Define the scope and priorities of the first HR hire in a start-up scaling past founder-led people management.
Human Resources & Personal Development
Setting Up the First HR Function in a Scaling Start-Up
Scope the first HR hire's mandate, implement core HR systems, draft contracts and compensation bands, and codify culture before rapid headcount growth dilutes it.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Somewhere between the first ten hires and the first hundred, every start-up discovers that founder instinct is no longer a people strategy, and the first HR hire usually arrives already behind on payroll compliance, missing contracts and a culture nobody has written down. This course is built for that exact moment. Participants scope a realistic first-ninety-days mandate against legal risk, hiring support and retention pressure, then choose and implement a core HRIS and payroll system sized to current headcount rather than an enterprise system the company will not need for years. Sessions cover drafting employment contracts and a handbook that reflect actual jurisdictional requirements, comparing employer-of-record and local entity options for the first international hires, and building compensation bands and onboarding processes light enough for a small team but consistent enough to defend later. The closing modules turn founder values into written policy before rapid hiring dilutes them, and build a roadmap for which HR processes need to mature first as headcount crosses the next growth threshold.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Select and implement a core HRIS and payroll system suited to a company's current headcount and growth plans.
Draft foundational employment contracts, an employee handbook and statutory compliance documentation.
Design a simple compensation banding structure that supports consistent, defensible pay decisions.
Build a lightweight onboarding and performance process appropriate for a small, fast-moving team.
Assess employer-of-record and international contractor options for hiring across borders early.
Codify founding culture and values into practical policies before headcount growth dilutes them.
Who Should Attend
First HR hires or generalists joining a start-up with no existing HR infrastructure.
Founders and operations leads currently handling people matters without dedicated HR support.
HR consultants engaged to set up foundational people processes for scaling companies.
People operations managers scaling a start-up from tens to hundreds of employees.
Finance and operations leaders responsible for payroll and compliance before an HR hire exists.
Talent and people partners in venture-backed companies preparing for rapid headcount growth.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Defining the First HR Function and Its Priorities
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Scoping the First HR Hire's Mandate
- Assess which people processes are currently handled informally by founders and where risk is accumulating.
- Prioritise the first ninety days of HR work against legal compliance, hiring support and retention risk.
- Negotiate a realistic scope with founders who expect one hire to cover recruitment, payroll and culture.
- Define what will deliberately stay out of scope in the first phase to avoid spreading effort too thin.
Session 2Choosing Foundational HR Systems
- Evaluate HRIS and payroll platform options against current headcount, budget and planned growth.
- Map core data, such as employee records, contracts and leave balances, into the chosen system structure.
- Set access permissions and data protection controls appropriate for a small but growing people team.
- Plan a phased rollout that avoids disrupting payroll or onboarding during system implementation.
02Legal Foundations, Contracts and Compliance
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Drafting Core Employment Documentation
- Draft employment contract templates that reflect current legal requirements in the company's operating jurisdictions.
- Write an employee handbook covering leave, conduct, working hours and core workplace policies.
- Identify statutory registrations, filings and postings required before the first employees start.
- Review existing informal agreements and verbal commitments for legal or compliance exposure.
Session 2Managing Cross-Border Hiring in Early Growth
- Compare employer-of-record, local entity and contractor models for hiring the first employees outside the home country.
- Assess misclassification risk when engaging early hires as contractors rather than employees.
- Set minimum compliance requirements, such as tax registration and statutory benefits, for each hiring model chosen.
- Build a decision framework for when to move from employer-of-record to a local legal entity.
03Compensation, Onboarding and Performance for a Small Team
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Building a Simple Compensation Structure
- Design a lightweight compensation banding structure that supports consistent offers without heavy bureaucracy.
- Benchmark early-stage compensation against comparable roles using available market data sources.
- Set an equity or variable-pay approach appropriate for the company's stage and cash position.
- Document pay decisions to support consistency and defensibility as headcount and scrutiny increase.
Session 2Designing Onboarding and Performance for Early Growth
- Build a lightweight onboarding checklist that gets new hires productive without heavy process overhead.
- Design a simple performance check-in cadence suited to a small, fast-changing team structure.
- Set expectations with managers on giving feedback without a formal performance management system yet in place.
- Plan the trigger points at which onboarding and performance processes will need to become more formal.
04Codifying Culture and Preparing for Scale
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Codifying Founding Culture Into Practical Policy
- Translate founder values and early team norms into written policies before rapid hiring dilutes them.
- Identify which cultural practices should be formalised and which should remain informal and organic.
- Design a values-based interview component that screens for cultural fit as hiring volume increases.
- Address tension between founder instinct and emerging HR policy as the organisation professionalises.
Session 2Preparing HR Infrastructure for the Next Growth Stage
- Identify which HR processes will break first as headcount crosses common scaling thresholds.
- Plan the sequence for adding specialist HR roles, such as recruiting or people operations, as the team grows.
- Build a roadmap for maturing compensation, performance and compliance processes over the next growth phase.
- Present a business case to founders for HR investment tied to specific growth and risk milestones.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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