Spirit Aerosystems – GRC Consultant

Spirit AeroSystems is a leading global aerospace manufacturer that designs, engineers, and builds aerostructures for commercial, military, and business aircraft, serving major companies like Boeing and Airbus.

The Challenge

Spirit AeroSystems is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft, defence platforms and business and regional jets. The business had been attempting to hire a GRC Consultant into its Ireland-based team, but the role had remained unfilled for over 12 months.

The challenge was multi-layered. The local market for GRC professionals with relevant defence exposure was extremely small, and candidates also needed to be eligible for a specific level of security clearance. This significantly reduced an already limited pool and ruled out traditional direct sourcing approaches.

The Solution

We were engaged through an existing relationship and spent time with the business to fully understand the technical and regulatory nuances of the role, as well as the clearance requirements involved.

Based on our market knowledge, we recognised that the right candidate was unlikely to be actively job-seeking and unlikely to respond to standard outreach. Instead, we took a referral-led approach, targeting senior individuals within military, defence and central government organisations, many of whom were more senior than the role itself.

Rather than pitching the position directly, we engaged these contacts in informed conversations and asked them to identify individuals within their networks who might be open to exploring a move into the private sector. This approach allowed us to reach candidates with the right background, credibility and clearance pathway.

The Results

Within a matter of days, we identified three suitable candidates who were open to the opportunity. Following detailed screening, all three profiles were shared with Spirit AeroSystems, with two progressing to interview.

The successful candidate accepted the offer and joined the business two months later, aligned with their transition out of military service. Spirit AeroSystems were able to secure a specialist hire for a role that had remained vacant for over a year, strengthening their governance and risk capability in a highly regulated environment.