Company Background
A fast-growing SaaS company based in Australia provides cloud-based workflow and productivity tools to clients across the Asia-Pacific region. After securing Series B funding, the company began expanding its product and engineering teams to meet increasing demand, with a focus on entering new Southeast Asian markets, including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
Hiring Goals
To support new customer growth and product development, the company planned to hire full-time software engineers, QA specialists, and technical support staff across multiple countries. The goal was to build lean, distributed teams without having to set up legal entities in every new market.
Challenges Faced
- New Market Entry
The company wanted to hire in countries like the Philippines and Vietnam, where it had no existing operations or legal infrastructure. - Urgent Talent Needs
Tight project timelines meant they couldn’t wait months to establish local entities or build internal hiring processes. - Compliance Risk
The internal HR team lacked knowledge of local labor laws, benefits, and contract requirements, making it difficult to hire confidently across borders. - Need for Flexibility
The company wanted to test hiring in new markets without making long-term commitments or creating unnecessary overhead.
Solution
Second Talent delivered a flexible employment solution aligned with the company’s fast-moving expansion plans:
- EOR for Market Entry
Enabled the company to hire talent quickly and compliantly in the Philippines and Vietnam by placing new hires under Second Talent’s existing legal entities. - Local Employment Support
Advised on local employment laws, contract terms, and termination policies to ensure compliant hiring and reduce legal risk. - Scalable Approach
Gave the company the ability to start small, move fast, and adjust hiring based on changing business needs, without setting up legal entities. - Fast Candidate Delivery
Second Talent provided shortlisted candidates within days, helping the company start interviews and move forward quickly with team setup.
Results Achieved
Although the company had initially planned to hire across all three target markets, a last-minute shift in business priorities meant that only half the intended roles were filled.
Still, the company was able to:
- Hire key engineering and support roles in two new countries within 30 days.
- Move forward with no legal setup delays and stay compliant in unfamiliar hiring environments.
- Gain a faster, lower-risk path to entering new Southeast Asian markets.
- Stay on track with product development timelines despite changes in team planning.
Note: This case study is intended for reference purposes.
