Presented by
Friends,
Now that I’m writing these fortnightly, I’ve got to admit, I don’t really know what I should focus this section of the newsletter on. I’ve written about lots of things:
Startup compensation (duh).
My first year in business & how to become a HR consultant.
The various things I get up to in and around helping companies.
The things I get up to outside of work (travel, hobbies, life updates)
The focus of the FNDN series will always be around startup compensation, but this little preamble at the top is one where I can explore adjacencies, or of course, remove altogether.
So, what do you want to hear about?
What should I write about in the newsletter preamble?
That’s it for me this week, enjoy your weekend.
Matt
This was the event I wished I had access to when I was leading people teams.
For years I asked my network where to look for inspiration, best practices and community, when it came to building and scaling a startup people function.
Nobody had an answer — until now.
The Startup People Summit is made for People professionals scaling thriving startups. It’s a:
1 day, virtual event
35+ current and former startup Heads of People speaking
1,000+ participants from across the APAC startup scene
It’s all happening on the 31st of July, and designed with everything in mind for handling the challenges that startup life throws at you.
Featuring only practical, no fluff content, that you can take back and actually apply. Plus a chance to build your network and take away more than just lessons.
Early bird tickets are on sale for just one more week - $50 AUD.
If you’re a Head of People, this is the professional development event of the year.
Know a Head of People handling startup compensation 🙋 why not forward this to them for some instant karma?
Did someone forward this to you? Make sure to hit subscribe and save them the click next time!
Building a Job Structure that Scales with Your Company
with Melissa Theiss, Head of People Ops at Kit
There's one conversation no Head of People wants to have.
You hired someone as a "Director" early on, when they're really performing as a Manager.
In this episode of the FNDN Series, I sat down with Melissa Theiss — Head of People at Kit and founder of Fledge — to tackle one of the toughest compensation challenges startups face: how to build a job level framework that supports scale without slowing your team down.
Melissa brought practical experience and sharp thinking to the table.
We covered how to build just enough structure to drive clarity, growth and pay consistency — without introducing a rigid hierarchy that breaks the startup spirit.
… here’s what we covered:
Melissa explained why you should start your framework in the middle — not at the extremes — and grow it outward as the org matures.
She outlined how “progression steps” inside levels (early, mid, late) can keep people motivated between formal promotions.
We talked about why the “Head of” title is so ambiguous — and why it should be sunset when your org hits key milestones like headcount, revenue, or funding.
Melissa broke down three practical strategies for rolling out job levels: “break the bone” all at once, use time-bound sunset dates, or shift gradually by embedding it into every new comp decision.
We explored why levelling accuracy is hard (and always imperfect), and why bringing in a trusted internal or external advisor can help increase objectivity.
Melissa shared how even subtle steps — like publishing a simple two-line promotion standard — can bring clarity to career conversations.
We finished by reflecting on how important it is to align level frameworks with business needs, founder values, and what your org can tolerate in terms of morale and turnover.
My 5 Key Takeaways:
Start where the talent is, not where the org might be.
Don’t build a job level framework that spans junior to executive roles if your company doesn’t yet employ those people. Melissa recommends starting in the middle — think levels like P2 to P4 — because that’s where most of your current team likely sits. You can always build outward as your company grows. This approach keeps things simple, relevant, and avoids introducing structure you’ll just need to revisit later.
Progression steps help people see movement — even without promotions.
Career development doesn’t always need a new title. By breaking each level into early, mid, and late stages, you give employees a sense of advancement and create more nuanced ways to recognise growth. This is especially useful in startups, where team members might sit at the same level for years while still deepening their impact.
Rolling out levels is the real work — and you’ve got options.
Introducing a framework can feel like open-heart surgery on your org. Melissa walked us through three approaches: go all-in with a “break the bone” re-level in one go, set time-bound sunset periods to resolve misalignments, or take a quieter, gradual approach where every new decision brings more consistency. All three can work — the key is to choose a path that fits your culture and stick with it.
Getting levels right is hard. Get help.
No levelling exercise is ever 100% accurate — and that’s okay. What matters is acknowledging where accuracy might be shaky (e.g., when managers aren’t experts in their team’s function) and finding ways to increase confidence in the outcome. That might mean internal calibration groups, tapping trusted peers, or even bringing in external advisors to review tricky edge cases.
Frameworks only work when people believe in them.
Even the best-designed architecture will fall flat if employees don’t understand it or see it as fair. Melissa underscored the importance of clear promotion criteria, transparency around how levels map to roles, and consistent communication. You’re not just building infrastructure — you’re building trust.
You can follow or connect with Melissa Theiss on LinkedIn.
Melissa has a great newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
Interested in working with Melissa, check out her site here.
Got a specific topic you want me to cover or a guest you’d love to nominate? Hit reply to this email and let me know.
That’s all for this week.
Sure, this is technically the end of the newsletter, but we don’t have to end here! I’d love this to be a two-way chat, so let me know what you found helpful, any successes you’re seeing, or any questions you have for me.
Sharing is caring. If you are enjoying our newsletter, others might too — forward this on to them and get their endless appreciation.
