HR Consultant for Scale-Ups, Start-Ups and Fintech
Strategic, commercially-focused HR support for founders and CEOs scaling from early-stage teams into international workforces. Rosie's People specialises in high-growth, fintech and regulated environments — where the cost of getting people strategy wrong is significant, and the timeline does not allow for full-time hires.
The HR support most scale-ups actually need
Most scale-ups don't need an outsourced HR provider. They need a strategic HR partner who has scaled a business before — who can sit alongside the CEO and leadership team, set the people strategy for the next stage, and pull in operational capacity only where it's actually needed.
Rosie has scaled organisations from teams of 10 to global workforces of 600+ across fintech, regulated environments and high-growth tech. The work is commercial first, HR second.
Signs your scale-up needs strategic HR now
If two or three of these sound familiar, the people function has outgrown its current shape — and the next stage of growth is going to be harder than it should be.
Headcount has doubled but the org chart hasn't been redrawn
Senior hires are taking too long or not landing
Founders still own people decisions they shouldn't
Approaching a funding round, acquisition or exit
Performance issues are accumulating without a framework
Compliance gaps in a regulated environment (FCA, GDPR, IR35)
Culture has started to drift with remote and international growth
Investors or the board are asking sharper people questions
How we support scale-ups
Engagements are shaped to stage. Earlier-stage businesses typically need foundations and frameworks; later-stage scale-ups need strategic leverage and risk reduction. Common workstreams include:
People strategy aligned to funding and growth milestones
Organisational design and workforce planning
Executive and senior hiring strategy
Compensation, equity and reward frameworks
Performance management and career frameworks
Compliance, governance and regulatory readiness
Culture, values and leadership development
Pre-transaction people due diligence and exit preparation
Fintech, regulated environments and complex sectors
Rosie's specialism is in environments where precision, compliance and commercial agility all matter — fintech, financial services, investment-backed technology, and regulated public-sector institutions. Where standard HR consultancies struggle, the work is to translate regulatory complexity into operational reality without losing pace.
Sectors we know well
25 years of work across regulated and high-growth environments — the patterns that catch out generic HR consultancies are the ones we recognise immediately.
Fintech & financial services
Investment-backed technology & SaaS
Banking, legal & professional services
Public sector and regulatory bodies
FAQ
At what stage should a scale-up bring in strategic HR support?
Typically once headcount passes 25–30 and the founder is no longer making every people decision personally. Series A is a common trigger, but the strongest signal isn't stage — it's complexity. International hiring, regulatory exposure, performance issues or an approaching transaction all justify earlier strategic input.
How is this different from an outsourced HR provider?
Outsourced HR is operational — payroll, contracts, employee relations. Rosie's work is strategic — operating model, hiring strategy, governance, people performance against commercial goals. The two often run alongside each other: keep your outsourced provider for the day-to-day and bring in strategic HR for the work that actually shapes the business.
Do you work with fintech specifically?
Yes — fintech, financial services and regulated environments are core areas of practice. Rosie has worked on operations and risk committees within the fintech industry and understands FCA, GDPR, IR35 and adjacent regulatory frameworks at operational depth, not just compliance theory.
What does an engagement look like for a 50-person scale-up?
Most commonly: a fractional CPO arrangement of 1–2 days a week over 3–6 months, focused on a defined set of outcomes — for example, building the executive team, redesigning the operating model, or preparing for a Series B. The engagement ends with a clear hand-off to an in-house Head of People or the founder.
Do you work outside London or the UK?
Yes. London-led but UK-national, with international engagements across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Hybrid working is normal — in-person time concentrated around leadership offsites, board meetings and critical milestones.
Ready to stop firefighting?
The first 15 minutes of our consultation call is on us — no forms, no friction. Tell us what you're working on and we'll tell you straight whether we're the right fit.
Looking for a job? Live roles are on our careers page.
