Looking to hire specialist engineers in Christchurch or the South Island?
Finding great engineers isn't always easy. We love a challenge!
At Sunstone Talent, we help Christchurch and South Island businesses find talented engineers who can design, develop, build, innovate and solve complex technical problems.
Whether you're developing a new product, expanding your engineering team, delivering an important infrastructure project or looking for hard-to-find specialist expertise, we understand how important it is to get the right people on board.
We've helped over 350 companies across Christchurch and the South Island with their recruitment needs, building long-lasting relationships by understanding people, business, technology and innovation.
We're a boutique recruitment agency that takes the time to understand your business, the challenges you're facing and the people who will help you succeed.
What types of engineering roles do we recruit?
We specialise in finding technical engineering talent across a broad range of disciplines, including:
Mechanical Engineers: Mechanical design, product development, manufacturing, CAD, SolidWorks, prototyping and production engineering.
Electrical & Electronics Engineers: Electrical design, electronics, PCB design, power systems, instrumentation, control systems and embedded hardware.
Mechatronics Engineers: Robotics, automation, intelligent systems, electro-mechanical design and systems integration.
Civil & Structural Engineers: Civil engineering, infrastructure, structural design, construction and engineering project delivery.
Aerospace Engineers: Aerospace design, avionics, propulsion, systems engineering, testing and advanced manufacturing.
Hardware & Product Development Engineers: Electronics, embedded systems, firmware, testing, validation and commercial product development.
Engineering Leadership: Engineering Managers, Technical Leads, R&D Managers, Principal Engineers and Engineering Team Leaders.
From innovative Christchurch start-ups developing world-class products to established engineering, manufacturing and technology businesses, we enjoy helping companies find people who make a real difference.
Finding the right engineer is about more than technical skills
A great engineer brings more than qualifications and technical expertise.
They might be the person who solves a difficult design challenge, helps your team develop a new product, improves manufacturing efficiency or introduces a fresh way of thinking.
That's why we look at two important areas when recruiting engineers:
1. Technical capability
Does the candidate have the engineering fundamentals, practical experience, problem-solving ability and specialist skills your project or business needs?
2. Cultural Add
Will they bring the right attitude, communication skills, curiosity and fresh perspectives to complement your existing engineering team?
We believe in hiring for Cultural Add, not simply finding someone who fits the existing mould.
Sometimes the best engineering candidate isn't the person who ticks every technical box.
An engineer with strong fundamentals, a willingness to learn and the right approach can be more valuable over the long term than someone who has worked with exactly the same tools or technologies.
Of course, some specialist engineering skills, professional registrations and safety-critical competencies are essential and cannot be compromised.
The trick is knowing the difference between the 'must haves' and the skills that can be developed.
And fortunately, through expert market knowledge, experience and plenty of hard mahi, we often find candidates who offer both!
Permanent Engineering Recruitment
Building an engineering team that will help your business grow?
We work with companies looking to make long-term engineering appointments, from graduate, junior, intermediate engineers through to senior technical specialists and engineering leaders.
Our approach is straightforward, collaborative and tailored to your business.
How we work with you:
Understand your business: We get to know your company, engineering projects, team culture, technology, challenges and what success looks like in the role.
Define the ideal engineer: Together we identify the essential technical skills, experience, qualifications and personal attributes required. We also discuss remuneration, flexibility and what makes your opportunity attractive.
Search the engineering market: We use our engineering networks, candidate database, targeted advertising and direct approaches to identify suitable people, including engineers who may not be actively looking for a new role.
Assess and shortlist: We interview candidates and assess their technical background, career achievements, motivations and Cultural Add before recommending a carefully considered shortlist.
Interview and appoint: We coordinate client interviews, feedback, reference checks and offers, helping you make a confident hiring decision.
Support the transition: Our involvement doesn't stop at the job offer. We keep in touch with you and the candidate through the notice period, onboarding and early stages of their new role.
Our goal? Not simply to fill an engineering vacancy, but to help you find someone who will contribute to your business for years to come.
Contract Engineering Recruitment
Need an experienced engineer for a project, product release or period of growth?
Not every engineering requirement calls for a permanent appointment.
Sometimes you need specialist expertise quickly, whether that's to help deliver a project, provide additional engineering capacity, solve a technical challenge or cover a temporary skills gap.
We help businesses find experienced contract engineers for short-term and longer-term assignments.
Our approach includes:
Understanding your project requirements, technical deliverables, timeframe and budget.
Identifying available engineering contractors through our networks and candidate database.
Sourcing and assessing specialist engineering contractors when suitable people aren't immediately available.
Coordinating interviews, references, rates and contract arrangements.
Supporting contractors throughout their assignments, keeping communication open and ensuring prompt payment.
Whether you're looking for a mechanical design engineer, electronics specialist, automation engineer or experienced engineering project resource, we'll help you explore the options.
As a professional recruitment agency, Sunstone Talent maintains NZD $5 million in public liability insurance cover.
Technical, Engineering Consulting?
We can also provide engineering technical engineering consultants that can come in and spend 1-2 days per week (or when needed) in a more adhoc arrangement in which they can up skill your team on a new technology or engineering framework, or introduce a new methodology or way of working. They will provide support to your team by phone or online around engineering product or project release cycles for example or periods of change to hand-hold your team to get through the scary parts and help your team succeed.
Looking to hire an engineer in Christchurch or the South Island?
Whether you're growing an engineering team, developing an innovative new product or looking for a hard-to-find technical specialist, we'd love to hear about your plans.
Let's have a chat about your engineering recruitment requirements.
Contact Paul today on 021 532 008
Email: paul@sunstonetalent.com