| Role / keyword cluster | What the hire is expected to do | Possible trigger | What it does not prove | Advice alternative to test |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief of Staff / Founder’s Office | Frame priorities, coordinate cross-functional execution, prepare leadership decisions | Founder time saturated; growing complexity | A neutral or independent challenger is wanted | Bounded challenge + operations generalist |
| Strategy & Operations | Turn targets into plans, analyse performance and operating tradeoffs | New products, expansion or scaling | Proven product-market fit | Short strategic project with measurable outputs |
| Strategic Finance / FP&A | Budget, scenario model, runway, operating metrics | Funding runway or hiring uncertainty | Sales demand exists | Fractional CFO and decision memo |
| VP Sales / CRO | Build a repeatable sales organisation and hiring cadence | Attempted growth scaling | Current commercial motion is repeatable | Fractional leader or founder sales test |
| People / Talent lead | Build interview process, org design, succession and feedback | First management layer | Strategy or decision rights are clear | Role-design review before recruiter engagement |
| Portfolio Operations / Founder Success | Support several funded companies with programming and partners | Fund differentiates support | Independence or confidentiality guaranteed | Founder-opt-in specialist network |
Burkland's published strategic-finance scope specifically lists modeling, cash/runway planning, cap tables and scenario support—evidence of a real category of substitute or complement, not measured hiring demand. Burkland: Strategic Finance for Startups