Ep 40 Why RPO partnerships fail (and what ZRG and Symbotic did differently)

In high-growth technology sectors, talent acquisition leaders face an unprecedented scaling challenge: how can organizations rapidly deploy recruiting capacity while maintaining quality and cultural fit? The RPOA's 2025 RPO Trends Report shows that relationship quality ranks as the top factor in RPO partnership success. Technology companies scaling warehouse automation and robotics operations struggle to build recruiting teams fast enough to support 30+ site deployments across multiple states simultaneously. According to a McKinsey report, only strategic embedded RPO partnerships that integrate seamlessly with internal teams can deliver flexibility and expertise to achieve rapid, scalable workforce growth aligned with business goals.Solving this capacity-quality paradox requires rethinking traditional vendor relationships. In this episode of the Time to Hire podcast, host Lamees Abourahma speaks with Matt Corbett, President at ZRG Embedded Recruiting, alongside his clients Martha Bradley and Alex McGrane of Symbotic, to explore how RPO partnerships evolve from transactional services into strategic talent engines. They reveal the communication practices, flexibility frameworks, and integration strategies that transformed Symbotic's recruiting operations during their IPO and explosive growth phase. Join the RPO Association today to stay ahead of the latest trends and best practices in talent acquisition, achieve your professional goals, and benefit from improved business performance.Contact the RPO Association at [email protected] Matt Corbett on LinkedInFollow Martha Bradley on LinkedInFollow Alex McGrane on LinkedInFollow Lamees Abourahma on LinkedInFollow the RPOA on LinkedInGo here for more information about ZRGGo here for more information about the RPOAAbout the PodcastTime to Hire is produced by the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association (RPOA), the leading authority on recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) foresight and innovation, and the trusted convener for the global RPO community. Through conversations with industry leaders, the podcast explores the trends, insights, and innovations shaping the future of talent acquisition.Learn more about RPOA and join the community at: https://www.rpoassociation.org.Follow the host, Lamees Abourahma, on LinkedIn.