Client: A Series B eVTOL company (fictional), 140 employees, first certified aircraft deliveries planned in nine months.
Engagement: The launch team build.
The goal
24 hires in seat before first deliveries, in the order the program needs them, with no agency spend and a recruiting process the company keeps afterward.
The hiring sequence
| Opens | Role | Hires | Why this order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | Head of Manufacturing Engineering | 1 | Leadership; opens first, unlocks the engineering searches |
| Month 1 | Flight test engineer | 3 | Longest market; sourcing starts week one |
| Month 2 | Quality engineer | 3 | Supplier and production quality |
| Month 2 | Production supervisor | 2 | Hired ahead of the line crews they will lead |
| Month 3 | Composite technician | 8 | Volume search; interview day format |
| Month 3 | Customer operations specialist | 3 | Timed to the first customer deliveries |
| Month 4 | Supply chain planner | 2 | Opens once the build plan is final |
| Month 4 | Finance and IT support | 2 | Corporate backfill for a larger company |
Sequence built backward from the delivery date. The Launch Hiring Planner produced the first draft; the hiring managers confirmed it on the first call.
How the work runs
- Embedded remotely four days a week from the first Monday, inside the company's ATS, Slack, calendar and hiring managers. On site for the kickoff introductions and key milestones.
- Every search sourced directly. No agencies, no placement fees.
- Each role starts with a profile written with its hiring manager, in their words, and a scorecard the interviewers share.
- Candidates hear the full picture on the first call: pay, what the company can and cannot offer, and the honest risks of joining before launch.
- Weekly 30-minute plan review with the leadership team: filled, in process, at risk.
What the company provides
- A named executive sponsor and one hour a week with each hiring manager.
- Approved pay ranges for each role before its search opens.
- ATS access and a seat in the weekly leadership meeting.
Timeline and handover
Five months, ending when the last search is filled or handed over. The handover includes every open pipeline, the interview kits, the reporting and a written guide to running the process.
Price
Every real scope states one fixed price for the engagement here, set by the plan above. Never per hire, never hourly. Invoiced monthly across the engagement.