Someone has to own People, even before you can hire for it.

FRACTIONAL HEAD OF PEOPLE + TALENT

Senior People leadership for startups that need the function owned before they're ready for a full-time hire.

The People work doesn't wait for the right time to hire.

You're the one writing offer letters, guessing at salary bands, and Googling California termination rules at 11pm. Managers are coming to you with questions you don't have time to answer well. You know the People side needs real attention, but a full-time executive hire doesn't make sense yet.

Or you're further along. Your People leader just left, or you have a small People team doing great work without a senior leader to set direction. Something big is coming, like a comp overhaul, a performance cycle, or a raise with diligence attached, and it needs someone who's done it before.

Notes arranged on a surface with a central note asking, 'What do you need someone senior to own?' The notes around it read 'hiring,' 'competitive,' 'managers,' and 'the messy stuff.'

Senior judgment, sized for where you are.

First Seat gives you experienced People leadership without forcing the business into a full-time hire before it makes sense. We step in at the level you need — owning the function, solving a specific problem, or keeping things moving through a transition.

And when you are ready to hire full-time, we can help you figure out what you need and hand off a stronger function than the one we walked into.

See how we can work together →

the whole people function, not just one piece of it

hiring

A recruiting process that moves fast and scales from two open roles to ten. Interview loops, scorecards, offers, and a candidate experience worth talking about.

pay + equity

Salary bands, equity guidelines, and sales comp plans that hold up as you grow, so every offer isn't a one-off negotiation.

people operations

Handbooks, onboarding, benefits, payroll, and the compliance basics that keep you out of trouble, including in states and countries you didn't plan on hiring in.

team + culture

Org design, performance conversations, first-time manager support, and the habits that turn “how we work here" into something you actually designed.

And when diligence comes around, your People practices will be a strength, not a scramble.

The first seat is the one I know best.

I've spent my career as the first People hire at venture- and PE-backed startups, building People and Talent functions from scratch as the companies grew.

I've been there from the first offer letter and comp bands through international expansion and acquisition — and all the messy, unexpected work that comes with being the person who owns People at a startup.

First Seat Advisors is built from that experience.

More about Brittany

Portrait of Brittany Presta, founder, with long brown hair and a black top, smiling, in a well-lit room with brick and wood background.

Let’s figure out what you need.

A 30-minute call to talk through what's working, what's stuck, and what kind of support would actually help. If working with us doesn't make sense, we'll tell you.