Why we exist
StaffPilot is an Australian company connecting Australian businesses with elite Filipino virtual assistants. We're not a recruitment agency for local hires — we're a fully-managed offshore VA service. Founded by Dale Smedley, headquartered in Australia, with a growing team of Filipino VAs.
Australian small and mid-sized businesses are squeezed between rising local wages and the need to grow lean. At the same time, the Philippines has one of the most educated and English-fluent workforces in the world, and not enough of that talent gets matched with stable, well-paid remote roles.
StaffPilot was founded in 2025 to fix both sides of that equation. We connect Australian businesses with elite Filipino talent through a model built for long-term placements, not project churn. The result is a team member who shows up every day, learns your business, and stays for the long run.
We're not a freelancer marketplace. We're not a directory of CVs. We're a managed service that takes responsibility for the match, the onboarding, the payments, and the relationship.
How we work
Every business we work with starts with a 30-minute brief call. We learn the role, the team, the tools, and the working style that will fit. Then we go to our vetted talent pool and hand-pick 2 to 4 candidates against your brief.
You interview the shortlist, choose your VA, and we handle the rest. Contract, payroll, onboarding, time tracking, leave management, and ongoing operational support all sit with us. You get a productive team member without becoming an offshore HR department.
The full process is covered on our How It Works page. The short version: shortlist in 5 business days, VA starting work in 7 to 14 days from your brief.
What makes our model different
Three things set StaffPilot apart from offshore staffing platforms and freelancer marketplaces.
First, vetting depth. Every VA goes through skills testing, English fluency assessment, cultural fit interview, and reference checks before they reach a client shortlist. Less than 8% of applicants make it through.
Second, we stay involved. After the placement, we run monthly check-ins with both you and your VA. If something feels off, we surface it early. If your VA needs support, we provide it. You're never managing an offshore relationship alone.
Third, the model is built for long-term work. The average StaffPilot placement runs 18 months. Our 12-month retention rate is 92%. That's because we match for fit, not for fee. A VA who churns at 4 months is a loss for everyone.
The numbers
The numbers reflect what we care about: long-term, well-matched placements that work for both sides.
Our commitment to the Philippines
Every placement we make pays a Filipino VA well above local market rates and gives them a stable, professional remote role they can build a career around. That's the baseline.
Beyond that, a portion of StaffPilot's profits is reinvested into education programs in the Philippines, supporting access to training and digital skills for the next generation of remote workers. Our long-term goal is to widen the pipeline of high-quality Filipino talent and create a more sustainable offshore staffing industry overall.
We believe the offshore model only works when it works for everyone. The VAs we place are not contractors at arm's length. They are the foundation of what we build.
Meet the founder
Dale Smedley
Dale Smedley founded StaffPilot in 2025 to solve a problem he saw over and over in Australian small businesses: founders drowning in operational work they couldn't afford to delegate. Since launch, StaffPilot has placed elite Filipino virtual assistants with hundreds of Australian businesses across ecommerce, real estate, trades and professional services.
Dale writes and speaks regularly on offshore staffing, Australian SMB scaling, and the economics of remote work. He's an Australian entrepreneur based in Adelaide.
Ready to meet your first VA?
Tell us about the role you need filled and we'll send you a shortlist of pre-vetted candidates within 5 business days.
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