Man–frekl. 08–18
KontorHedelykken 2-4, Hedehusene
DEFENCE & DEFENCE INDUSTRY
Defence: Competencies for a growing defence industry
The Danish and European defence industry is undergoing significant change. Production capacity must increase, new technologies must be developed faster, and companies must be able to scale their organisations and deliveries at a pace that places new demands on access to specialised competencies.
This applies to the Danish Armed Forces, established companies and new defence and dual-use companies moving from development and prototype to industrialisation and larger-scale production.
At Sourcing IT, we work with Competence Supply Chain for companies and organisations where technology, specialist knowledge and execution capability are crucial. Our starting point is simple:
If the defence industry is to increase its capacity, the Competence Supply Chain must be able to keep up.
4,000new employees needed by the Danish defence industry towards 2030.
7,650 → 13,700expected growth in the number of employees in the Danish defence industry.
Source: Danish Technological Institute, October 2026
OUR APPROACH
Competence Supply Chain: competencies as strategic capacity
The defence industry naturally has a strong focus on supply chains for materials, components, technology and production capacity. But for companies to scale, a robust Competence Supply Chain is needed.
Which competencies will become critical?
Where can they be found?
When do they need to be available?
Should they be built internally, recruited permanently or added as flexible specialist capacity?
01StrategyGrowth plan, programmes and order book
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02Competence PlanningCritical competencies and timing
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03Sourcing
BuildRecruitFreelanceInternational
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04CapabilityThe right competence, at the right time, in the right form
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05ExecutionDevelopment, production and deliveries
For some competencies, recruitment is the right solution. Other needs are best covered by freelance or interim specialists. And in areas where the Danish candidate market is limited, international sourcing may be necessary.
That is why Sourcing IT works with Competence Supply Chain as a combination of recruitment, freelance specialists, international sourcing and strategic advice on the candidate and competence market – in the Danish market and the wider NATO market.
SCALING
From prototype to production
One of the major challenges for growth companies in the defence industry arises in the transition from development to industrialisation.
An organisation that has been strongly engineering- and product-oriented suddenly needs entirely different competencies.
Competence planning should therefore follow the company’s growth plan. It is not enough to know which employees the company lacks today. You also need to understand which competencies the next phase will require.
- Engineering and Systems Engineering
- Quality Assurance and Quality Control
- Manufacturing and Production Engineering
- Supply Chain, Procurement and Supplier Quality
- Cyber Security and IT/OT Security
- IT Infrastructure, Enterprise IT and ERP (SAP S/4HANA and MS D365 F&O)
- Project and Programme Management
- Safety, Compliance and Risk Management
- Operations and Management
- Finance, HR and other specialist and staff functions
Acquisitions & integration
The same applies when companies in the defence industry are acquired or merged. Systems, processes and organisations must be integrated, often with ERP consolidation as the biggest task. Here we can provide both specialists and project deliveries through our sister company Approxima.
INTERNATIONAL SOURCING
When the competencies are not available locally
Defence often requires access to a larger candidate market.
Some specialist profiles are difficult to find in Denmark. This is especially true when requirements for technical specialisation are combined with industry experience, documentation, regulatory understanding or security clearance requirements.
We have networks and sourcing resources in Denmark and several European countries, including Poland, Spain and the UK. This gives companies a better basis for making decisions about both recruitment and organisation.
We understand the real candidate market:
- Where are the competencies found?
- Which requirements are actually critical?
- Which competencies can be transferred from other regulated industries?
- What can be developed internally?
- When does international sourcing make sense?
DKDenmark
PLPoland
ESSpain
EURest of Europe
REQUIREMENTS & CLEARANCES
Security and compliance
Competence Supply Chain in a market with special requirements.
The defence industry places special requirements on both companies and employees. That is why it is important that the requirements are identified early in the process.
A specialised technical profile may be professionally perfect – but still not be usable for a specific assignment if the necessary security or compliance requirements cannot be met. This is therefore a natural part of our dialogue about the candidate market and sourcing strategy.
Security clearance
Information security
Export control
Documentation
Quality systems
Regulatory compliance
Experience from regulated industries. For many years, we have provided specialists to highly regulated industries where validated processes, data control, security and traceability are crucial.
SOURCING MODELS
One competence challenge – several sourcing models
Not all competence needs should be solved in the same way.
What matters is not the model, but ensuring the right competence, at the right time and in the right form.
STRATEGY
Competence Supply Chain as part of the defence strategy
The European defence industry is facing a significant scale-up. But production capacity cannot stand alone.
That is why the Competence Supply Chain must be an integrated part of companies’ growth and scaling strategy. Sourcing IT contributes knowledge of the specialist market and access to competencies in Denmark and internationally – from specific specialist needs to a dialogue about how the company builds a more robust Competence Supply Chain.
Technology must be developed.
Production must be industrialised.
Supply chains must be established.
Quality and compliance must keep pace.
IT and cyber environments must be able to support growth.
All of it requires people with the right competencies.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about recruitment for the defence industry
What is a Competence Supply Chain?
An approach where competencies are planned as a strategic supply on a par with materials and components: which competencies will become critical, where they can be found, when they need to be in place, and in what form.
Which competencies do you provide to the defence industry?
Engineering, quality, manufacturing, supply chain, cyber security, IT and ERP, project and programme management, compliance, as well as management and staff functions.
Do you work for both the Danish Armed Forces and private companies?
Yes. We deliver to public authorities, including via SKI framework agreement 1711, and to private companies in the defence industry – from established suppliers to new defence and dual-use companies.
Can you provide security-cleared candidates?
We clarify the security clearance requirements early in the process and match with candidates who meet them and can be cleared. We can carry out background checks and have security-cleared candidates in our database.
Do you also recruit internationally?
Yes. When the competence is not available to a sufficient extent in Denmark, we search our international network.
Can you help with IT integration after an acquisition?
Yes. We provide specialists and full project deliveries for ERP consolidation and system integration.
CONTACT US
Shall we talk about your Competence Supply Chain?
If you are facing growth, new programmes, industrialisation or a specific specialist need, we are happy to have a professional dialogue about your competence needs and the market.
