I run PartnerHero, and we only work with startups (many are name-brands, some are tiny). There is NO WAY you would need a VP or Director level person for a team

I run PartnerHero, and we only work with startups (many are name-brands, some are tiny). There is NO WAY you would need a VP or Director level person for a team of 6, or even a team of 60 (our teams start at 2 and go up 80.) Startups are not the same as "small companies", so traditional outsourcing doesn't work. I would strongly recommend hiring outside of the Bay Area (there are state nexus issues you will have to address) and put aside all the local bias. It's not just about saving money, it's about hiring people who will be excited to work with you and represent your voice to the stakeholders who matter the most: your users. Support (operations in general) is really hard and most folks don't get the love and acknowledgment they need. If you can't afford to hire full-time, experiment with interns (paid) and part-time hires. I would look at the Southeast, Mid-West and even Idaho/Oregon/Utah as great options. As for us, we have folks in Honduras, Brazil, U.S., Japan, Spain and Serbia. Great talent (for ops) can be found in many areas, with exceptional English skills and great empathy/problem solving skills too.