Talking Talent with Recruitment Business Partner, Alice Walden

Alice Walden, Business Recruitment Partner at Dennis Eagle UK

1. Hi Alice, thanks for joining us to talk talent within the world of waste today. How long have you been with Dennis Eagle and how has recruitment at the business changed since you started? 

Thanks for having me. I’ve been with the business now for coming up to eight years, so have naturally seen a lot of change during that time. My own career journey has changed significantly since I joined Dennis Eagle; having started out as a Receptionist for our Warwick office I was later seconded to the HR team to help support with administration and advertising for roles. From there, I became a Recruitment Officer, responsible for managing the end-to-end recruitment process across all our UK sites, before starting as Recruitment Business Partner in 2024. I’ve had a great first-hand insight into, not only how our team has grown and evolved, but how the industry approaches recruitment as a whole. 

Over the years our HR team has gone from just two people to a full department of 14, and we’re still recruiting ourselves! Between us, we’re now overseeing anywhere between 50 – 70 live roles every month, a huge increase from when I first started. Our processes have also vastly improved over time, through the introduction of invaluable tools like Greenhouse which acts as a central hub for recruitment needs across the entirety of the wider Royal Terberg Group. This has already made a huge difference following its introduction, helping to automate recruitment-based tasks and enabling us to track the progress of applicants. We’re constantly seeking new ways in which we can streamline and enhance what we do, driven by continuous improvement and always open to feedback from our people.  

2. What would you say are the business’ priorities for recruitment currently? 

I don’t think it will come as a surprise when I say the UK skills shortage in our industry is really honing our focus at the moment. Our business is built on the exceptional skills of our manufacturing and engineering experts, very physical and demanding manual jobs that are increasingly difficult to fill. We’re always looking for talented HGV Technicians and Welding specialists, something which is becoming more and more critical as valuable members of our existing workforce begin to retire. While working on a refuse collection vehicle (RCV) is challenging, it is also incredibly rewarding, especially with such a visible product, so we’re working to emphasise the many advantages of being involved in these projects to try and appeal to more young people and get them onboard with our mission.  

We’re also looking at how we can best support our existing expertise by offering them opportunities to upskill across disciplines through our new Technical Training Centre. Paired with this, we’re increasing the amount of early careers outreach we’re doing within the local community, strengthening our relationships with schools, colleges, and universities, as well as our apprenticeship partners such as Midland Group Training Services (MGTS) to try and be as proactive as possible when engaging with potential candidates.

3. Speaking of outreach, are there any big plans for this coming up this year?  

Yes definitely. We’re currently reaching out to several local schools to get involved in more career days and are putting some of our experts forward to give various talks on the different roles available across the business. We also attended a Job and Opportunities Fair hosted by MP Matt Western, Warwickshire College Group, and Leamington Job Centre last month to great success, some speed networking for World of Work Week at Coventry College at the beginning of March, and will also be attending the National Apprenticeship Show at the CBS Arena this month. Later in the year, we will have presence at the National School and College Leavers Festival in Stoneleigh, and will continue our great work with the Engineering Development Trust for its Industrial Cadets Gold Award scheme.

4. How has Dennis Eagle been supporting its cohort of apprentices over the past few years?   

We’re proud to have a strong cohort of 41 apprentices and counting, from Apprentice HGV Technicians to Supply Chain Apprentices, stretching across all aspects of the business. We’ve actually been in the throes of celebrating and thanking our apprentices through multiple activities last month in alignment with National Apprenticeship Week, which ran from 9th – 15th February. At the very top of the month, we invited apprentices from all over the UK to join us at our new Technical Training Centre for a networking day which gave them the chance to meet their peers, hear from previous apprentices, explore our factory, and engage in a team-building exercise.  

We also took three of our apprentices on a trip to the House of Lords in Westminster for a special showcase event hosted by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This gave them a good insight into the experiences of other apprentices from across the automotive industry, a deeper understanding of how apprenticeships are evolving within the sector, and even saw them enjoy a tour of the Houses of Parliament and the House of Lords as an added bonus. We’ve been running a highly successful apprenticeship programme for decades, with some of our apprentices having stayed on for many years. Some even celebrated their 40-year milestones with us in 2025. Several of our apprentices have won awards during their time at our factories for their exceptional work, further demonstrating their incredible impact on our business.  

5. Once a job offer has been made to someone, what are the next steps? 

One thing we’re looking to improve this year is reducing what we call the ‘time to fill’ a role, which is the space between a job offer being made and the candidate in question saying ‘yes’. This can be a surprisingly long time – we saw an average of 52 days in 2024, which we’re now looking to reduce to only 40 days. We’re working internally with managers across the business to bring this figure down and streamline the process however we can.  

Following the role being accepted, our new starters are given an induction with our OEM Trainer Chris Chalk, which can vary in length and activity depending on the position being filled. New starters then receive an introduction to the business with our company overview, taking them through the history of Dennis Eagle and Terberg Matec UK and their connection to the Royal Terberg Group. This is followed by a HR induction with our Recruitment Officer, Raquel Lima, which provides details surrounding our benefits, key systems, and any essential administrative details. Our induction process is every employee’s first impression of our business so it’s critical we get this right. 

6. What opportunities are there for progression at Dennis Eagle? 

Loads! This largely comes down to where we can identify areas for growth within the business, so wherever advantageous we offer significant support with training and upskilling opportunities thanks to the courses available from our Technical Training Centre. We also have a funding levy available to help our existing employees build on their knowledge, hone their expertise, and broaden their experience through work-based qualifications. This covers multiple areas and disciplines including project management, finance, health and safety, mechanics, engineering, and many others. What’s more, Greenhouse gives everyone visibility of the live vacancies across the entire Royal Terberg Group, opening doors they may not have previously considered. We’re really passionate about helping people reach their full potential here.  

If you’d like to find out more about the many benefits and opportunities offered at Dennis Eagle, visit the business’ new Careers page for information. Find your place with us today.