Supporting Jazwares' EMEA Growth Through Strategic Team Building

Not every recruitment project is centred around a single vacancy. Some require a long-term talent strategy, careful workforce planning, and the ability to build multiple functions simultaneously while maintaining consistency, quality, and confidentiality. Our partnership with Jazwares, one of the world's leading toy manufacturers and the company behind the global phenomenon Squishmallows, is a great example of how recruitment can play a critical role in supporting business growth.

Headquartered in Florida and part of the Berkshire Hathaway group, Jazwares has established itself as a global leader across toys, collectibles, plush, and licensed products, working with some of the world's biggest entertainment brands including Pokémon, Star Wars, Five Nights at Freddy's, and CoComelon. As part of its continued expansion across the EMEA region, the business required support in growing its planning and supply chain function through a confidential multi-hire project.

More Than Filling Vacancies

This assignment was not about replacing individuals or making isolated hires. It was about building capability within a growing department and creating the foundations for future growth.

Due to the commercial sensitivity of the project, confidentiality was critical throughout the process. Before engaging the market, we worked closely with key stakeholders to understand the structure of the team, future business objectives, reporting lines, and how each hire would contribute to the wider function. This enabled us to create a recruitment strategy that considered both immediate hiring needs and long-term departmental growth.

Rather than treating each role as a standalone search, we approached the project as a connected talent solution, ensuring every hire complemented the wider team structure and future operating model.

Mapping the Market Before Going to Market

As with all successful recruitment projects, the foundation was built through detailed market mapping.

We conducted extensive research across the EMEA region to identify relevant talent pools, competitor organisations, transferable skill sets, and candidate availability. This upfront work allowed us to build a clear picture of where the strongest talent existed and how to position the opportunity in a competitive market.

The additional planning was particularly important given the range of roles required and the need to attract professionals with varying levels of experience across demand planning, supply planning, data analysis, and supply chain coordination.

By investing time in understanding the market first, we were able to proactively engage high-quality candidates rather than relying solely on active applicants.

Delivering Multiple Hires Across a Growing Function

The project included recruitment across several key positions within Jazwares' planning and supply chain team, including:

Each role required a slightly different search strategy, candidate profile, and assessment process. Our team managed the entire recruitment lifecycle, ensuring a consistent approach across all vacancies while tailoring the search to the specific requirements of each position.

Through structured candidate interviews and detailed assessment, we delivered shortlists that provided hiring managers with genuine choice while maintaining quality throughout the process.

A Candidate Experience Built on Relationships

Multi-hire projects can often feel transactional for candidates, particularly when businesses are recruiting rapidly. We took a different approach.

Every candidate received dedicated support throughout the process, with a consistent point of contact from initial engagement through to offer management and onboarding. We invested time in understanding individual career goals, motivations, and aspirations, ensuring that candidates fully understood both the opportunity and the wider business journey they would be joining.

This relationship-led approach not only improved candidate engagement but also strengthened offer acceptance rates and helped create a positive impression of the Jazwares brand throughout the market.

Building for the Future

The success of this project came from recognising that recruitment is not simply about filling jobs. When businesses are investing in new teams, expanding functions, or preparing for future growth, recruitment must become a strategic partner rather than a reactive service.

By combining detailed market mapping, confidential search expertise, robust candidate assessment, and a long-term partnership approach, we helped Jazwares successfully grow a key department across the EMEA region.

Projects like this demonstrate the value of taking the time to do things properly. When recruitment is approached strategically, multiple hires become more than successful placements. They become the foundation for future business growth.