Meet The Team: Steve Schaap, Head of FMCG Recruitment

Tell us about your career so far?

I spent my early career in print advertising working for major newspapers in the US.  I was a territory manager looking after geographical areas in Colorado, Texas and Omaha, Nebraska – where I was born.

When I moved to the UK in 2008, after settling in, I decided to make a career change to recruitment.  I started working for a generalist agency and really liked the work, however it was clear to me that a specialism was the way forward.  In 2016, I started with an agency specialising in food manufacturing, recruiting interim and permanent managers up to Managing Director level, and I have enjoyed working in that market ever since.

I joined GCS earlier this year, in the newly opened office in Loughborough. I am very pleased to join the business at this exciting time of growth and look forward to contributing to its continued success.

What are your specialist sectors at GCS Associates?

I am currently Head of FMCG. I recruit manufacturing roles, specialising in food manufacturing and have experience across other consumable manufacturing. I specialise in both interim and permanent placement and typical roles I recruit are Development Technologists, Process Managers, Business Unit Managers and Shift Managers (to name a few!)

Tell me about how you help clients/ candidates?

I help my clients by offering them simple, honest and knowledgeable solutions. My clients usually call me because they have an immediate problem that needs an immediate solution.  They expect me to understand their problem whether it be related to Operations, Engineering, Process or anything else related to their manufacturing site.

My candidates benefit from working with a consultant that knows the industry and has a history of working with integrity.

What do you do outside of work?

When we are not fighting a global pandemic, my wife and I like to travel and spend time with our family and friends.

If you are looking to recruit or considering a new job within food manufacturing, I’d love to hear from you!