People infrastructure for scaling companies

ABOUT — Meet Alicia

I have spent 10 years building People functions that founders didn't know they needed until they had them.

Recruiting at McKinsey taught me what a high bar actually looks like. Hiring across 15 European markets at Zalando in Berlin taught me how to operate at scale without losing rigour. And twice now, I have walked into an early-stage tech company as their first People hire and built everything from scratch: the systems, the culture, the hiring muscle, the career frameworks, the compliance infrastructure. Both companies scaled significantly. One was acquired.

That is the work I am drawn to and the work I am genuinely good at. Not maintaining a People function someone else built. Building the one your company actually needs.

Founders hire me when they have outgrown ad hoc but are not ready for a full-time Head of People. When they know something is breaking but cannot name exactly what. When they want an operator in the room, not a consultant dropping off a deck.

I build AI-native workflows into the People function because the companies I work with expect every part of their operation to move that way, and People should be no different.

I work with tech companies at whatever stage that tension shows up, whether that is 15 people or 150, wherever they are building.

How I work

Three principles that shape everything I do.

Culture is the Filter

The wrong hire does not just leave -- they cost you months and quietly damage what you have worked to build.

The hardest roles to fill are not the ones with the longest job description. They are the ones where culture fit matters as much as capability. I embed your mission, values, and vision into every search -- not as a checklist, but as the lens. That is how you fill the roles others cannot, without compromising the bar.

Facts, Not Feelings

Every recommendation I bring to a leadership team comes with the analysis behind it.

When the data exists, I use it. When it does not, I build the tools to collect it. People decisions are expensive. They deserve the same rigour you apply to product or finance -- and that is exactly what I bring.

Growth stalls when people do not know where they stand or where they are headed.

I build the career frameworks that give your team clarity and motivation, and the manager toolkits and coaching that strengthen the leadership layer your company depends on most. The goal is an organisation operating at full speed -- because the infrastructure supporting it actually works.

Infrastructure That Enables

What I do

Fractional Head of People

Your embedded People leader -- without the full-time overhead. I work inside your team, inside your leadership conversations, and inside the decisions that shape how your company grows. This is not advisory work. It is operator work, scoped to what your company actually needs right now and built to scale with you.

Talent & Recruiting

I find and close the roles that are genuinely hard to fill -- the ones where culture fit matters as much as capability, and where the wrong hire costs more than leaving the seat empty. Every search starts with a deep understanding of your mission, your values, and the team you are protecting. 95% offer acceptance rate. 32-day average time-to-hire. Passive candidates included.

HR Tech & Systems

HRIS selection, configuration, and rollout across Rippling, Deel, BambooHR, and more. ATS buildout and optimisation. Auditable, scalable systems that do not need to be rebuilt at your next funding round. I have built HR tech ecosystems from scratch at multiple companies and migrated systems across regions without losing data, trust, or momentum.

People Operations Infrastructure

The foundational work that lets your company scale without breaking: compensation frameworks, career ladders, performance management, onboarding, handbooks, and the compliance infrastructure that protects you as you grow. Built on data where it exists, and on purpose-built tools where it does not. Everything is designed for where you are going, not just where you are today.

Cross-Border Employment

Compliant people infrastructure across the US, Canada, UK, Europe, and LATAM. EOR relationships, entity establishment, distributed workforce operations, and the cross-border employment expertise that most fractional operators do not have. If your team is global or heading that way, I have built this before.

People Enablement

Growth stalls when people do not know where they stand or where they are headed. I build the career frameworks that give your ICs clarity and motivation, and the manager toolkits and coaching programmes that strengthen the leadership layer your organisation depends on. The result is a team that operates at full capacity because the infrastructure supporting them actually works.

CONTACT

Ready to build something that lasts? Get in touch and let's talk about what your team actually needs right now.

Email

alicia@cambiumpeople.com