From Polestar and McLaren to a New Sector — and 15% More

Charlie had built his career as a Life Cycle Analyst, working with Polestar and then McLaren. His expertise sat at the intersection of sustainability, engineering, materials, data and product impact. These were valuable skills. More importantly, they were highly transferable. The challenge was recognising where else the market would value them.

He moved from premium automotive into building and water infrastructure, close to London, demonstrated the potential to build and lead a team, and improved the value of the offer by 15% before he had even started.

The Situation at a Glance

The Starting Point: Transferable, Not Disposable

Charlie wanted his next move to take him beyond automotive while keeping him close to London. Rather than starting again, our objective was to identify organisations where the capability he had already developed could solve a different set of problems. That led us towards infrastructure and the built environment.

That is the work of a Career OS™ MOVE campaign: not broad applications, but a defensible view of which markets have the problems your existing evidence already answers.

The Opportunity

Charlie secured an interview with a major building and infrastructure company working on significant Thames Water projects. On paper, this represented quite a change: from Polestar and McLaren into water infrastructure. In reality, the underlying capability travelled remarkably well.

The objective was not to present Charlie as somebody attempting to escape automotive. It was to demonstrate how his existing sustainability and Life Cycle Analysis expertise could create value in another industry. A career change does not always mean starting again. Sometimes the real work is understanding which parts of your experience travel with you — and finding an employer prepared to value them.

The Interview Question That Changed the Conversation

During the interview Charlie was asked: “Who would you need in your team?” Charlie had not previously been responsible for leading a team, so his instinctive answer was effectively: nobody.

Afterwards, we discussed it. I encouraged him to think beyond getting the job and consider what success might actually look like once he was in it. If he were sitting in that role three months later, delivering successfully and building the function properly, what capability would he need around him?

We developed a simple organisational structure showing three people working for him. That exercise moved Charlie’s thinking from candidate to future leader. It also revealed something else: if the organisation was prepared to contemplate a team beneath the position, there was clearly budget associated with the function. That became important when the offer arrived.

This is why interview preparation for technical managers is not question rehearsal. It is deciding, in advance, what the role looks like when it is being done well.

The Offer

Charlie had successfully made the move. He had the opportunity he wanted, in the right geography, using his transferable expertise in a completely different sector. But the initial financial offer was lower than we believed the role and Charlie’s contribution justified.

So we went back to the evidence. Charlie researched the market and benchmarked both the role and the industry. He looked carefully at what somebody performing that job should command. Then we went further. We identified the additional capabilities he brought that weren’t necessarily captured by the job title alone — his automotive experience, sustainability expertise, analytical capability and experience of sophisticated engineering environments.

The argument wasn’t: “I would like more money.” It was: “This is the value of the role, and this is the additional value I bring to it.” That distinction is the whole basis of evidence-led salary negotiation.

Charlie picked the approach up brilliantly. He constructed a comprehensive, evidence-based email setting out his case and sent it to the company.

The Result

They increased the offer by 15% immediately.

I subsequently told Charlie that he should have spoken to me before accepting it. Given how quickly the company moved, I believe there may have been further room in the negotiation. Charlie didn’t mind. He was delighted.

He had successfully moved from premium automotive into a new industry, found an opportunity close to London, demonstrated the potential to build and lead a team and materially improved the value of the offer before he had even started.

What This Case Demonstrates

The most important lesson is not simply the 15%. It is transferability. Experienced professionals frequently underestimate how valuable their capability can be outside the industry in which they developed it.

Your job title does not define the boundary of your career. Sustainability, engineering, programme delivery, analysis, leadership, stakeholder management, commercial decision-making and problem solving can travel remarkably well.

One Thing to Do Today

Publication and Evidence Note

This case is based on information supplied directly by Dai Jones about a Career OS™ client engagement. The client is identified by first name only and the employing organisation is intentionally unnamed. The quotation is reproduced as given to Eich Dyn by the client.

Individual outcomes vary and depend on experience, evidence, competition, market conditions, timing, employer decisions and client execution. Eich Dyn does not guarantee interviews, offers, appointments, promotions, salary outcomes or immigration outcomes.