If you’re a first-time founder building a B2B SaaS startup, chances are you’re going to hit a point where you can’t do it all anymore. You’ve hustled your way to an MVP, maybe even some early revenue. But now you’re staring down a growing list of feature requests, technical trade-offs, GTM decisions, and realizing it’s time to hire product help.
But here’s the thing: Not all Product Managers are created equal. Hiring the wrong product persona for the stage you’re in? That’s how you waste time, burn money, and stall momentum.
This guide breaks down the most common product personas, why they matter, and when to hire them (so you don’t make a rookie hiring mistake.)
First, Define the “Why”
No one hires a Product Manager just because “it’s time.” You’re hiring because something needs to be fixed, unlocked, or built.
Start with use cases:
- What problem are you solving by hiring this person?
- Is there a specific outcome you’re chasing: MVP shipped? PMF unlocked? Growth unlocked? PLG implementation?
Being crystal clear on the why will shape everything, from the kind of candidate you go after to how you pitch the opportunity.
Next, Define the “Who”
Once you know the “why,” it’s time to define the “who.”
That means going deeper than a generic job description. Think:
- What kind of experience is non-negotiable?
- Where can you be flexible?
- Do you need a strategic thinker, a tactical executor, or someone who can swing both ways?
This is where candidate personas come in. Below are the most common product personas startups hire, depending on stage, funding, and goals:
0→1 PM
- Stage: Pre-PMF, early days
- Why you hire them: You need someone to go deep into discovery, validate a problem, and get you to MVP.
- Who they are: Tactical, scrappy, user-obsessed. Often take your napkin sketch and turn it into a product. Think mini-founder energy.
Head of Product
- Stage: Seed or early Series A
- Why you hire them: You’re still figuring things out, but it’s too much for the founder to manage solo.
- Who they are: Player-coach. Still in the weeds but knows how to ship. Their goal? Get you from MVP to PMF.
First VP Product
- Stage: Post-PMF, funded to grow
- Why you hire them: You have traction and users. Now you need process, structure, and a roadmap that doesn’t live in Slack threads.
- Who they are: A strategic leader who still gets their hands dirty. They introduce product best practices, build a team, and turn chaos into clarity.
Scale-Up VP Product
- Stage: Series B+
- Why you hire them: You’ve got a team, but no one’s thinking about org design, product strategy, or how to scale product dev across multiple squads.
- Who they are: Leader of leaders. Thinks in systems. Brings a “build / buy / partner” lens to product bets.
CPO (Chief Product Officer)
- Stage: Mature scale-up, planning for exit or aggressive growth
- Why you hire them: You need someone thinking 3–5 years ahead. Someone who can build orgs, align products with revenue, and sit at the exec table.
- Who they are: Board-facing, strategy-first, often overseeing Product, Design, Data, and sometimes Engineering (CPTO). This hire can also help unlock investor confidence for future rounds.
Domain Expert Product Manager
- Stage: Vertical SaaS, industry-specific product
- Why you hire them: You need someone who knows the customer because they’ve been the customer.
- Who they are: Former industry pros (e.g. healthcare, logistics, finance) turned product leaders. They bring credibility, intuition, and customer insight that accelerates adoption and retention.
Data/AI PM
- Stage: Scaling, AI integration
- Why you hire them: You want to build smarter products using AI/ML or data-driven decision-making.
- Who they are: Fluent in data. Often partner closely with data science and engineering to ideate and ship features that leverage automation, personalization, or prediction.
Growth PM
- Stage: PLG or high-volume SaaS
- Why you hire them: You want to optimize onboarding, increase conversions, reduce churn.
- Who they are: Experimental, data-obsessed, and relentless. They’re always A/B testing and live in dashboards. Their work directly impacts revenue.
PLG PM
- Stage: Freemium/trial-led SaaS
- Why you hire them: You’re building or optimizing self-serve flows.
- Who they are: They design experiences that drive sign-ups, activate users, and convert to paid. Also key in reducing subscription churn through UX and retention plays.
Group Product Manager
- Stage: Mid-to-late stage startup with growing product org
- Why you hire them: You have multiple PMs and need someone to level them up.
- Who they are: Experienced ICs who’ve evolved into leaders. They manage a product area and mentor junior PMs while still owning strategy for a slice of the product.
Full-Stack PM
- Stage: Early-stage or lean team
- Why you hire them: You need someone to do it all.
- Who they are: Usually technical, sometimes ex-engineers. Own everything from discovery to QA. They’re your Swiss army knife.
Integrations/API PM
- Stage: SaaS with platform complexity
- Why you hire them: Your roadmap includes integrations, workflows, or platform partnerships.
- Who they are: Highly technical. Fluent in API design and use cases. They help connect the dots between your product and the customer’s broader stack.
Hiring your first (or next) product leader isn’t about ticking boxes, it’s about solving a problem that unlocks the next stage of growth.
So before you post that JD or start pinging people on LinkedIn, ask yourself: “What problem am I solving with this hire?” Then find the persona who’s built to solve it.
If you’re still unsure who that is or how to reach them, book a call. We’ve helped hundreds of founders, and CEOs, find the right product talent to match their stage, budget, and vision.