development
- Construction
- Contract Management
- Distribution
- Drilling
- Engineering
- Geo-Science
- Health & Safety
- Other
- Procurement
- Technical writing
Professional Support:
With the ability to understand our clients’ vision and mission, the highly skilled and dedicated Consultants who work within the Professional Support Division firstly focus on clients’ culture, values and job requirements to begin the process in finding the right support staff to fit their organization.
Over the years the Professional Support Division has built a strong database of qualified and professional individuals who understand the importance of working in key roles of the business, helping the organisation achieve their goals and targets. In these ever changing working environments we understand that our clients’, which range from multinationals, local and the government sector, require dedicated professional support staff who can work in these diverse and challenging environments. All support staff can demonstrate superior communication skills, are flexible in their approach, and can bring a solid skill set to any organization. Charterhouse is proud to have high caliber tertiary qualified candidates with experience in the following roles;
- Administrators
- Administration Managers
- Executive/Personal Assistants
- Legal Secretaries & Legal Personal Assistants
- Office Managers
- Project Administrators
- Receptionists
- Secretaries
- Team Assistants
Candidates are readily available on our database for positions in the following areas:
- Banking
- Construction
- Financial Services
- FMCG
- Government
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- IT & Telecoms
- Legal
- Media & Entertainment
- Oil & Gas
- Professional Services /Management Consultancy
- Property/Real Estate
- Retail
- Other
Our Recruitment Philosophy:
To assist our clients’ with their Professional Support requirements we employee experienced consultants who recognise the diverse skills required for each industry and role. With our user friendly website and prominence in print media this ensures we capture the interest of passive and active job seekers. Combined with extensive competency based interview process we also understand support staff require advanced technical PC skills, which is why all candidates are tested with our frequently updated and challenging skills testing package, which can be catered around our clients’ specific needs and requirements for the vacancy.
With our honest and open approach our mission is to provide a personalized and professional recruitment solution that is results focused and committed to delivering a high quality service to both our clients and candidates.
Retail:
Charterhouse Retail provides recruitment expertise to the Retail profession. Here at Charterhouse we are committed to developing relationships throughout the Retail sector and continuously strive to provide industry knowledge and market expertise.
Charterhouse has a committed Retail team that offers individual in depth knowledge of the local Retail market.
Areas of coverage;
- Area Management
- Brand Management
- Business Development
- Buying
- CSM
- General Management
- Mall Management
- Merchandising
- Personal Styling
- Retail Operations
- RQA
- Store Management
- Training and Development
- Visual Merchandising
Sales and Marketing:
Charterhouse has built a very strong team and presence in the Sales & Marketing sector. This key business adds value across the industry spectrum with a strong domestic focus. Members of the consulting team have been drawn from a broad cross section of industries and all have prior commercial sales and marketing experience.
From product and brand management to sales and business development, key permanent assignments have identified the cream of the United Arab Emirates sales and marketing professionals. This includes assignments for the UAE’s leading corporations at all levels from graduates to Directors.
Areas of coverage:
- Advertising & Media
- Account Management
- Brand / Product Management
- Direct Marketing
- Executive & General Management
- Market Research & Analysis
- Marketing Management
- Public Relations & Corporate Communication
- Sales Management
- Events / Exhibitions / Conferences
- Other
Our Recruitment Philosophy:
Clients benefit from individual consultant's exposure to markets and former employment experience, in addition to contacts and networks throughout the UAE. The team is also ideally placed to provide value-added services on such topics as salary trends, candidate availability and current market trends. With the convergence of industry sectors, and the consequent movement of candidates, the client benefits greatly from the combined industry knowledge across the other lines of service within the group.
This vastly experienced team's domestic and international industry expertise and knowledge enables our consultants to identify and present the highest quality candidates to our clients, in line with their needs and culture.
Executive Recruitment – search methodology:
The process detailed below is our proven methodology, used for senior search assignments.
Detailed discussions with the key stakeholders from the client company will be required and are held so that the assigned search team not only know the technical requirements of each role but also understand the organisation, its culture, challenges and vision to ensure there is a lasting fit and the attractions of the role(s) are fully understood.
Further to these discussions, we will compile a full position profile for each vacancy, including candidate profile and likely career background and skill sets, and agree this formally with the client before search commences.
During a conference with the client, we will review and agree any target institutions and regions of particular interest.
The assigned Charterhouse team (consultants and research assistants) will be experienced in the specific sector in which the client operates, specialising in the research and identification of senior professionals for clients within the Middle East. This cooperation will result in a comprehensive and extensive list of possible candidates (we will use a technique of market mapping to focus on identifying the right candidates). The client will be kept fully informed at each stage of the assignment.
If required, we are also able to organize targeted advertising campaigns to increase the profile and attraction of candidates for the specific assignment. Using our market knowledge and regional experience, we are able to recommend a number of advertising methods; these could include web based advertisements on region specific websites or impactive printed adverts in leading broadsheets. The response will be filtered and managed completely by Charterhouse. Relevant candidates responding to any advertisement will be evaluated as described below.
Candidates are approached by the Consultant in absolute confidence and, where appropriate, they are met to discuss the opportunity, the scope for advancement and their ‘fit’ for the role. This may necessitate several discussions with the candidates. We recommend agreeing a role specific structure with the client for our initial interviews with the target candidates; this should be tailored to provide the basis for subsequent candidate reports presented at the shortlist stage.
We will meet with the client and present a list of the most suitable individuals for each position, together with a background report, detailed biographies and our Consultant’s suggestions. Our opinions are expressed forthrightly and without bias or conflict.
Our consultant will work closely with the client to arrange and plan the interview process. We also work closely with both the client and the candidates to ensure each party receives feedback and reflections from the other, as the post-interview debriefs are an essential and delicate part of the process.
We will assist the client in the parameters of an offer letter as the offer stage is the most sensitive in the process. Our candidates are invariably highly valued by their current employer and the majority of offers result in counter bids. Our consultants are experienced in managing candidate psychology by addressing the likelihood in advance with the candidate and canvassing their reaction to a counter offer or a variety of competing offers.
The key elements of attracting the best individuals will be our presence within the Middle East, our intimate knowledge of the local culture and environment and our proven ability in providing first hand guidance and advice to individuals and their families when considering a move to the Middle East. We are also able to meet candidates when they arrive for interview in the country and act as a local point of contact for them, facilitating a smoothly run interview process.
Providing candidates with independent advice is of paramount importance in ensuring this delicate transition proceeds effectively and efficiently.
