Eramet: Bulk recruitment for Grande Cóte expansion project

Grande Côte Operation (GCO) is currently undergoing an expansion, set to double the size of the mine. This large expansion project has brought the need to hire numerous mining professionals within a short timeframe.

Eramet and Globe 24-7’s partnership has evolved through three key stages:

1. Initial Greenfield Project Support (~10 years ago) – Globe 24-7 initially supported Eramet by recruiting for the greenfield phase of the Grande Côte operation, building a foundation with key project personnel to launch the operation.
2. Ongoing Localisation and Nationalisation Support – Once operations began, Globe 24-7 continued to support Eramet in recruiting both local Senegalese talent and expats to strengthen the local workforce and address the company’s localisation priorities.
3. Expansion Project Recruitment Support (Ongoing) – With the expansion project underway, Globe 24-7 has been actively sourcing specialized mining professionals to meet the growing demands of the operation, recruiting key roles quickly to keep the project on track.

Sourcing candidates: Locally and internationally

As a mineral sands operation, the team required staff with experience in mineral separation plants, dredge operations, and bore fieldwork.

“For their expansion project, we mapped the market and began a thorough candidate search for key positions,” says Daniel Shaw, Regional Manager, EMEA at Globe 24-7. “We sourced a Project Director, Contract Managers, Purchasing professionals, and various other individuals necessary for the early project development team.”

Given Eramet’s commitment to localisation and nationalisation, recruiting Senegalese nationals remained a top priority.

“It was challenging, but it opened up an opportunity,” Daniel explains. “We were able to look beyond the mining sector and into other industries like rail, construction, and logistics.”
Once local pathways were exhausted, the operation considered candidates from other French-speaking countries such as Mali and Canada.

The goal was to recruit as much local talent as possible, but as Daniel highlights, “It’s very typical, especially in regions like Africa, to have expats handle the initial phases of the project to get operations established, followed by local talent who can be upskilled, developed, and promoted within senior leadership and technical roles.”

Results: Quick and efficient

As with any expansion project, speed was crucial. Globe 24-7 met Eramet’s expectations, filling roles within 4 weeks.

“We provided executive summaries, progress reports, identified market challenges and potential solutions, and conducted weekly calls with hiring managers and HR to ensure alignment, find top talent in the market, and address any arising challenges,” says Daniel.

The outcome: Successful recruitment

Eramet has successfully sourced experienced talent across all stages of the project, including the current mine expansion. Many leadership roles, including Head of Procurement, Contracts, Mining, Reliability, Planning, Purchasing, Warehouse, and Logistics, were successfully filled with local Senegalese talent.

For large-scale ramp-ups, Globe 24-7’s support has allowed Eramet access to a specialised pool of candidates and alleviated the pressure of meeting tight project deadlines.

Photo courtesy of Eramet