Employ Announces Steve Cox as CEO

Accomplished Technology and Operations Executive to Lead Employ through Next Phase of Growth and Evolution

WALTHAM, Mass. (April 1, 2024) – Employ Inc., comprehensive provider of purpose-built recruiting and talent acquisition technologies and parent company of JazzHR, Lever, Jobvite and NXTThing RPO, today announces the appointment of Steve Cox as CEO, effective April 1, 2024. Cox succeeds former CEO, Pete Lamson.

Cox brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in guiding business growth and technological innovation. Attributable to his deep experience with high-growth organizations and senior leadership roles in operations, customer experience and IT, Cox has an established track record of successfully developing and implementing strategies to scale complex organizations.   

“Employ is unique in its human-centered approach to recruiting,” said Steve Cox, CEO at Employ Inc. “We have seen first-hand the impact that hiring challenges can have on organizations. Each candidate, each customer, each partner and each hire made is deeply personal, and connecting the right companies with the right candidates is essential to our success. As a leader who prioritizes people above all other, this is an ideal role. I look forward to carrying on our people-first mission.”  

Cox added, “I am equally as excited about partnering with K1 Investment Management and Vik Verma, our newly appointed Chairman of the Board. Together, their proven track record of helping businesses scale and drive growth will help us build on Employ’s strong foundation, to accelerate and reimagine the talent acquisition experience.”  

Ron Cano, Managing Partner, K1 Investment Management said, “With the creation of Employ, we brought together JazzHR, Lever, Jobvite and NXTThing RPO to address talent acquisition needs throughout the entire lifecycle of a company, serving small businesses through enterprise. Employ is focused on helping recruiters and hiring managers match the best people and job opportunities – this is critical to maximize the potential of individuals and organizations. Steve is an accomplished technology executive and leader who will empower Employ to realize this next phase of growth and uncover more opportunities for employees and customers.” 

Cano continued, “On behalf of the Employ Board of Directors, I want to thank Pete Lamson for putting Employ on a path to success for the past eight years. He has been instrumental in the transformation journey of Employ, and we are grateful for the leadership he has provided and the influence he has had across expanded capabilities, market share growth and increased profitability.”  

About Steve Cox   

Steve Cox is a distinguished executive with an exemplary history in guiding business growth and technological innovation. Cox has more than 25 years of experience transforming companies into robust, customer-centric organizations, and deep expertise in SaaS environments, go-to-market strategies and M&A transactions. His accomplishments in these areas have been recognized with the highest ratings in operational excellence, commercial orientation and team building. Most recently, Cox served as COO of Community Brands, a leading provider of B2B cloud-based software and payment solutions. Prior to that, he served in several executive level roles at Vertafore, Chess and TSG. 

About Employ Inc.  

Employ Inc. empowers organizations of all sizes to overcome their greatest recruiting and talent acquisition challenges. Offering a combination of purpose-built, intelligent technologies, services, and industry expertise, Employ provides SMB to global enterprises with a single solution for recruiting and growing a diverse workforce. Through its JazzHR, Lever, Jobvite and NXTThing RPO brands, Employ serves more than 21,000 customers across industries. For more information, visit www.employinc.com.  

About K1  

K1 is a global investment firm that builds category-leading enterprise software companies. K1 partners with strong management teams of high-growth technology businesses to help them achieve successful outcomes. With over 125 professionals, K1 and its operating affiliate, K1 Operations LLC, change industry landscapes with operationally focused growth strategies designed to rapidly scale portfolio companies. Since the inception of the firm, K1 has partnered with over 200 enterprise software companies including industry leaders such as accessiBe, Atera, Checkmarx, Complysci, ControlUp, Emburse, Employ, Granicus, HR Acuity, IronScales, Onit, RethinkFirst, Reveal-Brainspace, RFPIO, simPRO, Smarsh, Technomile, XTM International and Zapproved.  

For more information, visit k1.com and follow K1 Investment Management on LinkedIn.  

Media Contact:
Kalyn Stebbins
Kalyn.stebbins@employinc.com
(317) 440-8425