Head of Talent hire at High-growth startup
Snapshot
Company: High growth consumer Brand
Role: Head of Talent (first internal Talent hire)
Method: Headhunt Search
Delivery time: 4 weeks
Cost Efficiency: 54% lower cost than traditional percentage-based recruitment fees
The Challenge
The company was entering a period of rapid growth and needed a Head of Talent to establish the function from the ground up.
This required a profile with proven experience building hiring processes and talent infrastructure, and the confidence to operate as a close partner and challenger to the founding team. The individual needed to be proactive, commercially aware, and able to take ownership quickly, shaping approach while still delivering hands-on execution from day one.
There was no existing talent pipeline in place, and the market for Talent leaders with genuine scale-up experience is competitive, with strong candidates moving fast.
It was therefore essential that the search was tightly defined, well-positioned, and executed with pace.
Our Approach
We kicked off the search from day one, immediately following the calibration discussion. With the success profile clearly defined, we ran a structured, fast, and targeted search focused on relevant operating experience rather than job titles.
A key part of the process was how we positioned the opportunity: we developed tailored outreach and messaging that clearly articulated the company’s vision, trajectory, and the genuine scope for impact in the role. This ensured strong engagement and made the opportunity competitive and attractive to high-quality candidates.
Within the first five days, we had identified and screened a focused pool of candidates with genuine scale-up experience and the capability to build a Talent function from the ground up.
We progressed qualified candidates into first interview stage in under a week, and from there supported the process end-to-en, aligning assessment criteria, managing candidate communication, and maintaining consistent momentum.
By the fourth week, the business had progressed multiple strong finalists and moved to offer stage.
Pipeline & Performance Metrics
57 targeted outreach messages sent
96.49% open rate
54.39% response rate
6–7 candidates shortlisted to the hiring team
3 candidates progressed to final stage
Offer issued at Week 4
Summary
This search demonstrated the impact of a clearly defined brief, disciplined targeting, and thoughtful role positioning.
By aligning quickly and executing with pace, we were able to identify and progress a high-quality shortlist in a competitive market and move the process to offer within four weeks.