The Problem: When There Are Only a Handful of Such Specialists in Russia

A major mining company was preparing to launch an ambitious project. They needed neither a pure economist nor a pure engineer. They required a Life Cycle Costing (LCC) specialist – someone capable of forecasting the cost of an asset from the moment of drilling right through to the decommissioning of equipment.

The problem: there are only a handful of such people in Russia. And those with experience specifically at a processing plant are virtually non-existent.

The client had already tried to search on their own – through personal networks, industry forums, and even conferences. The result was zero. Candidates either failed to understand the difference between LCC and traditional estimating, or their experience was limited to construction, where the logic is completely different.

Project deadlines were tight. A miscalculation created the risk of cost overruns that could multiply the initial budget many times over. They needed someone who truly knows how to calculate every single year of equipment's life.

That is when they turned to us.

The Challenge: Finding a Needle in a Haystack of Russian Subsoil

We were looking for a person with three rare competencies combined:

• Engineering mindset – understanding of processing flows, equipment wear, logistics
• Financial modelling – discounting, CAPEX/OPEX, residual value
• LCC experience in a capital-intensive industry (mining, oil & gas, heavy machinery, metallurgy)

The vacancy was based in Moscow. At first glance, this simplified the task – no need to solve the relocation problem. But paradoxically, in the capital, LCC specialists with specific mining experience turned out to be even rarer than in the regions – most were already employed by major EPC contractors and oil & gas projects.

Our Approach: Not Searching, but Detecting

We did not post the vacancy and wait – that would have been pointless.

Instead, we:

1. Conducted an in-depth interview with the client – not just "who do we need", but "what problems will they solve in their first month, first year, five years from now". This gave us a dynamic profile of the ideal candidate.
2. Mapped the market – where do LCC specialists actually work? We found them in large EPC contractors (oil & gas), heavy machinery manufacturers, and a handful of project institutes.
3. Hunted across adjacent industries – we deliberately looked at candidates from oil & gas and heavy engineering. Their LCC logic is identical; only the context differs.
4. The key tool was a practical test – each candidate received a real (anonymised) case study requiring them to calculate three lifecycle scenarios for a piece of equipment. No abstract theories – concrete numbers, which were later verified by the client.

The Turning Point: How to Convince Someone Who Is Already Doing Well

We found five strong candidates. All lived in Moscow, had stable jobs, good salaries, and settled lives. None were eager to leave their current employer.

The question: why would they move?

Motivation became a separate phase of the project. Baseline salary expectations were met – without that, there would have been no conversation. But the deciding factor was not the financial package. We highlighted the scale of the project, the chance to influence technical decisions from the ground up, and a clear career track towards leading a project economic modelling group.

For one candidate, the decisive argument was that his calculations would genuinely impact the budget of a multi-billion-dollar project. That proved more powerful than a simple 20% pay rise.

The Moscow market is overheated, and the opportunity to become a key expert on a unique project outweighed the comfort of a central office working on yet another "routine" assignment.

The Results: Numbers That Speak for Themselves

• Vacancy closed in 6 weeks (the market average for such roles is 3–4 months)
• The candidate started work and successfully passed the probation period
• According to the client, uncertainty in forecasts decreased by 30% thanks to the candidate's LCC model

Key Takeaways from This Case (and How They Can Help You)

1. You cannot simply "find" an LCC engineer – you can "grow" one from an adjacent industry.
   The LCC methodology is identical across oil & gas, heavy engineering, and mining. Industry-specific knowledge can be covered in 2–3 weeks of intensive immersion – giving you a specialist without overpaying for a "perfect CV".
2. A practical test is not just a filter, but a tool for persuasion.
   Once the client saw the candidate working through a real case, all doubts disappeared. And the candidate, in turn, understood the level of challenge and agreed to make the move.
3. Motivation often lies outside monetary compensation.
   For niche specialists, the chance to build a system from scratch is worth more than a salary bump. We identified and used that lever.
4. Moscow is not a silver bullet.
   Even in the capital, a rare specialist can be hidden away in a niche company. You can only find them through targeted hunting and persuasion.

Case statistics:

• Candidates in the funnel: 19
• Shortlisted for the client: 2
• Finalists: 1
• Offer accepted: 1
• Time to close: 6 weeks