Global food safety and testing leader shores up technical talent gaps to achieve scale and drive product adoption

The challenge

A food safety, testing, and certification client experienced challenges sourcing specialized talent in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and data engineering, particularly candidates with a unique blend of technical expertise, client-facing skills, and nuanced regulatory knowledge. Previous vendors had prioritized speed over quality, leading to ill-fitting candidates and wasted resources.

With limited internal capacity to support the implementation and customization of their software as a service (SaaS) product, their team struggled to meet increasing market demand and couldn’t scale effectively, slowing product adoption and leading to delayed customer success.

The solution

Vaco by Highspring took a strategic, relationship-first approach to solving the client’s talent challenges. Rather than focusing on volume, we prioritized delivering highly qualified candidates who aligned with the technical, functional, and interpersonal demands of the roles.

We initially supported contract hiring within the PLM space, quickly building credibility through consistent, high-quality placements. From there, Vaco by Highspring expanded our partnership by leveraging internal advocacy, deepening relationships with key stakeholders, and gaining access to executive leadership. This approach allowed us to evolve from a transactional vendor into a trusted partner, supporting both contract and full-time hiring needs across multiple functions while also restructuring and streamlining their hiring process for long-term success.

Our impact

Through this partnership, Vaco by Highspring delivered measurable and meaningful results:

• Completed approximately 25 placements over two years, establishing a strong and consistent talent pipeline

• Transitioned from contract support to full-time strategic hires, including 6 full-time placements in high-impact roles

• Improved hiring efficiency and quality, with multiple consultants converting to full-time employees and advancing within the organization

• Drove organizational growth by placing talent responsible for building and scaling key business functions

• Strengthened client trust to the extent where new roles were created specifically for Vaco by Highspring candidates

These outcomes enabled the client to scale operations, enhance customer support, and build an internal team capable of meeting growing demand—positioning Vaco by Highspring as a long-term strategic growth partner.