Decoding Startup Roles

Startups are high-variance environments that demand versatility, execution, and speed. Here is what you might actually be doing in key startup roles:

1. Product & Engineering 🏗️

A startup’s technical foundation depends on fast iteration, scrappy problem-solving, and balancing short-term deliverables with long-term scalability.

• Software Engineer / Developer 💻 – Expect to spend your days writing and debugging code, pushing updates on short sprint cycles, and troubleshooting customer-reported issues. You will be working across the stack, deploying changes in real-time, and constantly refining architecture to prevent technical debt from crushing future growth.

• Product Manager (PM) 📊 – You will live in Google Docs, Figma, and Slack, constantly prioritizing feature requests, analyzing user behavior, and rallying engineers to ship MVP versions of product updates. Expect to run sprint planning meetings, analyze customer feedback, and balance engineering constraints with business needs.

• UX/UI Designer 🎨 – Your role goes beyond aesthetics—you will rapidly prototype interfaces, optimize conversion flows, and collaborate with engineers to ensure designs are functional. You will also be measuring usability through A/B tests and heatmaps.

2. Growth & Marketing 📈

Acquiring and retaining users is the name of the game. Growth teams test constantly, looking for incremental improvements that scale.

• Growth Marketer 🚀 – You will run paid ad campaigns, test different acquisition channels, optimize landing pages, and analyze user funnel drop-off rates. Expect to spend time tweaking Meta and Google Ads, experimenting with referral programs, and analyzing cost per acquisition.

• Content Marketer ✍️ – Writing blog posts is just 10% of the job. You will also develop case studies, create LinkedIn posts, optimize long-tail SEO keywords, and track engagement metrics to refine messaging. You may also manage email marketing campaigns and newsletters.

• SEO Specialist 🔍 – A lot of your time will be spent running site audits, tweaking metadata, building backlinks, and optimizing technical SEO elements like page load speed and mobile friendliness.

3. Business & Operations ⚙️

Operations and business roles ensure that growth does not break internal systems. These roles require managing logistics, partnerships, and internal processes.

• Operations Manager 📦 – Your day will involve coordinating supply chains, handling customer support escalations, and ensuring systems run smoothly. You will optimize workflows, onboard new employees, and track efficiency metrics.

• Business Development Representative (BDR) 📞 – You will be cold-emailing and cold-calling potential customers, booking sales demos, and following up relentlessly. Expect to refine pitch decks, attend networking events, and maintain a CRM with pipeline updates.

• Customer Success Manager (CSM) 🤝 – Your role is all about retention. You will handle customer onboarding, conduct check-ins, address support issues, and identify upsell opportunities. You will be writing help documentation, running webinars, and ensuring customers renew subscriptions.

4. Finance & Legal 💰⚖️

Ensuring the company is financially sound and legally protected is critical. These roles involve deep analysis and compliance oversight.

• Finance Manager 📊 – You will build financial models, forecast burn rate, monitor cash flow, and track KPIs. You will also coordinate with investors and ensure the company meets its financial targets.

• Investor Relations Manager 📑 – A lot of your job will involve crafting pitch decks, preparing investor updates, and tracking cap table changes. You will facilitate meetings with VCs and address their due diligence questions.

• Legal Counsel 📝 – If you are in this role, you will draft contracts, ensure compliance with data regulations (like GDPR and CCPA), and review employment agreements. You may also handle IP filings and prevent legal pitfalls that could derail growth.

5. Leadership & Founders 🎯

Startup leadership is a balancing act between vision, execution, and survival.

• CEO (Chief Executive Officer) 🌟 – You will spend your time fundraising, recruiting top talent, securing partnerships, and making high-level strategic decisions. In early-stage startups, expect to be deeply involved in sales and customer conversations.

• COO (Chief Operating Officer) 📈 – Your role is execution-focused. You will optimize hiring processes, track KPIs, ensure the team meets key milestones, and keep the company running efficiently.

• CTO (Chief Technology Officer) 🖥️ – Early-stage CTOs are still writing code. As the startup grows, the role shifts toward hiring engineers, setting tech strategy, and managing security risks.

Making an Impact in a Startup

At WWV Labs, we connect high-performing individuals with fast-growing startups. If you have not already, join our candidate pool today and start making an impact!