Strengthening People Operations for an Early-Stage Cybersecurity Startup
The Client: A Scaling Cybersecurity Company
A fast-growing cybersecurity startup, operating in the highly regulated enterprise and government sector, had secured significant seed funding and was preparing for its next stage of expansion. The company safeguards sensitive data for commercial enterprises and government institutions, ensuring compliance with complex data sovereignty and security regulations.
With a small but ambitious team, the company needed to scale efficiently while maintaining agility and operational focus.
The COO had been managing hiring directly up until my arrival. While their approach was thoughtful and deliberate, it was time-consuming and lacked the structured processes needed to support future growth. There was no established People Operations function, meaning hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning needed a more scalable approach.
I was brought in as Interim People Director to build a practical, high-impact People strategy that supported hiring, optimised talent acquisition, and laid the groundwork for future expansion.
The Objective: Creating Scalable People and Hiring Infrastructure
When I joined, it was clear that the business needed a People strategy that could support its fast-paced growth. The key priorities were:
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Developing a structured talent acquisition strategy to attract and retain high-calibre tech talent
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Building out a careers page to increase direct hiring and enhance the company’s employer brand
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Reducing time-to-hire and improving candidate experience by implementing an effective Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
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Creating a seamless, data-driven onboarding process to accelerate time-to-productivity for new hires
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Implementing scalable HR technology to support long-term company growth
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Defining and executing a structured approach to the company’s first in-person offsite, working with the CEO, COO, and Founders Associate to design an agenda that fostered meaningful engagement in a remote-first team spread across Europe and the US
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Developing a digital HQ in Notion, ensuring the company had one source of truth for values, processes, and ways of working, helping employees (especially new joiners) navigate the organisation with clarity
Like many early-stage cybersecurity companies, the business had strong product and engineering teams but lacked structured People Operations. Hiring was thoughtful but time-intensive, onboarding was inconsistent, and no tech-driven solutions existed to streamline recruitment or manage employee data effectively.
The challenge was to build a high-performing hiring strategy and People function from scratch, ensuring efficiency without adding unnecessary complexity.
The Solution: A Scalable People and Talent Strategy
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Collaborated with the COO to introduce a structured People Operations framework, ensuring the business had the right systems and processes in place to support efficient scaling
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Developed and executed a high-impact tech talent acquisition strategy, leading to a 40% increase in qualified candidates and a 30%+ reduction in time-to-hire
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Built a branded careers page to increase direct hiring and reduce reliance on external recruiters, improving employer branding and candidate experience
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Implemented Teamtailor (ATS), a user-friendly, accessible platform suited for startups, streamlining recruitment processes, improving candidate experience, and ensuring hiring managers could operate efficiently despite limited capacity
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Introduced Humaans (HRIS), an AI-powered platform designed for high-performing, globally distributed teams, providing a scalable, tech-driven solution for workforce planning and employee data management
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Established a Preferred Supplier List (PSL) for tech recruiters, working closely with the COO to create a structured and cost-effective external hiring process
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Executed the company’s first in-person offsite, ensuring the remote-first team could engage meaningfully, travel safely, and work on tangible business challenges
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Developed a digital HQ in Notion, providing a central source of truth for company values, policies, ways of working, and team expectations, making it easier for employees (especially new hires) to integrate smoothly into the organisation
What Got Fixed and What Improved
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Tech Talent Pipeline and Hiring Strategy led to a 40% increase in qualified candidates and a 30%+ reduction in time-to-hire
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Scalable HR Tech Stack introduced Teamtailor (ATS) and Humaans (HRIS), ensuring a streamlined hiring, onboarding, and employee management process
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Faster Employee Onboarding automated processes reduced time-to-productivity for new hires
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Stronger People Operations ensured the company had data-driven, scalable processes to support long-term growth
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A More Aligned Team following the company’s first structured offsite, where the COO shared and tested the company’s value statements with the broader team. This co-design approach ensured that employees felt ownership over the company’s direction and a sense of belonging
By the time my role phased out, the company had a structured, scalable hiring and onboarding system in place, providing a foundation for its next phase of growth.
What the Co-Founder & COO Had to Say
“Lindsay is a rare combination of startup agility, corporate acumen, and execution excellence. She built our People Operations from the ground up, ensuring we had the right structure to scale while moving fast and delivering real impact.
She’s reliable, results-driven, and understands that in high-growth environments, speed and precision matter. She operates with a founder’s mindset, solving problems, making smart decisions, and always focusing on what moves the needle. If you need someone who just ‘gets it’ and delivers, Lindsay is the person you want on your team.”
What the Team Had to Say
“Lindsay is the most caring, professional, and empathetic person. The hiring process is seamless with Lindsay. You just voice your expectations and concerns, and suddenly you start getting a properly refined process and candidates.”
Takeaway for Founders & Business Leaders
Many early-stage cybersecurity startups struggle to attract and retain top talent because they lack structured hiring, onboarding, and People processes. But delaying these foundations only creates bigger challenges down the road.
This business successfully streamlined hiring, improved talent acquisition, and created a scalable People strategy, ensuring they could grow without operational roadblocks.
