Timing depends on how open the employer is to discussing the role's structure and how much of the position genuinely involves operational management. A role that can be quickly confirmed as advisory moves faster than one requiring substantial renegotiation.
Treat the role discussion as a distinct milestone
Set a date for the employer to respond to questions about reporting lines and operational authority, and treat their answer as a milestone separate from the broader filing timeline. If the employer needs time to consider restructuring the role, build that into the schedule rather than proceeding on the original description. An employer wanting a fast start should understand that a role built around genuine line-management duties needs this resolved before the case can move forward.
Add one further step that this kind of case particularly needs: agree who watches the role afterwards. An advisory engagement that has been carefully bounded at the outset is precisely the kind that expands, because the client comes to rely on the person and the natural next request is that they stay and run it. That drift is rarely announced as a change, and the authorization relates to the position described.
Name the person responsible for comparing the actual work against the agreed description annually, and agree what prompts an earlier look — a contract extension, a change of client sponsor, the departure of the manager who was doing the running. Hypothetical example: a consultant working on inventory planning is asked in month nine to take over the planning team while a vacancy is filled, and because someone owned the comparison the question is put before the arrangement begins rather than after it has been in place for a year.