Job Launch Workflow

Roles, the workflow, the words we use, and where I am asking us to raise our game.
Internal · Percy Team
From  Mike Created  May 29, 2026 at 9:28 AM EDT Applies to  Every job, every account

This is how a job moves through Percy: who owns what at each step, the shared vocabulary we all use, and the practices I want us building together. The reason to get precise about process is simple. Clarity makes everyone's life easier over time. When we all describe the same work with the same words and run the same steps, we move faster and trip over each other less. Read it in full. We will keep tightening it together.

The People

The roles on every job

Four roles, plus Manila attached for support. The same person can wear more than one hat, and when that happens we bring in a second Boston recruiter to back them up.

Account Manager / Account Liaison
Whoever got the Rec from the client. Jake is our only Account Manager and runs every account except Health Plan One. The role launches the job: brings the Rec to Jake and the team, generates the Intake Prep, schedules the Intake, and delivers the client to the call.
Lead Recruiter
Owns the Rec, start to finish. Leads the Intake, generates the Superdoc, configures the job in CMS, gets ads posted, and runs the Job Launch Conversation. If it needs to happen, it is theirs to make happen.
Thought Partner
When the Lead Recruiter is also the Account Manager, we add a second Boston team member as the backup quarterback. They are not the AM, the liaison, or the Lead, so they are there to learn the job, contribute, pressure-test the plan, and be ready to step in if someone is out.
Mike
Weighs in at two touch points: the Intake Prep (our initial thinking) and the Job Launch Conversation (our digested plan of attack). Those two meetings exist, in large part, so I can see and shape the plan.
Manila
Attached to every job so they can pick up administrative work that would otherwise bottleneck while you juggle other Recs. They are not in every meeting. Be judicious about pulling them into calls, but keep them looped on every job.
Why two Boston recruiters on every job

People will be out. When they are, someone has to cover, and the more embedded the second recruiter already is, the easier it is to hand the job in and out without dropping anything. It is also how everyone grows, by being exposed to the work.

Coverage
Someone is always ready to step in when a teammate is out.
Smooth transitions
Being embedded in the job makes handing it in and out painless.
Development
Everyone learns and sharpens by exposure to real responsibility.

Whoever sits in that second seat is the backup quarterback: there to learn, there to contribute, and there to step in when needed.

Shared Vocabulary

The words we use

These are our sticky terms. They mean the same thing every time, on every job. Learn them and use them, so we are all describing the same work with the same words.

The people
Account Manager (AM)Client-facing
The standing owner of a client account. Jake is our only Account Manager and runs every account except Health Plan One.
Account LiaisonClient-facing
Whoever brings in a Rec when they are not the standing Account Manager for it. Same job on that Rec: launch it, generate the Intake Prep, schedule the Intake, and deliver the client to the call.
Lead RecruiterClient-facing
The Boston recruiter who owns the Rec start to finish. Leads the Intake, generates the Superdoc, configures CMS, and runs the Job Launch Conversation.
Thought PartnerInternal
The second Boston team member we add when the Lead Recruiter is also the Account Manager or liaison. They hold none of the other roles, so their job is to think alongside and pressure-test the plan.
The work
Requisition (Rec)Client input
A job order from a client. The thing that kicks everything off and starts the workflow.
Staffing PlanJake's call
Who works the job. Always two Boston, one Manila, plus Mike, with one Boston recruiter named Lead. The decision is Jake's.
Intake PrepWe generate+ short call
The intelligence the Account Manager or liaison pulls together for the Boston team to review and discuss ahead of the Intake. It is both a document and a short conversation, so you will hear it called the Intake Prep document, the Intake Prep call, or the Intake Prep conversation. Same term, same thing.
Intake GuideLead generates
The Lead Recruiter's own tool for running the Job Intake at a high level. Because the Lead is running the call, generating this is their responsibility, for themselves. We can help, but it is ultimately their job, and everyone has different preferences for what they want in front of them while they lead.
Job Intake (Intake)Client call
The calibration call with the client, led by the Lead Recruiter, ideally on Zoom video. Also just called the Intake. It is arguably the single most important point in the whole Job Launch Workflow and in the job's life cycle.
Intake DebriefInternal
The quick conversation the two people on a client call have the moment they hang up. Every call, every time.
Superdoc (Job Notes)We generate
The generated job notes that define the search. The Lead Recruiter generates it, then configures the job in CMS.
Job Launch ConversationInternal
The short team huddle where we align on the digested plan of attack and coordinate what we need from each other.
JournalingInternal
Creating a written record of your thinking for a job in that job's Slack channel, so anyone can see what is happening without having to ask.
We generate it Client-facing Internal Jake's decision
The Decision

The Staffing Plan is Jake's call

Who works a job is Jake's decision. Anyone is welcome to offer input or feedback, and Jake may ask for it, but the call is his to make.

Decides
Jake
Sets the Staffing Plan for every job.
Advises (optional)
The team
Input and feedback are welcome, and sometimes requested. The decision still sits with Jake.

The shape of the plan does not change:

2 Boston recruiters + 1 Manila recruiter + Mike

One of the two Boston recruiters is named Lead Recruiter. That is the standing structure for every job we launch.

The Workflow

How a job moves, step by step

We already have clean, repeatable workflows for generating the Intake Prep, the Intake Guide, and the Superdoc. Use them. The throughline is simple: get the reading out ahead of time, keep the conversations short, and show up prepared.

1 Rec
›
2 Staffing Plan
›
3 Intake Prep
›
4 Intake
›
5 Debrief
›
6 Superdoc + CMS
›
7 Job Launch
›
8 Execute
1
AM / Liaison
The Requisition lands

A client sends a Rec. Whoever receives it is the AM or liaison for that job. They bring it to Jake and the team to launch it.

2
Jake decides
The Staffing Plan is set

The Staffing Plan is Jake's decision. Input and feedback from the team are welcome, and sometimes requested, but the call is his. Two Boston, one Manila, plus Mike. One Boston recruiter is named Lead.

3
AM / Liaison
Intake Prep generated, Intake scheduled

The AM or liaison generates the Intake Prep, the intelligence the Boston team will review and discuss, and gets the Intake on the calendar.

4
Mike's first touch point
Intake Prep conversation

Ultra-short. Mike, the AM or liaison, and the Lead Recruiter. If the Lead is also the AM, a second Boston member joins as Thought Partner. This is where we lock our initial thinking: what is this, and what do we do. Read the Intake Prep document before you walk in.

5
Lead leads · AM delivers client
The Job Intake

The Lead Recruiter runs the Job Intake. This is arguably the most important moment in the whole workflow, so treat it that way. The AM or liaison's job is to deliver the client to the call. The Lead picks up responsibility the moment the client shows to the scheduled call, ideally on Zoom video. Two Boston team members in the room whenever we can. If we only get one, it is a scheduling constraint, not the default.

6
The two on the call
Intake Debrief

We debrief every client call. The moment you are off, the two people who were on it talk about what just happened. This is not a meeting to schedule. The Intake Debrief is just what we do.

7
Lead Recruiter
Superdoc and CMS

The Lead Recruiter generates the Superdoc (the Job Notes) and configures the job in CMS, which includes making sure the ads are posted.

8
Mike's second touch point
Job Launch Conversation

The team comes together and the Lead says where things stand. If you need nothing from anyone, you are simply there so people can ask you questions. If you need something, Manila to get an ad up, direction on outbound, help getting Manila ready for phone screens, the Job Launch Conversation is the venue to coordinate it. This is our fully digested plan of attack, and my second look.

9
Lead runs it · team journals
Execution, in the open

From here the Lead runs the job and the whole team keeps the written record current through Journaling. Anyone who sees something stuck speaks up.

Edge Case

Getting ads up before the Job Intake

Sometimes the intelligence we have says we should get ads live before we have run the Job Intake. When that is the right move, we run the entire workflow exactly as written. The only difference is that the Job Intake has not happened yet.

Nothing else changes. The more something changes, the more it breaks down. We just do not have the Job Intake until we have it, and then we update based on any new information.
How it starts

The call to go ads-first is made in the Intake Prep conversation. The Account Manager or liaison initiates it, off the intelligence they have gathered: "Based on what I know about this job, I think we should get ads up as soon as possible." We make that decision together in the Intake Prep, then run the rest of the process.

What stays exactly the same
  • Generate the Superdoc (or its best available equivalent) off the intelligence we have.
  • Configure the job in CMS, same as always.
  • Decide which ads to post and get them live.
  • Journal in Slack so the whole team can see what is happening.
What is different, and how we catch up

We simply do not have the Job Intake until we have it. Once it happens, we update CMS, the Job Notes (Superdoc), and the ads to reflect anything new we learned on the call.

1 Intake Prep: decide ads-first
›
2 Superdoc + CMS
›
3 Ads live
then, later
4 Job Intake
›
5 Update CMS, Notes & ads
Ownership

The Lead Recruiter owns the Rec

The Lead owns the Rec, full stop.
  • If it goes well, it is their doing.
  • If it goes badly, it is their doing.
  • If it needs fixing, it is their responsibility.
  • If it needs to be noticed or addressed, it is their responsibility.

This does not mean nobody else gets involved. Everybody should stick their nose in. If you notice something is not moving, ask. "Hey, I noticed this did not get done, do you need any help?" That is the team I want.

Meeting Discipline

Two meetings, both short, both built around my two check-ins

The Intake Prep and the Job Launch Conversation are the two points where I weigh in.

Touch point 1
Intake Prep
Our initial thinking. What is this, and what do we do.
Touch point 2
Job Launch Conversation
Our digested plan of attack, ready to run.

Protect them, keep them tight, and come ready.

  • Get reading out ahead of time. Expect people to read it. Show up to ask questions or to confirm you do not have any.
  • Keep the conversations short. The prework carries the load, not the meeting. Keep it pushing.
  • Be judicious about who is in the room. We do not need Manila in everything. Pull people in on purpose.
  • Two Boston in every client conversation when possible. If we cannot, it is because of a real scheduling constraint on our bandwidth.
The Written Record

Journaling: keep the work visible in Slack

Journaling means creating a written record of your thinking for a job in that job's Slack channel. The more you put down in writing ahead of time, and the more you keep it current as the Rec goes on, the better the whole team runs. We are still building this habit together, and that is fine. It is worth it.

The standard: someone should be able to look at CMS and a job's Slack channel and know exactly what is going on, without needing to talk to you. That is the level of Journaling I want in every job channel.

If your thinking is not visible in Slack, I have no way to see it, and I have to work as though it is not happening.
What that sounds like: "My plan of attack today is to get a new ad up, I will do that at 4pm." · "I have noticed we need more leads, I am going to do 30 minutes of outbound and get out 30 invitations." · "This stalled on the client side, here is what I am doing about it." If you have a thought about a job, put it in the channel.

Slack is our internal layer. That is where the Journaling, coordination, and thinking live, alongside CMS.

The Bigger Picture

Change is hard before it pays off

Getting precise about process is going to feel harder before it feels easier, and I want to be honest about that up front. There is a name for it: the J-curve. Good change usually dips before it climbs. It is different, so it takes more effort at first, especially when several people have to coordinate and get on board at the same time.

Now The dip The payoff
NowWhere we are today.
The dipNew and harder while we all coordinate and adjust to it.
The payoffA new rhythm, and we come out faster, clearer, and sharper.

Once we lock it in, the friction fades. People get used to it, a new rhythm emerges, and we come out the other side more productive than before. That is where I am trying to get us, and I am betting it is a real improvement.

We will not actually know how good this is until we run it, so let's run it. I would love to be proven right. What I am asking for is straightforward: when I give a direction, like noting your sourcing activity in the job's Slack channel, I want to be able to trust that it happens. That trust is exactly what lets me step back and lets the team carry more of this. That is the whole point of getting clear on process, and it is good for all of us.

I know changing how everyone works is a real ask, and I do not take it lightly. Tell me where this is hard or where it is wrong, and we will adjust it together. But let's commit to running it, because the version of Percy on the other side of this curve is one I think we will all be glad we built.

PERCY  ·  Job Launch Workflow  ·  Draft for team review