Interview scorecard template

Founder's Office Manager interview scorecard

Evaluate Founder's Office Manager candidates across 4 weighted areas: execution and reliability, improving the process, judgement and autonomy, and communication. Execution and reliability leads at 35%, so check how they ran a founder's calendar, inbox and travel at pace: tools like Superhuman, Notion, Linear, board pack prep, investor update cycles, weekly priority. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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operations administrationchief of staffexecutive operationsfounders officestartup ops
TL;DR
For execution and reliability, look for evidence the candidate names the founder's recurring rhythms they owned, cites turnaround times, and describes nothing slipping through during fundraise or launch weeks. For improving the process, look for evidence the candidate points to a specific process they scrapped or automated, with hours reclaimed for the founder and a system others still use. Apply the written 1–5 anchors to every answer, record the evidence behind each rating, and use the factor weights to reach a consistent overall assessment.
Complete evaluation framework

What to assess and how to score it

Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.

01
Evaluation factor

Execution and reliability

35% weight

Check how they ran a founder's calendar, inbox and travel at pace: tools like Superhuman, Notion, Linear, board pack prep, investor update cycles, weekly priority tracking.

Evidence to listen for

  • Describes a workload they owned and how they kept it from slipping
  • Names the tools and systems they ran day to day
  • Can talk about volume: tickets, inboxes, orders, uptime
  • Nothing quietly falls through when they are busy

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Cannot describe their own workload; things slip without them noticing.

2
Needs Improvement

Handles routine volume; drops work under pressure.

3
Satisfactory

Reliable on steady-state work; struggles when volume spikes.

4
Very Good

Consistently reliable at real volume with a system for staying on top.

5
Excellent

Names the founder's recurring rhythms they owned, cites turnaround times, and describes nothing slipping through during fundraise or launch weeks.

02
Evaluation factor

Improving the process

25% weight

Probe what they rebuilt rather than maintained: meeting cadence redesign, an onboarding checklist, expense flow in Ramp or Brex, dashboards replacing manual status chasing.

Evidence to listen for

  • Has changed a process rather than only following one
  • Can name what was slow or error-prone and what they did about it
  • Documents so the improvement survives them
  • Knows when a process is worth automating and when it is not

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Follows instructions only; no sense that process can change.

2
Needs Improvement

Notices problems but escalates rather than solving.

3
Satisfactory

Makes small improvements; impact is local and undocumented.

4
Very Good

Has redesigned a real process with measurable effect.

5
Excellent

Points to a specific process they scrapped or automated, with hours reclaimed for the founder and a system others still use.

03
Evaluation factor

Judgement and autonomy

25% weight

Assess where they decided alone: declining meeting requests, reordering the founder's week, handling a vendor dispute, escalating a hiring or spend issue without waiting for permission.

Evidence to listen for

  • Knows what to decide alone and what to escalate
  • Handles an exception without freezing or improvising recklessly
  • Protects confidentiality and access appropriately
  • Asks a clarifying question rather than guessing on something costly

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Either escalates everything or acts recklessly on their own.

2
Needs Improvement

Needs frequent direction; uneasy with exceptions.

3
Satisfactory

Sound judgement on familiar decisions.

4
Very Good

Clear sense of their own authority; handles exceptions well.

5
Excellent

Gives clear examples of acting on the founder's behalf, plus a case where they held back and explains the line they drew.

04
Evaluation factor

Communication

15% weight

Look for how they wrote on the founder's behalf: investor emails, all-hands notes, candidate rejections, and how they pushed back on senior people politely.

Evidence to listen for

  • Writes clearly enough that people act without a follow-up
  • Manages expectations before a deadline slips, not after
  • Handles a frustrated colleague or customer calmly
  • Works across time zones or async where the role needs it

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Unclear written communication; goes quiet when things slip.

2
Needs Improvement

Communication needs chasing; raises problems late.

3
Satisfactory

Clear enough day to day; proactive updates are inconsistent.

4
Very Good

Clear, proactive, and calm under pressure.

5
Excellent

Shows concise written artefacts they drafted, handles discretion around confidential topics, and describes chasing executives without damaging the relationship.

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