Hiring a Global HR Director: How We Helped a Tech Scale-Up Find the Right Fit

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The Brief

We were engaged by the CEO of a growing tech business with a global workforce, spread across both office-based and remote environments.

They were going through a period of positive change and needed to hire a new HR Director to:

• Join the executive team
• Support the next stage of organisational development
• Lead the small HR function while shaping people strategy

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What They Needed

The ideal candidate would:

• Have experience working in a global, distributed organisation
• Understand the HR challenges of a remote and hybrid workforce
• Bring strong commercial HR experience
• Be comfortable operating strategically and delivering operationally

This wasn’t a big-team leadership role. They needed someone who could think like a Strategic HR Leader but still roll up their sleeves.

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Our Role

We were appointed exclusively to manage the entire recruitment process.

This included:

• Market mapping
• Salary benchmarking
• Sourcing and engagement
• Interview coordination
• Final offer management

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How We Approached It

We started with:

• Salary benchmarking to agree on a competitive but realistic range
• Collaboration with the internal team to understand current structure, culture, and future plans

We then launched a targeted search across three potential base locations, supported by:

• Inclusive and engaging job adverts on specialist job boards
• Direct engagement with passive talent
• Coordination with the client’s internal team to manage inbound interest

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Commitment to Inclusion

We ensured our outreach and advert copy:

• Used inclusive, neutral language
• Emphasised the flexibility of the role
• Reached a broad and diverse audience

This reflected both our client’s values and our own approach to fair and representative hiring.

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Interview Process

Initial Screening – We spoke to all potential candidates to assess interest, motivation, and cultural fit.

First-Stage Interviews – We conducted structured interviews focused on:

• Strategic capability
• Experience with global teams
• Commercial mindset
• Readiness for a scale-up environment

CEO Interview – Shortlisted candidates met the CEO for a more in-depth discussion about:

• Business vision
• Role expectations
• Personal Alignment

Final Onsite Assessment – Finalists were invited to an onsite meeting including:

• Presentation task
• Stakeholder interviews
• Cultural fit evaluation

This staged approach gave the client and candidates space to explore mutual fit thoroughly.

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The Result

The process led to the appointment of an experienced HR Director who:

• Brought international HR leadership experience
• Had a proven record in scale-up environments
• Fit culturally with the team and leadership style

They’ve now joined the executive team and are already shaping the next phase of the company’s growth.

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Why It Worked

• Clear and aligned brief
• Trusted relationship with the CEO
• Strong candidate experience throughout
• Focus on diversity, flexibility, and transparency
• End-to-end management of the process

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Need to Hire a Senior HR Leader?

Whether you need a permanent or interim HR Director, we can help you:

• Attract the right people
• Reduce time-to-hire
• Ensure a fair, structured process

Let’s talk.