Building Talent Foundations for a Global Scale-Up

The Challenge:

The client required a Director of Talent and People who could support rapid global scale-up while establishing foundational people processes across a newly funded organisation. The role demanded a rare blend of recruitment, talent, and HR expertise, combined with experience in the satellite or broader space ecosystem. Identifying an individual capable of thriving in a greenfield environment, without the infrastructure of a large corporate team, significantly narrowed the potential talent pool. Additional complexity came from the need to hire in Europe for a US-led organisation still defining compensation expectations and operational maturity.

Our Solution:

The recruitment team began by consulting with the client on market expectations, including salary benchmarking and realistic talent availability across Europe. A refined search strategy was developed, focusing on locations with the strongest alignment to the required technical and sector knowledge. Multiple screening rounds enabled the team to pinpoint individuals who could succeed in a high-growth, process-light environment.

• Conducted targeted research across European and US scale-up ecosystems to identify candidates with blended HR, talent, and resourcing expertise.
• Leveraged existing networks and referrals within the satellite and technology sectors to uncover individuals with proven start-up experience.
• Prioritised screening for adaptability, resilience, and familiarity with building people functions from scratch, ensuring cultural alignment with the client’s evolving environment.

The Outcome:

The individual placed brought extensive experience scaling organisations through early growth phases, having previously supported growth from 20 to over 100 employees within just 18 months. Their background in established yet fast-growing, technology-driven environments provided the credibility and insight needed to build robust people processes from the ground up. They offered strong HR, talent acquisition, and organisational development expertise that aligned perfectly with the hybrid nature of the role, while demonstrating a deep understanding of cross-regional dynamics and the complexities of scaling a transatlantic workforce. Since joining, they have delivered immediate value by implementing scalable structures that support rapid headcount expansion, enhance employee engagement, and establish essential foundations for the client’s long-term ambitions across both US and European operations.