Scaling Talent and People Function for a High Growth Tech Start-up

The
Client

Avionte, a rapidly growing cloud-based software company

Avionté, the Minnesota-based staffing software company backed by Serent Capital was founded in 2005 and has seen rapid growth both organically and via strategic acquisitions like WorkN in 2021 and SimpleVMS in 2023. They serve over 900 clients and 25,000 users across the U.S. and Canada, processing over $15 billion in payroll annually.

The Challenge

Scaling staffing software solutions to maximize growth potential

Having recently transitioned to Private Equity ownership with Serent Capital after thriving as a founder-led organization for 13 years, Avionte was poised for rapid expansion.

With a new C-level team driving renewed momentum, Avionté recognized that strategic succession planning at the Director and VP levels in Human Resources and Sales was critical to sustaining and accelerating growth.

Building a robust leadership framework in critical functions through effective succession planning would empower Avionte to scale operations and capture greater market share, so they turned to our team to identify exceptional talent for these pivotal roles.

The Solution

Finding a Vice President of Human Resources who could successfully drive the next phase of maturation and expansion

The transition to Private Equity ownership meant finding a leader who aligned well with the new organizational culture and identified with its ambitious growth goals was critical. We conducted multiple thorough onsite sessions with Avionté’s team to deeply understand their vision and grasp the new leadership team’s short- and long-term objectives for scaling the $20M+ company.

To drive Avionté’s next phase of maturation, we focused on recruiting a VP of HR capable of navigating the “grey zone” to build robust HR processes, including compensation, benefits, technology systems, talent acquisition, and leadership development. Our team researched and compiled a prospect chart of rising HR leaders from SaaS companies with $30M–$200M in revenue, crafting a compelling and transparent narrative to attract top talent.

Through the high-touch recruitment of our PrecisonPath™ process, we sourced 8 exceptional leaders, with 5 advancing to first-round interviews. Avionte's top choice accepted a compelling offer and began as the new HR leader three weeks later, positioning the company for sustained growth.

The Outcome

An impactful People Operations leader with deep expertise in human resources

“I have had the unique opportunity to work with Cultura in two capacities – as a placed executive candidate, and as a client. Throughout the entire process, they were awesome to work with. They were transparent, very communicative, and honest. They worked to truly understand our needs for the role... I highly recommend Cultura to both candidates and any organization that is looking for a true recruiting partner.”

Avionte chose a seasoned people operations leader with over 20 years of experience in HR, talent acquisition, executive recruiting, and client services.

The candidate's extensive background at Edmentum, an education SaaS company, equipped him with a deep understanding of navigating complex organizational changes. During his tenure there he played a pivotal role leading corporate recruiting and HR functions before transitioning to oversee sales training, onboarding, and customer implementation teams, deliberately broadening his expertise to become a more effective strategic business partner. This diverse experience uniquely positioned him to drive Avionté’s HR initiatives with a business-focused perspective.

His proven expertise in change management, and unique experience transitioning to PE ownership and navigating multiple acquisitions—including one that doubled the company’s revenue and headcount—ensures he is up for the challenge of guiding Avionte through its next phase of growth with confidence and impact.

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