The Talent Protocol
Hiring across India and the GCC requires a different filter. We filter for agency (the ability to act without instruction), and we treat employment as a system: jurisdiction-correct contracts on the way in, structured ramp in the first 90 days, honest scorecards during, and knowledge-safe exits at the end.
A. The "Tiger Team" Job Description
Stop posting generic JDs. Post outcomes and disqualifiers; you will get fewer applicants and better ones.
MISSION: Take ownership of the Core API and reduce latency by 40%.
OUTCOMES (First 90 Days):
1. Audit existing architecture and present migration plan (Day 30).
2. Ship v2.0 of the checkout flow (Day 60).
3. Hire 2 junior developers (Day 90).
THE "NO-GO" LIST (Do not apply if):
› You need a manager to tell you what to do daily.
› You are uncomfortable with last-minute requirements.
› You prioritise "clean code" over "shipped code".
B. Jurisdictional Employment Contracts
Cross-border employment is not one contract with three addresses. Each jurisdiction has its own mandatory platform and structure:
| Jurisdiction | Key Requirements | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| UAE (MOHRE) | Standard Employment Contract (SEC), WPS salary transfer, max 6-month probation | MOHRE Portal |
| Saudi Arabia | Contract registered via Qiwa, fixed-term for non-Saudis, Nitaqat ratios monitored | Qiwa Platform |
| India | CTC structure (40–50% Basic), PF, gratuity (5 years), POSH policy mandatory | Internal + EPFO |
*Hiring across borders without an entity? Weigh Employer-of-Record vs local entity carefully; a full comparison publishes in the Vault in November 2026. Until then, treat EOR as the default below 5 heads per country.
C. The 30-60-90 Onboarding Protocol NEW IN V4
Most MSME attrition inside the first year is a failed ramp, not a failed hire. Onboarding is a system with exit criteria per phase, not a welcome lunch.
| Phase | Focus | Exit Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1–30 · Learn | Read the SOPs, shadow the best performer, meet every stakeholder, learn the scorecard | Can explain the business model and their own KPI tree without notes |
| Days 31–60 · Do | Own real work under review; weekly 1:1 with manager against the 90-day outcomes | Delivers the role's core output with <10% rework |
| Days 61–90 · Own | Full ownership; propose one improvement to the SOP they were trained on | 90-day outcomes from the JD hit; improvement shipped or scheduled |
D. The Performance Scorecard NEW IN V4
One page per person, reviewed quarterly. Half the score is the numbers; half is how they were achieved. Neither can rescue the other.
SECTION 1 · OUTPUT (50%): 3–5 role KPIs pulled from the KPI tree (Module 09), scored against pre-agreed targets.
SECTION 2 · SYSTEM (25%): SOPs followed and improved? Documentation current? Handoffs clean?
SECTION 3 · VALUES (25%): Agency, honesty about bad news, and how they treat juniors and vendors.
CALIBRATION: Manager proposes → peer manager challenges → founder ratifies. No surprises rule: nothing appears on a scorecard that wasn't raised within a week of it happening.
E. The Knowledge-Safe Exit Protocol NEW IN V4
Every resignation is a test of your documentation. If a departure hurts, the gap was created years earlier, but the exit protocol limits the damage:
WEEK 2–3: Successor shadows; departing employee updates every stale SOP as their primary deliverable. Exit bonus, if any, is conditional on documentation quality.
FINAL WEEK: Access revocation checklist (email, ERP, bank tokens, WhatsApp groups, vendor portals; see access control). Handover sign-off by successor, not by the leaver.
ALWAYS: Exit interview asks one question that matters: "What breaks when you leave that we don't know about?"
The deeper fix is a business that passes the 'Hit By A Bus' test before anyone resigns.
This OS requires an Operator.
You can try to install this yourself, or you can partner with us to deploy it in 90 days.
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