The talent function of an elite tech company, built for your stage.
We’re talent architects from Google, AWS and Canva.
We build the hiring system a scale-up actually needs. The playbooks, the scorecards, the AI-augmented workflows. All designed to run without us.
Two costly ways to scale a team. And a better one.
Most scale-ups solve hiring one of two ways. Both quietly drain runway.
Hire a talent exec too early
A full-time talent leader is a large, inflexible cost before you've proven the function — a big slice of runway on one non-revenue hire, and slow to unwind if the stage shifts.
Outsource the whole function
Lean entirely on outside recruiters with no system behind them, and you pay per head every cycle, can't calibrate quality, and never build internal muscle. The issue isn't using an agency — it's having no strategy except the agency.
Build the system
Put the internal engine in place: the playbooks, the scorecards, the workflows. Every channel performs better, including the specialist agencies you choose to keep. You spend deliberately, not by default — and the capability stays in-house.
From reactive hiring to a system that scales with you.
Without a System
Reactive scramble — every role starts from scratch, no repeatable process.
Subjective interviews — an inconsistent bar lowers your quality of hire, driving churn and reputational damage.
Spinning wheels — recruiters in endless hiring-manager meetings, lots of activity, no traction.
No internal muscle — capability lives in people's heads, so it never compounds and leaves when they do.
With the System in Place
A funnel that's yours — proactive, data-driven, mapped to the open market.
Objective scorecards — functional and behavioural criteria, applied consistently to raise your quality of hire.
AI-augmented workflows — sourcing, screening and outreach, built on Gemini and Claude.
Capability that stays — your team is trained on the playbook before we step back.
We’re not here to rip out your agencies. A strong internal system makes the right specialist partners more effective — and shows you exactly where they’re worth it.
From diagnosis to a hiring engine that runs without us.
Diagnostic Talent Architecture Audit
Fixed scope · ~2 weeksA data-driven read of the current function: ATS hygiene, funnel metrics, employer brand, technical assessment, compensation benchmarking, and a clear view of where specialist agencies add value and where they don't.
You get: A prioritised roadmap — the bottlenecks, the gaps, and a blueprint for an AI-augmented hiring system.
System implementation
Fixed-scope sprint · 4–8 weeksThe build. We embed to install the engine: AI-augmented workflows in a secure environment, ATS automation for screening, "World Class Talent" scorecards, and hands-on training for your team.
You get: A working, owned hiring system and a team that knows how to use it.
Fractional Retained Leadership
Retainer · 1–3 days per weekStrategic custodian of the engine: oversight of exec search, continuous workflow tuning, mentoring internal staff, and board-level advisory on workforce planning and org design.
You get: An executive on call at a fraction of the loaded cost — scaled down as your team levels up.
Built inside Google, AWS and Canva. Tuned for your stage.
Scale & Infrastructure (Google)
Former Lead Technical Recruiter for Google SRE. Scaled the elite Sydney engineering team 10x. Operated as a global SME, developing technical screening platforms and delivering Computer Science fundamentals training to technical recruiters worldwide.
Commercial & GTM Architecture (AWS)
Former Principal Recruiter at AWS. Led the technical hiring engine for Solutions Architects and Customer Success across the APJC region, driving massive YoY growth while reducing time-to-fill by 51%.
Specialisation:
Talent system architecture · Hiring analytics & funnel design · Technical assessment & scorecards · AI-augmented workflows · Compensation & EVP frameworks
Hyper-Growth & Scaling (Canva)
Former Lead Talent Partner for Software Engineering. Built and scaled the elite technical teams that powered Canva's hyper-growth trajectory, mastering the mechanics of hiring at unicorn velocity.
Workflow Architecture
Former Head of Recruitment (Software Engineering & Product) with over 18 years directing high-performance technical search desks. Deep domain expertise in recruitment workflows, talent intelligence and AI process orchestration.
Specialisation:
Recruitment workflow design · Talent intelligence & market mapping · Technical search at scale · AI-augmented sourcing & screening
Enterprise-grade AI, on your terms.
The AI-augmented workflows run on enterprise Claude or Gemini — in your own instance where data residency matters, or a managed enterprise service where that suits you better.
Either way, it’s not a shared consumer tool, and your candidate and compensation data is never used to train a public model.
You get the same process rigour we ran at Google and AWS, with enterprise-grade security and nothing to rip out later.
If you're weighing how to build your talent function, let's talk.
Start with the diagnostic. Walk away with a roadmap whether or not we go further.