Because many hiring decisions are still made as if the role is fixed. As if the job someone is being brought in to do will look the same in three or six months’ time as it does on day one. In practice, that’s rarely the case, particularly in automotive and high-performance environments where projects evolve quickly.
What tends to matter more is how adaptable someone is once things start to change.
I see this quite often when speaking to hiring managers. The focus is naturally on finding someone who matches the brief as it exists today. The right experience, the right tools, the right background. But less attention is given to how that person will operate when the project inevitably shifts direction.
And that’s where some hires start to struggle.
Not because they’re not capable, but because the role they’ve stepped into isn’t quite the one they expected. The pace is different, the challenges are different, or the way the team operates isn’t what they’re used to. Small gaps start to appear, and over time those gaps can impact delivery.
From an engineering perspective, that’s not surprising.
Most projects go through phases. Early-stage development feels very different to later-stage delivery. The problems you’re solving change, and the type of support the team needs changes with it.
That’s why the businesses that tend to perform best are the ones that hire with that in mind. They’re not just thinking about the role as it exists today. They’re thinking about where the project is heading, and how that role might need to evolve over time.
In some cases that means bringing in people with broader experience. In others, it means being more flexible in how roles are defined from the outset. It also means being realistic about the fact that no hire is going to be a perfect fit for every stage of a project.
And that’s fine.
Because strong teams aren’t built on static job descriptions. They’re built on people who can adapt, communicate, and continue to add value as things change.
Final thought
Engineering projects don’t fail because plans change. They struggle when teams aren’t set up to deal with that change. And in my experience, getting the hiring piece right, thinking beyond the role on paper and focusing on how someone will perform in the real world, is a big part of making sure delivery stays on track.
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