When to Hire A CoS
Hiring a CoS too early wastes capital. Hiring too late costs revenue. Here are the signals that tell you which side of that line you're on.
The Five Signals That Say It's Time
| Signal | What it means |
|---|---|
| CEO is overwhelmed | When the CEO spends more time managing internal operations than on strategy, relationships, and external presence |
| Series B and beyond | At this stage, the CEO needs a partner to manage the increasing coordination demands of a scaling organisation |
| Executive team alignment gaps | When the leadership team is operating with misaligned priorities and insufficient coordination |
| Board and investor preparation | When board preparation, investor updates, and off-site management are consuming CEO cycles |
| Strategic initiative management | When the CEO is sponsoring 5+ strategic initiatives without a dedicated owner to drive them |
The Case for Waiting
Not every company needs a CoS right now. Before initiating the search, confirm the following:
First, that the budget exists to pay competitively — a CoS hired below market will leave within 18 months. Second, that the company has enough operational clarity for a new CoS to succeed — hiring into chaos without a clear mandate sets the leader up to fail. Third, that the CEO has the bandwidth to properly onboard and integrate a senior leader — the first 90 days require active CEO involvement regardless of the CoS's experience level.
The most expensive CoS hire is the one you make six months too early, before the company is ready to give them something meaningful to own.
What to Have Ready Before You Search
Before starting the search, define: (1) the specific business outcome this CoS will own in the first 12 months, (2) who they will report to and what authority they will have, (3) the team they will inherit or build, and (4) the compensation package including equity. Searching without these answers produces misaligned candidates and offers that don't close.
Not Sure If You Need A CoS Right Now?
20 minutes. Confidential. We assess whether a CoS search is the right move for your company's current stage — before you start the process.
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