Overview
Born in Spring 2022, Nium is set to revolutionize ammonia production. Using nano-catalytic solutions, they aim to eliminate emissions on a large scale, tackling one of the world's most polluting industries. Nium's innovative 'Green Ammonia on Demand' system offers a scalable, eco-friendly alternative, set to eliminate fertilizer emissions, slash maritime CO2, and advance green hydrogen energy.
The Challenge
Nium's quest to attract top talent for product development and market expansion led them to seek expertise in recruitment and People Ops. Their vision is simple yet profound: establish a flexible hybrid work environment aligned with the mission of a better planet for future generations.
However, this journey came with hurdles – unstructured processes, undefined cultural pillars, decision-making gaps, and time constraints.
“Steph is very pragmatic and flexible. She understands the demands, needs, complexities, and compromises required by a start-up and a start-up that is now rapidly scaling.”
-Lewis Jenkins, CEO & Co-founder
The Solution
As a fractional Head of People, I integrated into Nium's team. Our journey began with a culture workshop with the founders during which we crafted their desired culture and operational model. We designed the cultural pillars: Nium’s purpose, vision, mission and values. This became the foundations for a comprehensive decision-making framework, empowering team members across the organisation. At the same time, I streamlined the hiring process using skill based testing reducing bias and time to hire while increasing skill fit.
In tandem, we launched the team operating system and core People Ops processes reducing time to productivity through effective onboarding.
The Results
Before my involvement, Nium grappled with a vague cultural framework, undefined hiring procedures, and limited bandwidth to implement them. They sought a culture of responsibility and ownership but lacked the structure to realize it.
I provided practical solutions tailored to their unique needs:
Culture Framework: During the workshop, we established four culture pillars that shape decision-making and operations.
Refined Hiring: Streamlined the hiring process, reducing bias and ensuring skill and culture fit.
Onboarding Excellence: Streamlined onboarding processes so team members set their goals early and focus on the rapid execution rhythm pivotal to Nium's success.
Flexibility: Established an Operating System to supports the team hybrid model, managing in person, lab and remote time for the team with no silos as the team scales.
The Future
In less than 6 months, Nium had scaled from the 3 founders to 9 team members and operated without People Ops support. Their core operating system in place, they can scale while maintaining a culture of responsibility and ownership with no People support, saving around £36,000.00 per year.
The benefits offered to Nium positions me well for other fractional roles with startups seeking an agile and innovative workplace.