Case Study
The Situation
When a private equity firm acquired a rapidly scaling engineering services company, they knew professionalizing talent acquisition would be one of the keys to success. Our client engaged Acumen, an award-winning executive search firm consistently recognized among the Pacific Northwest’s most admired companies. Their highest needs were to professionalize HR and asked Acumen to identify both a VP of HR as well as a Senior Talent Acquisition Manager who could both lead a team and roll up their sleeves to recruit critical roles.
This case study focuses on hiring their Sr. Talent Acquisition Manager.
The Challenge
The environment demanded a unique leader:
- Someone comfortable in a fast-changing, startup-like atmosphere.
- A seasoned recruiter who could bridge white-collar and blue-collar/skilled labor talent pools.
- A manager who understood PE/VC-backed growth pressures and could operate in a matrixed services organization where lines of reporting were often blurred.
- A recruiting leader who could recruit across the organizational chart.
The role originally carried the title of Talent Acquisition Manager, but Acumen’s team knew the company might need a leader capable of thinking bigger and building for the future.
Acumen’s Process
Rather than restrict the search to the “exact” job title, Acumen presented a calibrated slate of candidates—ranging from hands-on recruiters to Director-level leaders.
Within just two weeks, Acumen submitted four highly qualified candidates, including one “out-of-the-box” option: a Silicon Valley recruiting manager with both VC and PE-backed software and construction industry experience. His hybrid background, both recruiting and managing recruiting teams across technical, frontline, and corporate recruiting, proved to be exactly what the company needed.
He was quickly identified as the top candidate. Leadership elevated the role to Director of Talent to match his strategic abilities and future-facing approach.
The Impact
Since stepping into the role, this candidate
- Wrote 91 offers in 6 months.
- Successfully navigated two acquisitions, growing headcount from 380 to over 500 employees in a period of 3 months.
- Supported the opening of three new offices.
- Introduced structured onboarding processes and modernized recruiting systems.
- Began evaluating new Applicant Tracking Systems platforms.
- Shifted reporting structures to align talent acquisition more closely with HR leadership.
The Director himself shared:
“When I stepped in, there wasn’t a lot of structure around recruiting or best practices, so I focused on modernizing the function. We’ve streamlined processes, improved systems, and aligned the team. I’m also focused on balancing hands-on recruiting with building scalable strategy.”
Working with Acumen
The client highlighted Acumen’s role in making the right match:
“You all were pretty on it. The information from you and the PE firm was very aligned, and communication was solid and timely throughout the process.”
Need help scaling functions in high-growth environments? Reach out to Suzanne Hanifin at 503 679 6008 or find us at https://www.acumenexecutivesearch.com/contact-us/.