Scaling a RELEX Consulting Team in a Highly Competitive Talent Market

As demand for RELEX expertise accelerates across Europe, delivery capability has become a critical growth constraint. This case study shows how Recann supported a RELEX partner to rapidly build a high-quality consulting team in one of the most competitive and network-driven talent markets.

Business challenge

The client was in a critical growth phase. Demand for their RELEX services was increasing across multiple European customers, while new delivery commitments were already in motion.

They needed to build a core team of experienced RELEX Solution Consultants who could:

• Lead and configure live customer implementations
• Operate across multi-country retail environments
• Bridge the gap between business processes and RELEX system capability
• Work credibly with senior client stakeholders

The problem was not volume. It was scarcity and competition.

The RELEX talent market is small, highly network-driven, and extremely competitive. The client was consistently struggling to attract the calibre of consultant required. Processes were slow, candidate quality was mixed, and there was growing delivery risk around project timelines, consultant workload, and future expansion plans.

They needed a partner who could access hard-to-reach talent, qualify deeply, and move with pace without compromising technical quality.

Why Recann

Recann were engaged to support the build-out of the RELEX consulting function across Europe, initially hiring five consultants as a priority.

The engagement was built around:

• Direct access to niche RELEX and supply chain consultant communities
• Market mapping rather than job advertising
• Senior-level qualification to define true delivery capability, not just tool exposure
• International search capability across Europe, with flexibility beyond traditional hiring locations
• A controlled, exclusive delivery model to protect speed, quality, and candidate experience

Tom worked closely with the CEO, Operations Director, and Head of Solution Consulting to align on what “good” looked like in practice. Not just technical capability, but consulting maturity, stakeholder confidence, and real-world delivery impact.

The delivery approach

Rather than treating this as five separate roles, Tom positioned the work as a team-build programme.

This included:

• Detailed upfront scoping around delivery challenges, customer expectations, and future growth plans
• Mapping the European RELEX ecosystem to identify consultants with genuine hands-on configuration and implementation ownership
• Advising on location strategy to widen the viable talent pool without compromising quality
• Creating a shortlisting process focused on technical depth, consulting behaviour, and cultural alignment
• Securing exclusivity to control process pace, messaging, and assessment quality

Because of the confidence in the calibre of candidates being introduced, the client was able to shorten interview processes. This reduced internal time burden and enabled leadership to focus on customer delivery and business growth rather than prolonged recruitment cycles.

The outcome

Two RELEX Solution Consultants were successfully placed to start January 1st, with the remaining hires forecast for completion shortly after.

The immediate outcomes included:

• Rapid strengthening of RELEX delivery capability across European projects
• Reduced delivery risk across live and upcoming customer implementations
• A significantly improved candidate experience and interview efficiency
• Leadership confidence that niche roles were being handled by a specialist partner

Most importantly, the success of the initial programme created momentum.

Following the early results, the client expanded the relationship to support RELEX hiring across the United States, extending the partnership beyond Europe and into their next growth phase.

What began as a five-hire challenge evolved into a long-term international talent partnership.

Recann’s value in this engagement

• Access to a scarce and competitive RELEX talent market
• Ability to qualify true delivery consultants, not just CV profiles
• Speed of delivery without sacrificing technical or cultural fit
• International reach across Europe and the US
• A consultative, senior-stakeholder-led recruitment approach
• Proven capability to scale specialist teams, not just fill roles

Summary

This engagement demonstrates how Recann supports technology partners and consultancies operating in niche markets where mis-hires are high-risk and speed is commercially critical.

By combining deep market access, structured delivery, and close stakeholder alignment, Recann helped a RELEX partner de-risk delivery, scale capability, and unlock their next phase of international growth.

Scaling a specialist technology team in a scarce market?
Get in touch to learn how we help consultancies access hard-to-reach talent and protect delivery as they grow.

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