Who: Zip Water | Industry: Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing | Headcount: 500+
Zip Water is a leading Australian manufacturer of instant water systems, the company serves a massive commercial and residential market across Australia.
The Challenge
With a lean HR team of three managing 650 employees, the company faced a hiring surge for technicians in a tight market. This coincided with a maternity leave vacancy and a complex merger requiring intensive integration of payroll and benefit platforms.
The Solution
Zip Water engaged Employee Matters under the outsourced internal recruitment model; the Recruitment Partner Service (RPS). Their dedicated Recruitment Expert immersed herself within the company and culture to act as a seamless extension of the HR team. She managed the end-to-end process, from stakeholder engagement to agency management, allowing the internal HR Business Partners to focus on critical merger integration activities like EAP and e-learning rollouts.
The Results
The embedded approach delivered high-velocity results with a focus on cultural fit:
- 17 positions filled in just 5 months across both blue and white-collar roles.
- Significant Cost Reduction: Achieved at a fraction of the cost of traditional transactional agencies.
- Operational Efficiency: Freed up HR leadership to successfully merge two workforces (650+ staff).
- High Retention: Focused on “values-fit” candidates who deliver long-term value back to the business.
Client’s Own Words
“I feel like my Expert is an advocate for me. She develops great relationships with key stakeholders and at times when I dropped the ball, she promptly picks it up before it even hits the floor.
Samantha Varndell, HR Business Partner, Zip Water