Meet the future of energy: Daniela Maniaci, Senior Technical Recruiter at Northvolt

You spent a significant part of your life in China. What lead you to work and live there for over eight years?

It started as an impulse seeing some exciting characters written on a notebook at the age of 18, but then it developed into a true passion, as I decided to master the Chinese language in writing and speaking. At 19, I first visited China and came to travel back and forth to the Middle Kingdom while deepening my relationship with the culture, people and language amidst the great economic growth that took place from 2000 and onwards. The energy was electric, the atmosphere was optimistic, and the spirit was high.

After graduating in 2004, I started to work in China as an interpreter for manufacturing companies and eventually began working as Project Manager for different companies in China. From 2008 I decided to move to settle in China to work and live there. 

What happened then?

After some, I made a career move into the recruitment services industry, as a Manager with Michael Page in Shanghai. I built up their practice for Engineering and Manufacturing, serving different multinational companies like Akzo Nobel, AstraZeneca, Schindler, Volvo, Johnson Controls etc. I headhunted both local and foreign professionals to work in China. It was really fun!

You spent eight years in China, then in you moved to Sweden. Why the change?

China brought a lot of good things to my life. For example, in China, I also met my husband – who is Swedish. After our first son, we decided it was time to go back to Europe to be closer to the family. In 2016, we moved to Stockholm.

Sweden is a great place to raise a family, my kids are really happy here. From the career perspective, my experience in recruitment helped me find a great job quickly.

I began working at Nigel Wright as a recruitment consultant, helping companies find great talents within engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain.

After two years I decided I wanted to make my next career change, moving from consultant to in-house recruiter. From media and friends, I learned about Northvolt which was making the big headlines for its ambitious efforts building a factory to produce “green batteries”. 

What’s your role at Northvolt?

As part of the Talent Acquisition Team, I am responsible for finding, attracting, and recruiting talents from all over the world. To be a world-class organization, we need to find exceptional individuals who fit well into the Northvolt culture. Currently, I am working to find candidates for several teams including finance, quality, procurement, engineering.

The phone rings, and it’s you on the other side of the line. What do you say to someone you are trying to recruit?

This is a unique journey and a great chance for you to make a difference in the shift towards a more sustainable society. You will be part of something that hasn’t been done before, working with an incredibly competent, driven, passionate and bold team. From designing new cells to creating the greenest batteries on earth. What are you waiting for?

What do you do in your spare time?

I have a full-time job taking care of my kids. Apart from that, due to my passion for languages, I have also enrolled in a course to improve my Swedish. I enjoy playing the piano, to draw and to do some Yoga when life permits.