Will Sims

Early-stage AI coding assistant where the founding team needed to build the initial product, engineering and GTM organisation quickly without over-hiring. ■ Set up the hiring function from scratch as the sole talent lead, giving founders a single, accountable owner for all hires across technical, product and operational roles. ■ Cut time‑to‑hire on critical roles by ~20–30% by introducing structured, stage‑based hiring workflows (intake, scorecards, interview loops, debriefs). ■ Improved quality of hire and reduced “gut feel” decisions by standardising how candidates were evaluated across the team. ■ Layered in practical tooling and automation to increase screening signal and reduce manual sourcing and CV review time.

A newly formed video game studio where hiring and early operational foundations needed to be put in place. ■ Established the studio’s first hiring system across narrative, art, design, and engineering roles ■ Reduced decision-making time by introducing structured interview processes and clearer evaluation criteria ■ Improved hiring visibility by implementing ATS workflows across a distributed team ■ Built early operational systems, including financial modelling and planning tools ■ Supported hiring across multiple disciplines to form the core team

A multi-region edtech provider (200+ people) where hiring needed to scale consistently across markets. ■ Led a small, distributed talent team (South Africa-based), improving delivery consistency during a high-growth phase ■ Delivered hiring across the UK, US, South Africa, Europe, and Australia ■ Improved interview consistency and hiring quality by introducing structured hiring practices across teams ■ Built and deployed Flagable, reducing low-quality and AI-generated applications and improving screening efficiency ■ Reduced time spent reviewing unsuitable candidates by improving filtering and evaluation processes ■ Supported hiring across technical, commercial, and leadership roles

Tvlent is my consultancy. I work with early-stage and scaling teams where hiring is starting to slow things down. ■ Embed within teams to fix hiring where it’s becoming a bottleneck, not just deliver roles ■ Design simple, scalable hiring systems that improve consistency and decision-making ■ Support critical hires (first hires, leadership, hard-to-fill roles) across technical and commercial teams ■ Improve hiring signal by reducing noise in pipelines and refining how candidates are evaluated ■ Build and layer in tooling and workflows on top of ATS systems to reduce manual effort and increase efficiency

The MCS needed a structured hiring function to support growth. ■ Built the recruitment function from scratch, establishing repeatable hiring processes ■ Reduced reliance on agencies by implementing a new ATS and improving hiring visibility ■ Partnered directly with the CEO on hiring strategy and workforce planning ■ Delivered hiring across technical, product, commercial, and marketing roles ■ Supported hiring during acquisition-related expansion

Short-term support was needed to maintain hiring momentum during a growth phase. ■ Delivered hiring across multiple technical and commercial roles within tight timelines ■ Scoped and executed searches to progress roles efficiently during a critical period ■ Improved decision-making speed and consistency by introducing structured interview processes

Hiring needed to support sustained growth across multiple teams over time. ■ Delivered end-to-end hiring across engineering, marketing, and customer success over a 3-year period ■ Built candidate pipelines to support ongoing hiring needs ■ Improved candidate experience across roles ■ Worked closely with teams to align hiring with company priorities

Makers was scaling quickly and needed to increase hiring output without compromising quality. ■ Supported team growth of over 50% during a high-growth phase ■ Delivered hiring across technical and commercial roles at pace while maintaining quality ■ Improved hiring systems, including interview processes and tracking ■ Supported onboarding of an internal talent partner to strengthen long-term hiring capability

■ Supported hiring across multiple functions during a growth phase.

■ Delivered hiring across technical and operational roles

■ Led hiring across the UK and US, supporting company growth ■ Built early hiring processes and supported leadership hiring

■ Delivered hiring across UK and European teams

■ Established their in-house recruitment function for engineering hires across Scandinavia ■ Implemented ATS and supported expansion into new markets

■ Delivered permanent recruitment across multiple roles