Hiring a Chief of Staff in a Growth Company
Simon Roderick
At a certain stage in the life of a growth company, founders often begin to notice the same pattern emerging.
The business is performing well, the team is growing and opportunities continue to increase, yet the leadership structure that worked effectively at twenty or thirty people begins to strain under the weight of scale. Strategic priorities are interrupted by operational demands, decisions pile up faster than they can be made and too much of the organisation still depends on one individual.
This is usually the point at which founders begin searching for answers, often phrased quite simply. When should I hire a chief of staff. What does a chief of staff actually do. Is this the right role for our business.
Hiring a chief of staff in the UK has become increasingly common within growth companies, particularly those scaling quickly after investment or entering a more operationally complex stage of growth. Despite this, the role itself remains widely misunderstood.
What does a chief of staff do in a growth company
The title carries a degree of ambiguity because the role changes significantly depending on the size and structure of the organisation.
Within a growth company, a chief of staff is typically not a traditional executive assistant and not usually a COO in waiting, although some individuals do eventually move into operational leadership roles over time. The position sits somewhere between strategy, operations and leadership support, acting as a force multiplier for the founder or chief executive.
Building a leadership team?
In practice, a chief of staff in a growth company often becomes responsible for maintaining momentum across the organisation. They help ensure that priorities translate into action, that leadership discussions result in decisions and that the founder is not pulled into every operational detail simply because no one else is coordinating across functions.
This can include managing leadership meetings and board preparation, driving strategic projects, supporting investor communications, resolving cross-functional bottlenecks and handling sensitive internal matters that require judgement and discretion.
The role is particularly valuable in businesses where growth has outpaced structure. Founders often find themselves repeatedly attending the same meetings, relaying the same information between teams or making decisions that no longer need to sit with them personally. A strong chief of staff addresses the underlying organisational issue rather than simply helping the founder cope with it.
When to hire a chief of staff
One of the more common mistakes growth businesses make is waiting too long before making this hire.
The need usually becomes visible in subtle ways first. The founder’s diary becomes entirely reactive. Important projects lose momentum because ownership is unclear. Leadership meetings generate discussion without enough follow-through. Communication between teams becomes inconsistent as the organisation expands.
These issues rarely appear dramatic in isolation, though together they create operational drag that becomes increasingly difficult to ignore.
For many businesses, the right time to hire a chief of staff is when headcount reaches somewhere between fifty and one hundred and fifty employees, particularly where the founder remains heavily involved in day-to-day decision making. At this stage, the informal structures that worked earlier in the company’s life often begin to break down.
Understanding when to hire a chief of staff in a growth business is less about company size alone and more about recognising when leadership bandwidth has become a constraint on scale.
What profile works well in a chief of staff role
The strongest chief of staff candidates tend to combine structured thinking with a high level of adaptability.
Many come from consulting, banking or strategy backgrounds where they have developed the ability to absorb information quickly, communicate clearly and operate in fast-moving environments. Others emerge from previous growth companies where they have already worked closely with founders and leadership teams.
What tends to matter more than sector expertise is the ability to build trust quickly across the organisation and operate comfortably in ambiguity.
A chief of staff sits unusually close to the centre of the business. They are exposed to sensitive discussions, evolving priorities and difficult decisions. The role therefore requires maturity, discretion and a genuine willingness to work behind the scenes without needing constant visibility or recognition.
This aspect is often underestimated during the hiring process. Strong candidates are usually motivated by organisational impact rather than hierarchy alone.
Common mistakes in chief of staff recruitment
The most frequent issue is a lack of clarity around the purpose of the role itself.
Some businesses hire someone too junior and end up with a capable coordinator who lacks the authority to influence outcomes. Others hire someone very senior without clearly defining the remit, leading to frustration on both sides once the initial excitement fades.
Another challenge arises when the organisation itself does not understand how the role should function. If leadership teams are unclear about decision rights, communication lines or expectations, the chief of staff can become trapped between functions rather than enabling them.
Hiring reactively during a period of operational stress can also create problems. The role works best when the business still has enough stability to onboard the individual properly and allow the relationship with the founder to develop naturally.
How to approach the search
Chief of staff recruitment for a growth company benefits from a more thoughtful process than a standard management hire.
The strongest candidates are rarely applying directly to advertised roles. Most are already in position, often operating successfully within another scaling business, and will only engage if the opportunity feels credible, well defined and genuinely impactful.
A targeted search process allows founders to access candidates who are unlikely to appear through traditional recruitment channels. It also creates space to assess the more nuanced aspects of the role, particularly communication style, judgement and compatibility with the founder or chief executive.
Because the relationship is so close, interview processes should move beyond standard competency questions. Working sessions, strategic discussions and real business scenarios tend to reveal far more about how someone thinks and operates in practice.
For founders considering hiring a chief of staff in the UK, the quality of the relationship ultimately matters as much as the quality of the CV. The role succeeds when trust, complementarity and clarity come together at the right moment in the company’s growth.
Fram Professionals works with growth companies across the UK on chief of staff and senior operational appointments. If you are considering this hire and would value a confidential conversation about the market, we would be pleased to speak.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Fram Professionals provides leadership and organisational advisory services and does not offer regulated financial advice.
About Fram Professionals
Fram Professionals supports VC-backed, PE-backed and founder-led businesses as they scale leadership teams. We advise on key hires including Chief Operating Officers, Chief of Staffs, CFOs and commercial leaders, helping growth companies build the capability required for their next stage of development. We are the sister company of Fram Search, with over sixteen years of VC market relationships.
Contact us at [email protected] or call 01525 864 372 to discuss a search.
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