Overview

If you have been hiring while also trying to fix comp, standardize contracts, build onboarding, and train new managers, all at the same time, with no dedicated function to run it, this explains how Amby approaches that problem and why we run recruiting and People Ops as a single embedded operation rather than two separate services.

The problem with splitting recruiting and HR between vendors

When recruiting and People Ops are owned by different parties, the handoffs become coordination work. A candidate accepts an offer and nobody has built the onboarding. A comp benchmark gets done by HR and the recruiter is still selling a different number. A reorganizations changes the organizational structure and the hiring brief never gets updated.

It is not a communication problem. It is a structural one.

Most companies try to solve it by adding more check-ins between vendors. Amby solves it by running both functions with shared context and explicit ownership, so the transitions that normally create delays happen internally instead.

When combined support makes sense

This model is not right for every company. It makes sense when growth is putting pressure on your organization at multiple levels simultaneously. You are not just filling roles, you are building the infrastructure to manage the people you hire.

It tends to be the right fit when:

• You have grown past 10 or 15 people without a formal onboarding framework, leveling structure, or comp policy in place

• You have two or more roles in motion while also needing to fix contracts, compensation, or performance management

• Candidates are asking about career paths and comp bands in the interview process and you do not have good answers

• A new manager has just started with no training, no playbook, and no support

• You have had experience with external recruiting that created more coordination work than it solved, and you are not willing to repeat it

• You want one embedded team with full context on your business, not two vendors handing off to each other

What recruiting owns

Recruiting at Amby is not just sourcing. It is the full operating layer of the hiring process, from role definition through to a closed offer.

In a combined engagement, recruiting owns:

• Role definition and job brief, written with the hiring manager before sourcing starts

• Sourcing strategy and pipeline build

• Candidate communication end to end

• Interview process design (guides, scorecards, assessment tools, feedback SLAs)

• Salary benchmarking and leveling for open roles

• Hiring infrastructure (ATS configuration, pipeline stages, rejection tracking, time-in-stage data)

• Offer structuring and close

• Process documentation handed over at the end of the engagement

What People Ops owns

People Ops at Amby is execution, not advisory. The deliverable is not a strategy deck. It is a working comp framework, a functioning onboarding process, contracts that are compliant and consistent, and managers who know what is expected of them.

In a combined engagement, People Ops owns:

• Org strategy and structure design

• Salary benchmarking and compensation framework, including leveling rubrics and internal equity

• Employment contracts (drafted, standardized, and updated for compliance requirements)

• Onboarding frameworks (what happens in the first 30, 60, and 90 days for every new hire)

• Performance management (cadence, structure, and documentation)

• Manager training and enablement

• Employee handbook and HR system setup

• Reorganization support when structure needs to change

Where the two functions connect

Recruiting and People Ops run on the same employee lifecycle. When they are owned by the same embedded team, the handoffs that normally break things become internal transitions.

The connections that matter most in practice:

• Recruiting confirms salary benchmarks for an open role. People Ops updates the comp framework and drafts a contract to match before the offer goes out.

• A candidate accepts. Recruiting closes the role. People Ops triggers onboarding and builds the 30/60/90 plan for that specific hire.

• People Ops finalizes a reorg. Recruiting updates the hiring brief and realigns the pipeline to the new org structure before the next intake.

• Recruiting sees candidates dropping at the comp conversation stage. People Ops reviews the benchmarking and adjusts the bands. The next recruiter gets accurate numbers to work from.

None of this requires a meeting between vendors. It happens because the same team holds both sides.

What this looks like for real clients

ECOnnect

Full People Ops infrastructure built from scratch alongside active hiring. Org charts designed and documented, employment contracts drafted and standardized, employee handbook created, centralized HR system implemented, employee surveys designed and deployed, onboarding and offboarding workflows built, compensation framework established, and manager training delivered. ECOnnect had no formal People function before this engagement.

Noteless

9 hires while simultaneously establishing a recruiting and People Ops structure from scratch. Salary benchmarking and leveling framework completed, hiring infrastructure built including scorecards and structured interview guides, and process documentation handed over for the team to run independently.

Nagarro

HR compliance and comp work running alongside active recruiting. Salary policy reviewed and updated, compensation benchmarked against market, and employment contracts updated to meet AML compliance requirements. The outcome was a consistent, defensible comp structure and contracts that could be used across new hires going forward.

Frequently asked questions

If one vendor does both recruiting and HR, how do I know who owns what?

Amby assigns a named recruiter and a named People Ops lead to every combined engagement, each with defined scope. They coordinate internally, but ownership is explicit from day one. You always know who is responsible for what and who to contact when something needs to move. The overlap is a feature, they share context on your business, but accountability is never blurred.

Can we start with just recruiting and add People Ops later?

Yes. Many clients come in with an urgent hiring need and expand into People Ops once the gaps become visible. Amby's recruiting work is designed to surface those gaps early, things like missing leveling criteria, inconsistent contracts, or no onboarding framework. If you want to stay recruiting-only, you will at least know what to fix. If you want to expand, the transition is simple because it is already the same team.

What if our HR needs are relatively small?

Combined support still makes sense when the work spans both functions, even if the People Ops scope is limited. If you are hiring two or three people and also need contracts standardized or a comp benchmark done alongside it, running them together is more efficient and produces better output than treating them as separate projects with separate briefs.

How is this different from bringing in an HR consultant?

Amby executes. The deliverable is not a set of recommendations, it is a working onboarding process, a finalized comp framework, configured hiring infrastructure, and candidates in your pipeline. Embedded operators means the work gets done inside your business, by people who know your context, not presented to you from the outside and left for you to implement.

What happens when the engagement ends?

Everything built during the engagement is documented and handed over. Interview guides, scorecards, leveling frameworks, ATS configuration, onboarding workflows, the handbook, all of it is yours, in a format your team can actually use. The design intent is that you run independently on the infrastructure we have built. That is what a successful engagement looks like.

Talk to Amby about where you are

If you are hiring while also trying to build the HR foundation underneath the team you are growing, we will tell you how we would approach it.