Facing the challenge of quickly developing a satellite office to launch a flagship software product line is enough to make any CTO cringe. A healthcare SaaS company from the Midwest charged The HT Group with that task. They needed to build a solid future in Austin. Within 45 days, The HT Group secured candidates who successfully laid a firm foundation.
Challenge
In February 2016, a health management solution company was expanding their presence in the Austin market from a few dozen engineers in a Research and Development (R&D) division to more than 100 engineers leading the development of a flagship product line. The client needed to establish a local Senior Vice President (SVP) of Engineering to lead this surge and a Human Resources (HR) Director with a firm understanding of how to scale a technical team.
The SVP of Engineering would be reporting to a non-local Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and hiring droves of talented software engineers. The Human Resources Director would be reporting to a nonlocal Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and leading the transformation of the fast-growing office. Both positions required only the best possible candidates in the Austin market.
Solution
The HT Technical team helped fill the SVP of Engineering role in three weeks by evangelizing the client’s story with top CIOs and technology leaders in the Austin market. From there, the top candidates—who were passive candidates not actively searching for new opportunities—were evaluated on leadership capabilities, technical acumen and reference checks. The top three were sent into the final stages of interviewing with the CTO and CHRO and the finalist was chosen. The HTTechnical team delivered the offer and the new SVP started the role three weeks later. Of the three candidates presented, the first recommendation by the HT Technical team was the candidate selected for the role.
The HT Professional team worked closely with the Chief HR officer to understand the nuances of the projects the new HR Director would take on. The role was remarkably different from other HR leaders’ roles at the company’s Midwest headquarters. The HT Group’s top HR recruiter, Chrystal Huth, led the charge in evaluating over a dozen HR leaders in the Austin market. The final candidate hailed from a leading technology company that helped solidify Austin in the tech scene in the early 2000s. The candidate flew through the interview process and, without hesitation, was offered the position.
Results
Within a 45-day period, The HT Group secured two critical hires for the non-local company, turning a potentially high-stress situation into a comfortable, confident process. The healthcare SaaS company has now moved forward with its plans to grow its Austin staff under the guidance of The HT Group’s recommended hires. Furthermore, the HT Technical team has now placed multiple Java software engineers, technical recruiters, and other resources into the fast-growing division.