HR Consulting for Technology & SaaS

Multi-state remote and hybrid workforce compliance

Each state where you employ an engineer, designer, PM, or AE may create additional payroll, leave, posting, and policy obligations. We help document the applicable requirements and build a practical compliance process.

Equity compensation and total rewards design

ISO vs. NSO grants, 409A valuations, vesting cliffs, double-trigger acceleration, early exercise windows, refresh grants for retention, and benchmarking total comp against companies offering material equity upside. Technical candidates compare offers at a level of sophistication that requires precise infrastructure and competent advisory.

Technical recruiting in a saturated market

Senior engineers, ML/AI specialists, security, platform, and product searches benefit from clear role design, structured interviews, and a well-managed candidate experience.

Investor and acquirer due diligence readiness

Series A through M&A diligence consistently surfaces the same HR gaps: missing IP assignment and confidentiality agreements, misclassified contractors who built core product, options grants without board approval, undocumented equity refreshes, incomplete I-9s, and handbook policies that conflict with state law. Each of these can delay or reprice a transaction.

Performance management at scale

What works at 20 employees (informal check-ins, founder visibility into every hire) breaks at 60. Without a calibrated performance framework, leveling guide, and compensation review cycle, you get pay compression, unmanaged underperformers, and high-performer attrition right when you can least afford it.

Pay transparency and pay equity laws

California, Colorado, Washington, New York, Illinois, and a growing list of states and cities now require salary ranges in job postings and proactive pay equity analysis. A single non-compliant job post can trigger a state complaint. Pay equity gaps surfaced in a routine audit can drive material remediation costs.

Fractional CHRO and HR leadership

A senior HR partner embedded with your executive team at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CHRO. People strategy, compliance, comp architecture, and execution on a flexible monthly retainer starting at $1,199/month with no long-term contract.

Multi-state HR operations

We assess headcount by state, coordinate with payroll and tax providers when needed, support state-specific handbook addenda, and operationalize HR processes for leave, pay transparency, and final-pay requirements.

Technical and GTM recruiting

Full-cycle search for engineering, product, design, data, ML/AI, security, and go-to-market roles. Contingency recruiting is available at 15% of first-year base with a 90-day replacement guarantee, with process and role scope agreed for each engagement.

Equity and compensation architecture

Leveling guidance, compensation ranges by function and geography, equity grant guidelines, refresh framework, and offer modeling based on the information and scope available for your organization.

Pre-diligence HR assessment

A defined-scope review may cover HR documentation, contractor classification questions, equity-documentation coordination, I-9 practices, handbook completeness, and multi-state HR operations, followed by prioritized operational recommendations.

Pay transparency and pay equity programs

Salary range methodology, job posting compliance across all required jurisdictions, and a defensible annual pay equity analysis with statistically valid cohorts and documented adjustments.

How is TalentForge360 different from a PEO like Justworks, Rippling, or TriNet for a SaaS company?

A PEO is a co-employer that handles payroll, benefits administration, and basic HR compliance for a percentage of payroll (typically 2-8%, or a per-employee per-month fee at scale). TalentForge360 is senior HR consulting and recruiting, we advise on strategy, build infrastructure, and run searches, but your team stays your team. Many SaaS clients use us alongside a PEO: the PEO handles transactional payroll and benefits, and we provide the senior HR judgment, recruiting, and compliance depth a PEO does not. We are significantly more cost-effective at early stages and give founders direct access to a senior HR partner, not a ticket queue.

We are hiring engineers in multiple states. Can you help with multi-state HR?

We can help assess the states involved, document applicable requirements, and build a practical policy and process framework. The engagement scope identifies any work that requires payroll, tax, benefits, or legal providers.

Do you recruit AI, ML, and platform engineers, or only generalist roles?

We can scope searches for engineering, ML, AI, platform, infrastructure, security, data, product, design, and GTM roles. Contingency recruiting is available at 15% of first-year base salary with a 90-day replacement guarantee.

What does a Series A or Series B HR assessment cover?

A defined-scope HR assessment may cover documentation, worker-classification questions, equity-documentation coordination, I-9 practices, handbook completeness, multi-state HR operations, and pay-practice questions. Recommendations are prioritized around the organization’s goals and coordinated with qualified specialists where needed.

How much does fractional HR cost for a 40-person SaaS company?

Monthly HR retainers start at $1,199. Final scope and pricing depend on the organization’s needs, complexity, locations, and desired support cadence. Recruiting is available separately at 15% of first-year base salary with a 90-day replacement guarantee.

Can you support a hiring surge after we close our next round?

Yes. We can scope recruiting support for multiple searches and help establish structured interview loops, scorecards, and calibration sessions. Capacity, timing, and deliverables are documented in the engagement proposal.

How do you stay current on pay transparency laws across so many states?

We maintain an internal compliance calendar covering all U.S. pay transparency and pay equity statutes, and we update client job posting templates and policies whenever a new requirement takes effect. Currently this includes California, Colorado, Washington, New York State, New York City, Illinois, Maryland, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey (effective 2025), Vermont, and Washington D.C., and the list keeps growing.

HR support for Technology & SaaS companies

TalentForge360 serves growing teams nationwide. Fractional HR from $1,199/month. Free consultation.