Human Capital Consulting, Interim & Fractional Leadership

Comprehensive HR Support for Your Organization

Human Capital Consulting for Tech Companies

I work with high-growth companies to create effective and impactful solutions for problems around long-term capability and engagement.

Whether you are a startup in need of some HR leadership, but not ready to hire someone full-time, or a larger company that needs some extra support on specific issues or projects, I can help.

With decades of experience, I bring a practical approach fueled by both big-picture thinking and nitty gritty know-how.

How it Works

You have an HR-related problem.

I can partner with you to solve it.

I work with companies and teams to provide a comprehensive assessment and tangible solutions that I, in collaboration with your team, can implement.

Strategic, Holistic Solutions

While there is plenty written about culture, systems and processes that contribute to healthy businesses, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions.

Companies are complex. They are made up of individuals, each bringing their whole selves to the job, creating a unique culture found nowhere else. Understanding that culture, the leadership dynamics, and the short and long-term business objectives is crucial to finding solutions that stick.

I bring an applied, practical approach that is fueled by experience, know-how, and understanding of company-specific details. I love diving into the complexity and building systems that will be effective long-term. By harnessing the details that support a strategic approach to challenges, I can provide end-to-end solutions to day-to-day people challenges.

Companies I’ve Worked With:

  • "Ilana was my trusted confident as we took on building a new line of business for Intuit. Not only was she a sounding board for all types of decisions that needed to be made, she was also an absolute delight to work with - including an excellent travel buddy! I highly recommend working with her if you have the opportunity."

    Kelly Vincent
    VP of Product at Intuit

Custom Solutions

Here are a just a few examples of HR Projects I have taken on over a 30+ year career in HR Leadership:

Revamp Compensation System to Prepare for Funding Round

Problem
A Series B Startup needed to up-level its operational controls in order to be set up for Series C funding

Background and Approach
The legalities of each stage of investor funding for each stage of a start-up vary. By the time a company approaches Series C funding, it is important that the leadership shows evidence of appropriate operational controls, inclusive of financial controls. As one of the biggest expenses in any company is the cost of attracting and retaining employees, compensation is one of the most critical operational controls.

Facing a challenge in a high-growth start-up that had traditionally hired talent around the world with rich compensation packages, I had a responsibility to gear the company towards a more sustainable compensation practice that aligned with the company values. To that end, I hired a compensation vendor to partner with me on creating a new global compensation system complete with a new equity program. As the system was new and presented a much tighter set of guidelines, it also involved a hearty change management plan that enabled the organization to cross over into a new way at looking at compensation. Ultimately, the new compensation system reduced operational costs and enabled the organization to meet its targets.

Outcomes and Impact

With an updated approach to global compensation, the company was able to couch compensation spend in a more predictable way, anchored in repeatable practices.

The results included a nod from investors who were pleased with the operational upgrades and, ultimately, a successful Series C round of funding.

Create Framework for Promotions

Problem
Members of an over 2,000 person engineering department were frustrated that promotions seemed arbitrary and not based on any fixed criteria or processes. I worked with a small team of engineers from the department to develop a process that was fair, transparent and based on tangible evidence of merit.

Background and Approach
The process became the way promotions were done in the division and, later, the entire global company of 17,000 employees, resulting in a transformational approach to promotions. The process yielded a much more stable promotion process that was more scalable with more thoughtful promotions, and much more aligned with best practices.

Outcomes and Impact

In addition, employees reported higher satisfaction with the promotion process (leading to higher retention of key talent) and leaders surveyed were more confident in the approach to promos leading to unprecedented support of a new process.

The promotion process continues to be the baseline that now has a full-time team assigned to iterate and implement it. Peer companies consider it a best practice and partner with the team to learn more about implementation techniques.

Offsites: Catalyze Communication in Leadership Teams Between Departments

Companies hire me to create offsites that bring leaders together for meaningful collaboration. I create balanced agendas that spark innovation and commitment to growth and change for leadership teams in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Opportunity

I was tasked with creating the agenda for a multi-day offsite for an engineering leadership team. The team was large, based in multiple countries around the globe and rarely had a chance to work together.

The VP of Engineering wanted the offsite to focus on improving team engagement, fostering better working relationships, and supporting team members’ personal growth.

Approach

I collaborated with members of the team in question to design a meeting that would fulfill these goals. The agenda included building mindfulness skills, getting to know one another better, and laying the foundations for better communications between the team as leaders.

Ongoing Impact

Engineers reported using the new skills well after the training was completed, and felt those new skills enabled them to be better leaders, partners, and humans. The VP of Engineering reported that the agenda produced the greatest impact he had ever seen from an offsite event.

Outcomes and Impact

Members of the engineering leadership team reported:

  • Feeling more connected to one another and to their collective goals and metrics

  • Heightened understanding of each other's strengths and the best ways to work together

  • More confidence in their communication skills, both with each other and their teams

  • A desire to prioritize and practice mindfulness in their daily lives

  • A renewed sense of purpose and commitment to the company’s vision, and the engineering team’s role within the organization

Let's discuss how I can partner with you to achieve your goals.

I’d love to see how I can help. Send me a message to get started!