Series A and B medtech companies often delay commercial hiring until a board slide says “revenue.” When the first US territory opens, the default move is a contingency recruiter or a generic LinkedIn post. Both can work—but both are expensive ways to learn what your first rep profile should have been. This playbook covers timing, profile, and how to run a focused search without burning runway on the wrong channel.
When you are actually ready for rep #1
- You can articulate ICP, call points, and a 90-day success definition—not just “sell more”
- Clinical or regulatory path is far enough along that reps will not sell vaporware
- Founder or clinical lead can join early customer meetings while the rep builds territory
- You have budget for draw, travel, and samples—not just equity story
Profile: first hire is not “any medical sales”
First commercial hires in device often fail when companies optimize for big-company logos instead of environment fit. A strong enterprise capital rep may struggle in a two-person startup with no CRM hygiene. A clinical specialist may be perfect for early adopter sites but wrong for broad territory quota.
- Prioritize builder DNA: prospecting discipline, coachability, comfort with ambiguity
- Weight adjacent procedure experience over brand name alone
- Expect the first rep to help refine positioning—not just execute a finished playbook
- Screen for documentation and training habits; you have no sales ops safety net yet
Channel choice: recruiter vs self-serve posting
Contingency search fits when the profile is rare and stakeholders need interview support. For many first hires, a specialty job post with AI matching surfaces enough qualified device candidates—especially when the role is clearly tagged by specialty and selling environment instead of “medical sales.”
30/60/90 for the hiring manager
- 30 days: publish specialty-specific JD, preview talent in target metros, phone-screen 8–10
- 60 days: ride-alongs or case discussions with finalists, reference checks on territory building
- 90 days: offer with clear ramp and first pipeline milestone—not just quota inherited from a slide deck