Building a Magnet for Engineers: Langan’s CHRO on AI, Flexibility, and Teamship

Summary

When retirements equal graduates and infrastructure demand surges, how do you grow a human-capital business?

Donovan Mattole, Chief Human Resources Officer at Langan, a global engineering and environmental consulting firm, breaks down how his team competes in a structural talent shortage.

He shares Langan’s “magnet for talent” strategy blending hybrid flexibility, development-first leadership, and unique rewards like compensatory time with an industry-wide push to expand the pipeline through STEM outreach and smart immigration.

Donovan details a practical listening strategy (surveys, focus groups, and on-the-ground visits to 50 offices), reframes the Gen Z value proposition around purpose and long-term careers, and shows how his HR team is preparing for 2026 with AI-powered development plans.

Expect candid lessons on when to build vs. buy AI (from Microsoft Copilot-enabled chatbots to partnering with Atlas Copilot), why “teamship” beats leader-centric models, and how values must anchor decision-making amid fast-changing tech.

Timestamps

[00:45] – Who Langan serves and why it’s a pure human-capital business

[02:07] – 2026 challenge: engineering talent crunch and the scale of demand

[03:43] – Becoming a “magnet for talent”: flexibility, development, and comp time

[05:50] – Expanding the pipeline: STEM outreach, F‑1 to H‑1B, and industry collaboration

[06:48] – Listening strategy: surveys, pulses, focus groups, and site visits across 50 offices

[08:23] – Rethinking Gen Z retention: purpose, connection, and full-career value at one company

[10:09] – Upskilling HR for 2026: development plans and AI-created learning pathways

[11:38] – Build vs. buy AI: Atlas Copilot pilots and an in-house HR policy chatbot

[16:31] – Don’t chase shiny objects: keep trust, values, and managers at the center

[18:02] – From leadership to “teamship”: distributing accountability across the team

[19:40] – Final advice: live your values and use them for daily decision-making

Takeaways

- Compete in tight talent markets by designing a true “magnet employer”: flexible hybrid work, visible development paths, and unique rewards like comp time.

- Expand supply, not just demand: partner across industry, invest in K–12 STEM interest, and leverage F‑1 OPT to H‑1B for critical skills.

- Listen systemically and locally combine surveys and focus groups with leadership walkabouts to surface what employees actually value.

- Reposition retention for Gen Z: sell purpose, connection, growth, and the benefits of building a full career at one company.

- Use AI intentionally: buy solutions for well-defined outcomes, build selectively in-house, and equip HR with AI-driven learning pathways.

- Shift from leader-centric management to “teamship” so accountability, communication, and innovation are shared across the team.

- Anchor transformation in values use them as decision-making guardrails amid rapid technological change.

Sponsor

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Donovan Mattole, CHRO at Langan Engineering & Environmental Services

HR Voices

Donovan Mattole, CHRO at Langan Engineering & Environmental Services