Series B Executive Hiring: When and How to Bring in Senior Leaders

# Series B Executive Hiring: When and How to Bring in Senior Leaders

Series B is often the inflection point where startups transform from scrappy teams into structured organizations. This requires a different caliber of leadership.

When to Hire Executives

### Signs You Need Senior Leadership

- Founders are stretched too thin across functions - Decision quality is declining due to bandwidth - Team is outgrowing current management capability - Board is asking about leadership gaps - Competitors are hiring experienced executives

### Common Executive Hires at Series B

**VP Engineering**: When engineering org exceeds 15-20 people **VP Sales**: When you have proven sales motion to scale **VP Marketing**: When brand and demand gen need dedicated focus **CFO/VP Finance**: When financial complexity increases **VP People**: When you're hiring 5+ people monthly

How to Hire Executives

### Define the Role Clearly

Executive searches fail when the role is undefined: - What decisions will this person make? - What does success look like in 12 months? - What authority and resources will they have? - Who do they report to and manage?

### Source Broadly

Executive talent requires proactive sourcing: - Retained search firms for critical roles - VC talent partners - Board member networks - LinkedIn executive search - Industry conferences and events

### Interview for Scale Experience

Ask about: - Specific experiences scaling teams and functions - How they've built leadership teams - Decisions they've made under uncertainty - Failures and what they learned

### Check References Thoroughly

For executive hires, do 6-8 references: - Former bosses - Former peers - Former direct reports - Board members who've worked with them

The Compensation Conversation

### Executive Compensation Components

- Base salary (typically $250-400K at Series B) - Bonus (20-40% of base) - Equity (0.5-2% depending on role and stage) - Sometimes signing bonus or accelerated vesting

### Negotiation Reality

Executives often negotiate aggressively. Know your limits but be prepared to compete.

Onboarding Executives

### The First 90 Days

- Week 1: Meet everyone, absorb context - Month 1: Diagnose current state, build relationships - Month 2: Develop strategy, make initial changes - Month 3: Execute and measure

### Set Clear Expectations

Define: - What decisions they can make unilaterally - What requires collaboration or approval - How success will be measured - Communication cadence with CEO/founders

The Bottom Line

Executive hiring at Series B can accelerate your trajectory or create expensive mistakes. Take time to define roles clearly, search broadly, and onboard thoughtfully.