Multi-Hire Initiative

Two Software Architect placements delivered in 12 business days across a locked secondary market, reversing a 90%+ historical tech screen failure rate.

Client

Confidential PE-Backed
Specialty Insurer

Engagement

Multi-Hire
Software Architects

Geography

Secondary Metro
35-min radius, onsite

Outcome

2 Placements
Both Accepted

0BD

To First Acceptance

vs 41-42 business days industry average

Tech Screen Pass Rate

50% pass vs 10-15% industry, vs 90%+ historical failure

Market Penetration

vs 15-20% industry average

<0hrs

Client Time Invested

vs 15-25+ hours industry average

Engagement Snapshot

A PE-backed specialty insurer required a multi-hire of Senior Fullstack Software Architects to expand a six-person engineering function inside a locked secondary metro market with an onsite-only mandate. The role carried business-critical stakes (core platform ownership, full stack accountability, no in-house DBAs or BAs to compensate for technical gaps) and a 90%+ historical tech screen failure rate that had stalled prior hiring efforts.

ATS executed a precision sourcing program against 759 mapped profiles, engaged 486 of them, and progressed 24 candidates through deep technical screening. The first offer was accepted on business day 12. The second hire was sequenced two weeks after the first onboarded, scaled to client absorption capacity rather than search velocity.

ATS vs Industry Benchmark

Performance Metric	ATS Result	Industry Average
Time to First Offer Accepted	12 business days	41-42 business days
Tech Screen Pass Rate	50%	10-15%
Market Penetration	72%	15-20%
Talent Pool Mapped	759 profiles	50-100 profiles
Engagement Rate	72% of addressable	15-25%
Client Time Invested	<4 hours	15-25+ hours
Search Completion Rate	100%	~60%

Talent Pool Composition

Market Map

759 profiles mapped, 672 addressable, 486 engaged

A 35-minute commute radius around the client's onsite headquarters defined the addressable market. ATS achieved 72% engagement of addressable talent, surfacing candidates the client and prior search efforts had not been able to reach.

Geographic Distribution of Addressable Pool

Core Metro

81%

Adjacent Markets

19%

Adjacent markets covered candidates within reasonable relocation distance willing to commit to onsite presence.

Title Distribution Within Pool

Engineer / Developer

68%

Senior / Lead

22%

Architect

Manager / Director (with IC depth)

Compensation Framework

Level	Base Range	Bonus Structure	Notes
Software Architect Level II	~$130K base	15-18% annual on EBITDA	Standard band
Software Architect Level III	~$163K base	15-18% annual on EBITDA	Senior band
Software Architect Level IV	Above $163K	Performance-tied	Executive approval required

Secondary Market Intelligence

Geographic Constraint Analysis

Locked metros require precision, not volume

Onsite-only mandates inside secondary metros eliminate national candidate pools and remote-friendly competitors. Standard sourcing methodology produces thin results because the addressable pool is finite and partially saturated by local employers. ATS counters this with deep mapping (every reachable profile identified), high engagement saturation (72% of addressable contacted and progressed), and adjacent-market expansion for candidates with relocation intent. The methodology is designed for exactly this pattern.

Eight-Stage Funnel

Sourced

759

100%

Addressable

672

88.5%

Engaged

486

64%

Deep Screened

3.2%

Long List

1.45%

Short List

1.45%

Finalists

0.79%

Offers Accepted

0.26%

Tech Screen Breakthrough

Quality Validation

90%+ historical failure rate reversed to 50% pass rate

Prior to engagement, the client's internal tech screen had filtered out more than nine out of every ten candidates progressed by other recruiting channels. Under ATS sourcing and pre-screening, half of all candidates progressed to internal interview cleared the bar. The shift was structural, not statistical: candidates were validated against the client's actual technical criteria before submission, eliminating the noise that had defined prior search efforts.

Search Execution Timeline

Phase 1

Kickoff & Mapping

Intake, market scope, technical criteria validation, 759 profiles identified

Phase 2

Engagement

486 engaged across core metro and adjacent markets, multi-channel outreach

Phase 3

Deep Screening

24 progressed through technical pre-screen, 50% pass rate validated against client criteria

Phase 4

Finalist Slate

6 finalists delivered to client, full DNA and assessment data attached

Phase 5

Offer & Sequencing

First acceptance Day 12. Second hire sequenced two weeks after first onboarded.

Decline Reason Themes (Engaged Pool)

Work Requirements

Onsite mandate / no remote flexibility / unable to commute

General / Other

Mixed personal and situational factors

Timing

Recently started a role / mid-cycle commitments / not in market

Compensation

Package below current or target threshold

Career Alignment

Architect-level role outside trajectory

Disqualified

Failed minimum technical or background criteria

Note: Work requirements (onsite mandate) was the largest decline driver, consistent with secondary-metro onsite-only role profiles. ATS overcame this through pool depth and adjacent-market sourcing.

Two-Hire Outcome

Hire 1

Accepted Day 12

First Senior Fullstack Software Architect placement delivered in 12 business days from search kickoff. Cleared the client's technical bar that had previously rejected 90%+ of submitted candidates.

Hire 2

Two Weeks After Hire 1 Onboarded

Second placement timed to client onboarding capacity. ATS held finalist slate intact, sequenced offer and acceptance in alignment with the client's operational ramp.

Sequencing dictated by client onboarding capacity, not search velocity. Both hires delivered acceptance-ready against a market with a 90%+ historical screen failure rate.

Risk Mitigation Framework

Pillar 01

Mishire Risk

Business-critical role with zero margin for technical underperformance. Each candidate validated against the client's exact technical criteria before progression, eliminating the noise that had defined prior efforts.

90%+ historical screen failure rate reversed to 50% pass rate

Pillar 02

Competitive Risk

Speed-to-acceptance closes the window where competing offers can mobilize. Compressed cycle time locked candidates before market alternatives could materialize.

12 business days to first acceptance vs 41-42 industry average

Pillar 03

Geographic Risk

Locked secondary metros with onsite-only mandates eliminate national pools. Precision mapping surfaced talent inside a 35-minute commute radius that prior search efforts had not reached.

72% market penetration of addressable pool

Pillar 04

Onboarding Risk

Acceptance-ready candidates delivered faster than client absorption capacity allowed. ATS held the finalist slate intact and sequenced the second placement to operational readiness rather than search timeline.

Hire 2 timed to client capacity, not search velocity

Replicable Framework for PE Portfolio Companies

Secondary markets, technical scarcity, geographic constraints, business-critical hiring stakes. The same systematic approach applies across portfolio companies facing parallel conditions. Talent acquisition as a portfolio value-creation lever, not a vendor expense.

What the Client Received

Full market map. 759 profiles identified, 672 addressable, segmented by core metro and adjacent geography.

Compensation research. Validated three-band framework against current market for the role, geography, and stack.

Engagement intelligence. Decline reason themes captured across 486 engaged candidates, informing future positioning.

Pre-validated finalist slate. Six finalists, each cleared against the client's actual technical bar prior to client interview.

DNA and assessment data. TriMetrix HD output attached to finalists, covering DISC, Motivators, DNA Competencies, and Acumen.

Post-acceptance support. Sequencing strategy, onboarding alignment, and finalist-slate hold through second placement.