What qualities should I look for when hiring a Chief of Staff? 

Most hiring processes start with a job description. For a CoS hire, that is the wrong place to start. Before you think about the candidate, you need to think honestly about yourself; your strengths, your weaknesses, and what a complementary pair of hands would actually look like in practice. If you worked through the problem mapping in part one, you’re already on the right track.

A great CoS for one founder can be completely wrong for another. A visionary founder who struggles with structure needs someone to bring order. A founder who is chronically over-committed needs someone deeply organised and protective of their time. The question to ask yourself before you open the role is: If I had an additional pair of hands, where would I need someone with a genuine spike? 

Once you have answered that, there are five qualities that the best CoS candidates share regardless of stage or founder type.

Key qualities of a great Chief of Staff

• Comfortable with ambiguity: There is no manual, no clear brief and no one telling them what to do. The right person creates their own structure and is energised by that rather than unsettled by it.
• A ‘figure it out’ mindset: When something needs to happen and there is no clear path, a great CoS finds one. They do not wait to be told twice.
• High ownership and accountability: The CoS is often the only person responsible for making something happen. They hold themselves to a high standard without needing external accountability to do so.
• Self-reflection: The CoS role is built on a close working relationship, and the best candidates are honest about how they work best and where they fall short. 
• Drive and grit: The CoS role is demanding due to the broad scope, high ambiguity and constant context switching. The best candidates push through when things are unclear or difficult rather than waiting for direction. The person should also be motivated by what you are building
• Optimisation mindset (including AI fluency): The CoS is uniquely positioned to help an organisation become AI-native. Look for candidates who are already using AI tools actively and how that can benefit the organisation. 

Where to find great Chief of Staff candidates in Europe

• Network: Start with your network before anything else. A recruitment agency or advertising on LinkedIn will not necessarily produce a better outcome at this stage. For a role built on trust, a warm introduction can be preferential. 
• Alumni networks: Look for candidates who have come through the high-performance environments previously mentioned. Alumni networks from these organisations are a great place to source talent. Most major consulting and finance firms have active alumni job boards and communities.
• VC networks: If you are backed by a VC, use that relationship. The investment and platform team  see a huge volume of talent across their portfolio and often know who is looking for their next role.
• CoS networks: There are active Chief of Staff communities where people share opportunities and advice. Candidates from these networks may be actively looking for new roles. 

What background and experience to look for when hiring a Chief of Staff

The qualities and experience you should look for depends on the current priorities of the company. 

Fast moving, operational priorities. If most of what you need falls under analysis, ops and special projects, you need someone who brings generalist experience, is comfortable with ambiguity and has a genuine “get it done” attitude. Valuable backgrounds include founding or working in a startup, a couple of years in consulting or banking, or a Founder’s Associate role at a high-growth company.

Cross-functional and scaling priorities. If your needs sit more in special projects, strategy and the early stages of governance, you need someone with operational experience and the ability to build structure from scratch. Things are likely falling between teams and the leadership layer needs coordinating. Backgrounds that translate well include management consulting with cross-functional project experience, or Chief of Staff or Strategy & Operations at a scaling startup.

Governance and organisational priorities. If most of your needs sit in governance, CXO proxy and strategy, you need someone who can operate as a genuine extension of the CEO — managing the operating cadence, representing you in senior external conversations, and ensuring the leadership team is aligned and accountable. Look for executive presence and strong stakeholder management. Backgrounds that work well include senior consulting or banking with board exposure, a Chief of Staff role at a later-stage company, or someone who has previously acted as a deputy or proxy for a senior leader.

Once you are clear on the profile, the next challenge is finding that person, assessing them properly, and running a process that tells you what you really need to know. That is what part three covers.