Building a high-impact MES team in Europe for RoviSys
Building an MES practice in a new market requires foundational hires with both technical depth and entrepreneurial initiative. MITREC mapped 176 MES engineers across Europe for RoviSys and delivered a shortlist so strong that two hires were made from a single mandate, with a 100% interview-to-selection ratio.
RoviSys, a leading US-based system integrator, was expanding its MES practice into Europe. The company needed to hire its first European MES engineers to establish credibility, win projects, and build a delivery capability that could compete with established European system integrators. The challenge was twofold: finding MES engineers with the right technical depth and project experience, and finding them willing to join a company with no existing European MES track record.
MITREC was retained to find a Lead MES Engineer who could serve as the foundation of RoviSys's European MES practice. The ideal candidate needed hands-on MES implementation experience across multiple platforms, the ability to work independently while building a team, and the commercial awareness to support business development efforts. This was not just a technical hire; it was a strategic appointment that would determine the success of RoviSys's entire European MES expansion.
We mapped 176 MES engineers across Europe, covering system integrators, MES vendors, and end-user manufacturers. Our research identified candidates working with every major MES platform including Siemens, Rockwell, AVEVA, and GE Proficy, as well as specialists in niche platforms. Each candidate was assessed on technical depth, project delivery track record, commercial awareness, and their appetite for the entrepreneurial challenge of building a new practice. We presented a shortlist that included candidates from competing system integrators, MES vendor professional services teams, and independent consultancies.
The search delivered such exceptional candidates that RoviSys made two hires from the single mandate. Both candidates brought deep MES engineering expertise and the initiative to build a practice in a new market. The European MES team has since grown from these initial hires into a thriving practice, winning and delivering projects for major European manufacturers. The 100% interview-to-selection ratio reflected the quality of our candidate screening and shortlist calibration.
MITREC mapped the European MES engineering landscape more thoroughly than we thought possible. Every candidate they presented was someone we wanted to hire. The fact that we made two hires from a single search speaks to the quality of the shortlist. These hires have been the foundation of our entire European MES practice.