Andrew is a Talent Acquisition Manager based in Vortexa’s London office. As Vortexa continues to exponentially scale all teams and roles in locations around the world, Andrew plays a central role in helping to find suitable candidates for every department from Marketing to Full Stack Engineering, with a specific focus on R&D opportunities. 

Prior to joining Vortexa, Andrew worked at the pre IPO technology company Samsara, as a recruiter.

Fun fact: Andrew is a former amateur boxer!

What does day-to-day life in your role look like?

In a nutshell, it’s hiring great people for Vortexa.

There are a few phases to that. First of all, proactively getting in touch with active or passive job seekers. This means spending time on platforms like Linkedin and Hired to search and target profiles with the appropriate skill set for our hiring needs.

Secondly, I need to qualify a candidate’s suitability. Therefore, a large part of my day to day consists of hosting screening calls and conducting interviews, to establish whether we have a technical skills match and whether the individual will be a good fit for Vortexa on a more holistic level.

Thirdly, management of the recruitment process itself. Scheduling interviews, speaking to and keeping in contact with hiring managers and candidates to solicit feedback and ultimately getting to the position where we can execute on making hires.

What would you say is the most interesting aspect of your role?

Identifying and attracting the best talent to Vortexa. It’s often the case that the best candidates for a position aren’t actively looking for a new role. With that in mind, it’s critical to identify what is particularly compelling about an opportunity and devise the appropriate outreach messaging to attract passive talent and spark an initial dialogue.

What was your path to joining Vortexa?

Previously I had worked on the agency side before working in the projects team of a management consultancy for several years.

At the beginning of 2019, I moved into the sector, working for an IoT SaaS company from Series D to Series F, helping to build the EMEA business.

What kind of qualities does a person need to have to succeed at Vortexa?

First and foremost, someone that will treat colleagues with respect and value their relationships with their team members.

It’s also important to be prepared to work in a scale-up setting. This means that there is a high pace of change. Teams grow quickly, processes change and products will be delivered swiftly.

Looking at our R&D function – a real passion for solving complex problems is something that aligns particularly well.

What do you like about the culture?

It’s a fast-paced environment with a team that is open, humble and passionate about the work that they do.

There is also a cultural openness to new ideas. Processes aren’t crystallised – if there is an opportunity to do something better, you feel empowered to make it happen.

Who do you collaborate most with at Vortexa?

One of the best parts of working in talent acquisition is that you get extensively exposed to different parts of the business. Areas I’ve hired into include Marketing, Product, Engineering, Data Science & Market Analytics.

What are the first three things you do on a Monday morning?

Review applications that have come in over the weekend, followed by checking my emails and Slack chats.

What energises you most about working as a Talent Acquisition Manager?

What defines the success of any organisation is the people that work for it. Within talent acquisition, you have to attract and hire the talent that can define the future of the company. With Vortexa undergoing a scaling phase having closed a $19M Series B fundraise, this is particularly pertinent.