Summary

Solve partnered with SunDrive to scale its hiring capability across technical, operational and corporate functions. The engagement focused on delivering high-quality hires at speed while building a more efficient, insight-led talent acquisition model.

About

SunDrive is an Australian deep-tech company operating at the forefront of solar innovation. With rapid growth ambitions and highly specialised talent requirements, the business needed a hiring approach capable of supporting both scale and precision across multiple functions.

The challenge

SunDrive required immediate hiring support across a diverse set of roles, spanning technical, operational and corporate functions.

The team needed additional capacity to manage hiring demand without compromising quality, and leadership required greater visibility into hiring performance to inform decision-making and workforce planning.

Compounding this was the complexity of hiring in a niche, deep-tech market, where candidate availability is limited and competition is high. SunDrive needed to move quickly, maintain high standards and ensure strong alignment between role requirements, candidate expectations and offer positioning.

The solution

Solve embedded into SunDrive’s talent function to design and execute a scalable hiring approach focused on speed, quality and insight.

This included:

• Delivering end-to-end recruitment across technical, operational and corporate roles
• Implementing structured screening and shortlisting processes to improve candidate quality and conversion rates
• Equipping hiring leaders with clear, actionable insights across the recruitment funnel
• Designing and deploying talent collateral to strengthen market positioning and candidate engagement
• Streamlining hiring workflows to reduce time-to-hire and improve decision-making speed

The model prioritised precision at the point of candidate identification, ensuring only highly relevant candidates progressed through the process while maintaining pace in a competitive market.

The result

In five months, 10 business-critical hires were completed faster than market benchmarks, with an average time to fill of 35 days. Once candidates entered the process, hiring cycles averaged just 17 days, minimising delays and maintaining momentum.

Our conversion metrics reflected strong alignment between candidate, role and offer, with a 91% offer acceptance rate demonstrating effective calibration and positioning, while a ~36% interview-to-offer ratio highlights efficient screening and high-quality shortlists.

From a cost-saving perspective, Solve’s embedded model delivered measurable savings. With an average cost per hire of $12,140, SunDrive achieved approximately 20% greater cost efficiency compared to traditional recruitment models, equating to a total saving of $28,600 across the engagement.

Beyond the numbers, SunDrive now benefits from a more structured, insight-led approach with hiring surveys embedded into the process, creating a feedback loop to allow continuous optimisation.

Client testimonial

“Solve came onboard at short notice to help us hire technical and complex roles into the team. What started as consultancy turned quickly into a trusted partnership.

Solve hired 10 critical and brilliant team members for us in 5 months across technical, operational and corporate roles. They were professional and personable throughout the engagement; working with leadership and hiring teams to ensure that the right candidates made it through the process, and more importantly through offer and into the role.

When priorities shifted or circumstances of our business changed, Solve reacted with grace under pressure - they were quick to point out alternative solutions or identify a potential misstep.

I was grateful for the behind-the-scenes support that the broader Solve team provide their talent agents; knowing that there is a network of connected individuals working for our business and who can step in at a moment's notice brought me piece of mind during potentially tricky periods.”

Nicola Smith, Chief Performance Officer & General Counsel at SunDrive

‍