Each day, Stacey Jenkins watches a different set of indicators than the quarterly financial results that eventually appear on a report. Candidate applications, recruiter activity, and other throughput measures help tell the story of where Aerotek’s business may be headed. Financial results are “the lagging indicator,” Jenkins tells us.
That perspective reflects how she views both finance and leadership. While Aerotek remains focused on helping clients solve talent challenges and build flexible, specialized workforces, the company has steadily expanded its approach. Today, it is helping clients rethink how work gets done through workforce solutions, data insights, and new delivery models. Aerotek is also building capabilities in fully outsourced industrial services, Jenkins tells us.
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The common thread is a willingness to look beyond traditional definitions of the business. Jenkins says she remains proud of the organization’s ability to help clients grow while helping people build their careers.
The same mindset appears in her approach to capital allocation. Rather than viewing investment decisions primarily through the lens of cost, she begins with curiosity. Drawing on both operational and strategic experience, she listens carefully to business leaders, asks for supporting data, and seeks to understand the expected outcomes behind each proposal.
The work does not end once funding is approved. Jenkins emphasizes the importance of measuring whether investments actually deliver the results that were anticipated. For her, resource allocation is about more than short-term spending decisions. It is about positioning the business, its people, and its clients for success over the next three, five, seven, and even ten years.
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CFOTL: How would you describe Aerotek’s business today?
Jenkins: Today, at our core, we still are the Aerotek that everyone has come to know, where we help companies solve one of the biggest challenges we all have, and that’s access to amazing talent. We help our clients build and scale their workforce in a way that’s flexible, specialized, and aligned to their business needs.
Where we’ve evolved is not just filling open jobs, but helping clients think differently about how work gets done, whether through more strategic workforce solutions, data insights, or new delivery models. We’re also building capabilities that allow us to offer fully outsourced industrial services. We’re excited about that journey because it represents more of an outsourced-function model rather than the traditional staffing model.
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What I’m still proud of—and what has been consistent throughout my years here and even before I joined—is the role we play in helping both sides of the market. We help our clients grow, and we help our people build their careers.
CFOTL: As you described it, staffing is flexible, while larger outsourcing agreements may be less flexible. The business model has to withstand both worlds. Am I close to the reality?
Jenkins: You’re on it. You’re on it. We’ll probably hit on that a little bit later in the podcast as we talk more about what we’re building and what we’re trying to accomplish there.
CFOTL: What inputs do you watch as you try to anticipate quarterly results? What gauges help you keep a finger on the pulse of the business?
Jenkins: We’re always looking at our data and our throughputs in the business. Financial results are ultimately a lagging indicator, so it’s about putting together the data points that tell us what’s happening day in and day out.
We look at things like the number of candidates applying for jobs, the number of candidates we’re contacting, and other activity measures throughout the business. Data has become critical in every industry, and our space is no different. The data helps tell us a really good story about what the future is likely to bring.
CFOTL: When department heads are seeking significant investments, what is your mindset when it comes to allocating resources?
Jenkins: Prioritization. I’m known for being incredibly curious during those conversations. My strategic and operational experience guides my thinking as a CFO because I’ve been on the other side of those discussions. I understand what it feels like to have a compelling case for additional investment and not receive it.
I listen intently, and I ask for data. I want to understand the hypothesis: If we make this investment, what outcomes should we expect? Then comes what I believe is the mission-critical part—after we’ve invested, do we actually see the results we expected? If we don’t, then we need follow-up conversations and potentially different decisions.
I’m also not known for making decisions based solely on cost. It’s about what makes the most sense for the business, our people, our clients, and ultimately the path forward. And that path forward isn’t just next week—it’s three, five, seven, and even ten years from now.
Aerotek | www.aerotek.com | Hanover, MD