Welcome, hiring manager for TechChange!

You are here because I have applied for the currently open Head of People and Culture position. I appreciate you taking the time to consider me for this role. I’m confident you’ll be glad you did.

Please allow me to introduce myself…

• LinkedIn
• Resumé

I’m a perfect candidate to lead People and Culture at TechChange

People are my passion

I was born to lead teams and thrive when given full responsibility for all things People Operations. My personal mission in life is to uplift others and that’s what I’ve continued to do in my people leadership roles. While serving as the Director of Operations for multiple software companies, I’ve been instrumental in hiring best-fit talent, developing vibrant teams, creating talent strategies which serve business goals, championing Diversity & Inclusion, and raising the standard for employee experiences.

At TechChange, I will bring an insatiable appetite for continuously improving the lives of our people in ways which improve retention, aid recruitment, and drive growth.

I’ve built complete compensation systems from the ground up

At Sandhills Development I created a sophisticated, bespoke, and transparent system for determining employee compensation which turned a company weakness (low employee pay satisfaction) into a strength (over 90% satisfied with pay after implementation). I incorporated compensation data from sources like PayScale, Culpepper, Glassdoor, and others to ensure our pay was fair and equitable.

This compensation system also included a detailed, easy to use, and effective career progression framework (a topic I love talking about) which provided our entire team with crystal clear incentives to improve and grow.

I have designed, implemented, and managed all kinds of benefits and perks

Health insurance, 401k plans, equipment purchasing, PTO, company holidays, profit shares, parental leave, and all other common offerings have been completely managed by me for the past 3+ years. In addition, I’ve been able to take inspiration from our expressed values (and a little creativity) to implement meaningful perks and benefits such as an annual vacation stipend, Arbor Day tree planting, an “Unplugged bonus”, and more.

In every case, I’ve consulted with ownership to discern our strategy and goals which I then translate into action. For example, when employee engagement became a priority, I created a popular “Sipscription” benefit and coordinated virtual gatherings. To that same end, I planned and organized numerous events like these: 2017,  2019, and 2020 virtual. When employee retention became a KPI, I worked to address low satisfaction with pay by creating a data-driven, transparent compensation system which dramatically improved how our staff felt about pay. I also created a career progression framework which gave every employee a clear path forward so that no one felt that leaving the company was necessary in order to advance their careers.

Deep management experience

For the past twelve years, I’ve been managing employees across all disciplines. I’ve had developers, designers, marketers, tech support agents, business development managers, engineering managers, support managers, and product managers, report to me at various stages and have consistently been able to establish close, productive working relationships with all of them. I make it my personal mission to help each of my direct reports accomplish their career goals. I have a very strong track record of guiding, mentoring, and ultimately advancing more junior employees whom I’ve worked with.

I satisfy every requirement for the job

Some of the requirements taken directly from the job posting:

• 5+ years experience in People and Culture or Human Resources

  • ✅ I’ve spent the past five years fully owning all things People Operations at two different open source software companies. Every process from employee onboarding to equipment purchasing was mine to design and manage. Every aspect of employment with these companies, from compensation to performance evaluations to travel bookings was under my purview.

• Experience working in remote companies.

  • ✅ I’ve been working remotely for global teams since 2017 and before that worked from home while operating my own digital agency. I’ve had colleagues in almost every time zone and have learned to work asynchronously by default.

• A developer of processes and systems that strengthen communication and culture

  • ✅ Creating the Sandhills Development Employee Handbook was entirely my responsibility. I have always prioritized systemizing and documenting processes.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills

  • ✅ My modus operandi is to be the model for effective communication on whatever team I’m working with. Communication is one of my key strengths. I’ve also received high praise from former colleagues for my ability to coach and mentor other managers and ICs. Additionally, I’m an experienced and practiced public speaker who’s comfortable and capable presenting to large, diverse audiences.

Why I want to work at TechChange

I want to do work that means something and I want to spend my days working with other people who share my values for inclusivity, diversity, and education. TechChange fits that description perfectly.

I’m very inspired by what I have learned from my research into TechChange. The mission to empower underprivileged learners across the globe by facilitating access to educational resources is one which I’d be honored to participate in.

I’m not looking for a cushy job. I want hard problems and meaningful work. That’s what TechChange offers. The more I read comments like this and this, the more intrigued I become. Reviews like these tell me that there is important work to do and I believe I can help. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to join the team.

What others have to say about working with me

Don’t just take my word for it. Here are former colleagues voluntarily endorsing me:

Steve Bennett, Co-founder, Real Big Marketing (former business partner)

“…You can’t ask for a more well rounded individual.”

 

Pippin Williamson, Founder and Managing Director, Sandhills Development (former boss)

“Kyle is one of the most dedicated, hard-working, and caring people I have ever had the opportunity to work with”

 

 

Tyler Lau, Partnerships Manager, Sandhills Development (former direct report)

“…we were very lucky to have {Kyle} on our team.”

Adam Silver, founder, ConciergeWP (former client and podcast co-host)

Kyle constantly amazed me with his industry insight and original approaches to solving problems. He consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic and has a dedication to success.

Kyle brings intelligence, creativity and leadership to any project he is involved in. On account of his mature approach to his responsibilities, I often thought of Kyle as a colleague I could always rely upon to get the job done. I have always felt he was one of the best in class and it was a pleasure working with him.

Mandy Jones, Content Manager, Sandhills Development and Paid Memberships Pro (former colleague)

Without a doubt, Kyle is one of the most valuable, hardworking, genuine, and thoughtful people I have ever met. After working with him for over two years at two different companies – Sandhills Development and Paid Memberships Pro – I know his character very well, and feel particularly well-suited to vouch for him as a friend and colleague.

Since I’ve known Kyle, he has brought tremendous value to the teams we’ve been a part of together. He not only pioneered a game-changing career progression framework and made massive efforts in planning and organizing events as Director of Operations at Sandhills Development; He also spent countless hours getting to know his colleagues (including myself) on a personal level.

It’s always been obvious that Kyle is totally invested in helping everyone on his team reach their highest levels of performance and personal satisfaction. Plus, his ability to see different perspectives and potential outcomes make him an excellent communicator and strategist across multiple arenas.

However, even with his creative talent, mind for business, and technological savvy, what strikes me most about Kyle is his kind, earnest nature. He is truly the kind of person you want on your team – the full package.

 

Ross Johnson, General Manager, 3.7 Designs and Snap Orbital (former co-organizer)

He is wise well beyond most people I’ve encountered in my life. He is incredibly loyal and trustworthy…and an excellent leader.

 

You can read more positive comments about me in the Recommendations section on my LinkedIn profile.