Brazil’s most valuable resources are people. Diversity and respect for the other people, energy and bright eyes, union and young spirit characterize the people whose motto is to be happy.  In a universe of 200 million beating hearts, which will turn the Olympic and Paralympic Games into memorable celebrations in 2016, about 110 thousand people will be guided by Henrique Gonzalez, Human Resources Director of the Rio 2016™ Organising Committee.

Four thousand employees will be working full time in the Organising Committee, in addition to 36 thousand professionals hired and around 70 thousand volunteers who will perform the most diverse functions during the event.  Approximately one year ago and in the next four and a half years, the mission of Gonzalez is to recruit, train and manage this entire workforce.

“This is a delightful project for everyone.  It is a personal and professional achievement at the same time. You feel like you are contributing in tangible issues, such as the current Rio’s urban transformation, and in intangible social transformation, which stems from the olympism values and the learning opportunities that come from sport: respect, teamwork, discipline, know how to win and lose. This is something that affects everyone, youths or adults, men or women, rich or poor, which goes far beyond Brazilian borders”, says the director,  a sports fan who practices several different sports, from Volleyball to Wrestling, from Tennis to Kitesurf.

The pursuit of learning and a generic vision have led the Mechanic Engineer to the areas of transportation and finance before joining the remuneration sector, and finally to Shell Human Resources management in Brazil and South America. With a twenty-year track record, he accepted the challenge of taking over the functional areas of the Olympic Games Workforce and Corporate Human Resources in Rio 2016™. He started to build the team virtually from scratch, establishing processes, systems and planning for the next few years.  The Committee currently has 255 employees in its payroll. It will end 2012 with a 380 headcount. It will end the following years with 700, 1,600 and 2,300 employees, respectively, until reaching a four-thousand headcount at Games-time.

Now Hiring

In the current stage of the organisation, the profiles analysed by Gonzalez and his team seek to meet the demand for management and analyst positions (check out the opportunities section). The experience in the position and English proficiency, with some exceptions, are prerequisites. The challenge of recruiting the best professionals is increasingly important due to the excellent moment of the Brazilian economy, which reaches parameters which are near full employment.

“We seek professionals who enjoy challenges, want to learn and like changes. We want people who are naturally confident in their work. This is a key element when you want to take part in such a major project. These people know that growth and exposure here expand employability ahead”, Gonzalez comments. “We will have 80 to 100 partners and sponsors with values that are aligned with ours, which will be highly interested in recruiting this highly-qualified workforce after 2016”.

A Committee with a Brazilian face is one of the Director’s goals.  Multidisciplinarity of professionals in the 63 functional areas must be aggregated with multiple personal characteristics, something unusual in a society marked by ethnical diversity such as Brazil’s.

“We value and encourage diversity, which is a symbol of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. During the Games we plan to have a workforce which represents a diversity of ideas, gender,races, region, minorities, among others. It is strategic that we have, for example, people with disabilities working in the Committee. Not only for the Paralympic Games, but also for the will to contribute to these people’s inclusion and to encourage this initiative in the whole society”, he affirms.

Volunteer Programme initiates in 2014

The long expected Volunteer Programme will be launched by mid-2014. Some people will already be working in the test events in 2015. According to the director, a mobilisation and engagement extensive work will be carried out in a country where the culture of sporting volunteers is still dismal.

“This will be a tremendous opportunity for several public segments. We will have from students to people who take a vacation to take part in the event, in addition to retired people who get out of their homes to have this experience. We will work together with our partners’ initiatives in terms of capacity development, for example. For a good number of youths, this will be the first-job opportunity that will yield good results in the future”, analyses the Director, which summarizes the legacy in human resources generated by the Rio 2016™ Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“The main legacy will be training people to organise sporting events in another level of professionalism and to delivery excellence. This will have a strong influence on the Brazilian and even on the international sport markets. But it goes beyond this. The workforce we will have here will develop according to the best management practices, which contribute to their leadership capacity, to face transformational challenges, planning, management and operation. These professionals will also leave this experience better qualified to face the corporate job market”.

In the four and a half year period ahead, we will have plenty of stories to tell our friends, relatives and especially future employers. The transformations are not limited to the city. For Henrique Gonzalez, they are mainly associated with the best resource Brazil can have.