David has run VP of Engineering searches for companies at exactly this inflection point.
Too early and there's not enough org to lead. Too late and the engineering team has already outgrown ad hoc leadership. Here's how to tell which side you're on.
See the signalsOnce a technical founder is spending more time in 1:1s and planning than building, the org needs dedicated engineering leadership.
Beyond this size, informal management stops scaling and reporting lines get blurry without a dedicated leader.
Missed deadlines with no single technical bottleneck usually means a leadership gap, not a skills gap.
Investors expect engineering leadership in place before the team doubles, not after.
Companies that wait until the team is already in pain tend to hire reactively, under pressure, with less time to evaluate candidates carefully. That's exactly when a bad VP hire is most likely, and exactly when it's most expensive to be wrong.
The best time to hire a VP of Engineering is before you're desperate for one. Desperation is when the worst hires happen.
David has run VP of Engineering searches for companies at exactly this inflection point.
Book a 15-minute call. We'll help you figure out if it's time, no pressure either way.
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