“As a company with a high technological component, taking care of our talent is very important to remain competitive”

Mireia Romarate, Human Resources Director at JUARISTI

What is JUARISTI’s Human Resources policy based on?

We are a company with a high level of technological expertise working on turnkey projects. This requires highly qualified profiles and very close-knit teams that achieve a balance between the different areas. In this sense, the work of the Human Resources department consists in developing the talents of the whole JUARISTI team, spread over different areas and departments, to become a leading company in this sector.

What are the department’s day-to-day priorities?

The day-to-day priorities are people management in areas such as recruitment, training, motivation… We must coordinate the recruitment and retention of talent, which means consolidating ourselves as an attractive employer and at the same time taking care of our employees, knowing and responding to their needs and ambitions.

In these times of growth, how is the hiring strategy structured?

Our philosophy is based on recruiting a young team. We prioritise hiring qualified young people with skills to train them in JUARISTI’s fields of activity and make them understand our business values. Once in our ranks, we supervise and shape with them in their professional development and ambitions, always for the common good of the company.

Which profiles are the most in demand in the company?

As demand has grown considerably in recent years (reaching a record number of new orders in the last financial year), and with it the workload and the number of installations and interventions, we currently require a great deal of direct labour. In particular, we require mechanical assemblers to cover the assembly, disassembly and commissioning needs of the machines that are currently in production. However, the greatest challenge of recruitment lies in the technical profiles. Our advanced engineering model requires mechanical or electronic engineers who are specialists in our field, who speak foreign languages and have international experience. Those profiles are the hardest to find.

What qualities does a professional need to work at JUARISTI?

Above all, we are a people-oriented company that places great value on a collaborative environment and teamwork. This is why we attach special importance to being proactive, responsible, communicative and working as a team. I think that is something that sets us apart and transfers to our customer relationships. On the other hand, as we work on very different ad hoc projects, we need creative, innovative and ambitious professionals who work in detail to achieve the best solutions.

Is there any type of collaboration with the territory’s universities/training centers?

Yes. It is logical that we promote collaborations with educational centers in our region. In the Basque Country, universities such as the University of the Basque Country, Mondragon or Tecnum (University of Navarra) have a great reputation for technical training and their engineers are very well educated. We have agreements so that students can carry out their internships or research work with us and this provides us with a window of opportunity to recruit talent. In addition, we have agreements with professional training centers such as IMH – Machine Tool Institute in Elgoibar and Izarraitz in Azkoitia. We give priority to local talent to generate revenue in our territory and encourage dual training.

What measures are being promoted by the department to improve employee satisfaction?

It is important to underline that the turnover rate within the company is very low. In general, we can say that all the people who enter to work here, stay on. The good working atmosphere and conditions and the possibilities for personal development are the keys to this. We promote initiatives such as personnel training and education plans, which we review annually and in a mutually agreed upon manner with employees so that they themselves can establish their objectives and their professional development path. In addition, we have worked to improve the work-life balance of employees by offering flexible working hours, which has been very well received. We have invested in the plant to improve the infrastructure and the technicians’ tools so that they can carry out their work more easily. We have also expanded their training in occupational health and safety to reduce accidents.

What are the steps that will be taken by HR in the coming years?

Promote training, improve work-life balance, maintain discipline and good habits, keep low accident rate and continue promoting workplace safety… In short, provide continuity to the measures we have been driving and try to increase the satisfaction and motivation of all JUARISTI members.

Finally, what would you say makes JUARISTI an interesting company to work for?

JUARISTI is a technological company, well positioned in its sector, with ambition to grow and which is involved in the personal and professional development of each of its workers.