Strengthening a Global Tech Team Through Inclusive Leadership Hiring | Case Study
Recruiting Non‑Traditional Talent to Hire Six Engineering Team Leads
I acted as a Fractional Talent Partner for a London tech recruitment company to deliver inclusive leadership hiring for a global software development client. I managed the end‑to‑end recruitment of six Engineering Team Leads, sourcing non‑traditional and underrepresented talent to support expansion across London and Ghana. This work strengthened their engineering function and enabled wider operational growth.
CLIENT
Tech recruitment company , London
PROJECT SCOPE
Inclusive leadership hiring for expansion
ENGAGEMENT
2-5 hours per week over 9 months
PROJECT OVERVIEW
I partnered with the founder of a well‑established London‑based tech recruitment company to deliver a new Recruitment as a Service (RaaS) model for one of their key clients - a fast‑growing software development startup operating across London (Canary Wharf) and Ghana. My remit was to act as their outsourced Talent Partner and manage the end‑to‑end hiring of six new Engineering Team Leads who would mentor, develop, and eventually take ownership of the engineering teams in Ghana as part of a long‑term succession and legacy plan.
A key part of the assignment was to identify strong leadership potential from non-traditional talent pools within the tech sector. This included candidates from groups that are often overlooked in hiring processes, such as women, people from Black and minority ethnic communities, and professionals who had the capability to lead others even if their CVs did not reflect a conventional management track record.
The salary range for these roles was £70,000 - £100,000, and I was responsible for conducting first-stage interviews, assessing suitability, and presenting candidates with written recommendations for progression.
The success of this project led to further assignments, including hiring a Fractional CFO, a Customer Service Training provider, and Engineering roles in Brazil and Germany.
THE CHALLENGE
This project carried a high level of commercial importance for both my client and their end client.
-
It was the first time my client had delivered this service model, so success was critical in proving that their new Recruitment as a Service offer could work in practice.
-
Their commercial agreement with the software company was results-based, meaning they would only be paid if the hiring project succeeded.
-
The software company had no internal HR or recruitment function, so I needed to operate as an embedded outsourced Talent Partner.
-
There was no formal job description - only a verbal brief - and the process involved my first‑stage interview, a technical assessment, and a final interview with the founders
-
We were tasked with sourcing candidates from frequently overlooked areas of the tech industry, and selection criteria extended beyond technical capability - values, motivation, leadership potential, and alignment with the company’s mission were equally important.
-
Hiring needed to happen in phased cohorts across the year so that new academy graduates in Ghana could be absorbed into projects with the right management support in place.
This meant the work required more than candidate sourcing alone. It called for careful interviewing, strong judgement, empathy, and the ability to represent both organisations professionally throughout the process.
OBJECTIVES
-
The project had three clear objectives:
-
-
1. Recruit six Engineering Team Leads for a fast-growing software development company headquartered in London, with remote engineering teams based in Ghana.
-
2. Source candidates from non-traditional managerial backgrounds and underrepresented groups, while ensuring strong alignment with the company’s culture, values, and ambitions.
-
3. Act as an extension of the software company’s internal team, delivering a high-quality candidate experience and a credible outsourced talent function.
MY APPROACH
Following an introductory meeting with the end client, I then held regular meetings with key stakeholders every two to three weeks to discuss progress, candidate quality, and evolving skill priorities as new academy cohorts graduated.
My approach was deliberately designed to feel different from a standard agency screening process. I wanted candidates to experience the process as though they were speaking directly with an internal talent partner rather than an external recruiter.
To support this:
-
I conducted all first-stage interviews by telephone, typically lasting 45 to 90 minutes, depending on the candidate’s background and questions.
-
I represented both organisations professionally throughout the project, including using dedicated email access and integrating the client relationship into my LinkedIn presence for the duration of the assignment.
-
I used a friendly, open, and professional interview style to encourage honest conversations and uncover leadership capability, values, and motivation, not just technical competence.
-
I produced written candidate summaries with clear, unbiased recommendations on whether each individual should progress.
-
I maintained regular communication with both my client and the software development company to ensure alignment throughout each phase of hiring.
WHAT I DELIVERED
My contribution included:
-
Comprehensive first-stage interviews for candidates identified as potentially suitable for the Engineering Team Lead role
-
Written candidate summaries explaining suitability and recommending whether to progress or reject
-
Unbiased shortlisting decisions grounded in leadership potential, values alignment, and role fit
-
A high-touch candidate experience, including personally managing rejected candidates across all interview stages with empathetic telephone feedback
RESULTS
The project delivered strong results for both the recruitment firm and the software company.
-
All six Engineering Team Lead roles were filled within nine months
-
The expanded leadership capacity enabled the Ghana academy to increase its intake and support delivery across more projects
-
The founder of the software development company was able to step further into strategic growth and future expansion planning
-
My client successfully proved the value of their new RaaS model and began selling it to the wider market.
-
I was retained to support additional hires, including a Fractional CFO, a Customer Service Training provider, and technical roles in Brazil and Germany.
CLIENT FEEDBACK
“It was a pleasure to work with Mel….she brought a natural confidence that made it possible to keep all processes running with ease and keep everyone involved at every stage of the process. Nothing was ever a problem. She was always available to answer any questions and always had great feedback from our clients. What really shone with Mel was her positive and friendly attitude. This is such an important trait for anyone we engage at [our company] and so Mel was a natural fir for us. I highly recommend Mel to any company looking for an experienced Talent Partner.”
- LinkedIn recommendation
TOOLS, METHODS & EXPERTISE USED
Recruitment • Interview Techniques • Candidate Assessment • Talent Partnering • Diversity‑led Hiring • Stakeholder Communication
This project helped my client successfully prove and launch a new Recruitment as a Service model while giving their end client the leadership capability needed to scale with confidence. By delivering six successful Engineering Team Lead hires and creating a strong candidate and stakeholder experience throughout, the project expanded into further recruitment assignments, including a Fractional CFO, a Front-End Full-Stack Developer, and a Software Engineer.
85 Great Portland Street, First Floor, London, Greater London, W1W 7LT
Consultancy Services
Support
Company
Legal
