Most MSPs don’t plan their team. They hire whoever they can find when the pain gets bad enough, and the result is a team shaped by emergencies. Senior engineers end up doing junior work, the owner stays the final escalation point, and nobody owns the things that quietly matter, like standards and documentation.
This guide is the bigger picture: which roles to add, in what order, how to fill them, and how to keep the people you hire.
How should an MSP structure its team as it grows?
Build your team in layers, and add each layer when your most expensive people start spending their time on work below their level. Front-line support comes first, then an escalation path, then coordination, monitoring, projects, and finally someone who owns infrastructure standards. The trigger for each hire is wasted senior time, not just ticket volume.
The layers of an MSP team
| Layer | Role | What it frees up |
|---|---|---|
| Front line | Help Desk Technician, Mid-level L2 | Senior techs stop handling routine requests |
| Escalation | High L2, Low and Mid-level L3 | The owner stops being the final technical fix |
| Coordination | Service Coordinator or Dispatcher | Engineers stop triaging and scheduling |
| Monitoring | NOC Engineer | Alerts, patching, and backups get consistent ownership |
| Projects | Project Engineer | Migrations and onboarding stop competing with tickets |
| Standards | Systems Engineer (High L3) | Client environments get consistent design and security |
| Client strategy | Technical Account Manager | Owners and service managers stop running every client review |
| Efficiency | Automation & AI Engineer | Repetitive work gets scripted and connected |
Signals it’s time to add a role
- Response times are slipping even though your team is busy all day
- Your senior engineers handle password resets
- You, the owner, are still the last escalation point
- Projects keep moving to next month
- Nobody could tell a client exactly how their environment is standardized
Three ways to fill a seat
| Staff augmentation | Local hiring | Outsourced service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated to your MSP | Yes | Yes | Usually shared |
| You choose the person | Yes | Yes | No |
| You direct the work | Yes | Yes | The provider does |
| Payroll, HR, compliance | The partner | You | The provider |
| On-site work | No | Yes | Varies |
| Best for | Remote-capable roles you want to own | On-site roles and leadership | Overflow and after-hours |
For most roles in the table above, the work happens in your PSA, RMM, and remote tools, which is why many MSPs fill them through staff augmentation and keep local hiring for on-site seats. Here’s a deeper comparison.
How to choose a staffing partner
- Vetting: what happens before you see a candidate? Look for technical testing, a live technical test, background checks, and reference checks.
- MSP understanding: does the partner know what an L2 handles versus an L3?
- Employment status: are the engineers employees or contractors? It changes your risk and how long they stay.
- Hours: will engineers work your business day?
- Security: will they work on a device you manage?
- Support: is there ongoing check-in, training, and a replacement if it isn’t working?
Keeping the team you build
A staffing plan only works if people stay. Clear career paths, regular training, one-on-ones, and recognition matter more than perks. Eight practical ways to keep great techs.
How Scaled approaches MSP staffing
Michael Nelson and I started Scaled in 2022 as MSP owners, to fix the staffing problem we’d both lived. We fill every role in the layers above with full-time engineers who work only for your MSP, chosen by you after our seven-step vetting. They’re legally employed by Scaled Workforce (Pty) Ltd, our South African company; Scaled Inc. is a US company. We’ve placed engineers with 112+ MSPs, with 87% placement retention.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the first role a growing MSP should add? Usually front-line capacity, so senior engineers stop handling routine requests. If the owner is still the final escalation point, an L3 may come first.
Should every MSP role be local? No. Roles that work in remote tools, like L2 and L3 support, NOC, projects, and coordination, can be filled remotely. On-site roles still need local staff.
How do I know if a staffing partner is any good? Ask what happens before you see a candidate, whether engineers are employees or contractors, and what happens if a placement doesn’t work out.
Can I start with one role and add more later? Yes. Many MSPs start with one seat and add others as they see results.