UK

United Kingdom · Sales · Director/VP (16-20 years)

VP of Growth

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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  • Experience bandDirector/VP (16-20 years)
  • Direct reports25-100+ reports
  • Reports toChief Growth Officer (CGO)
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as Director of Growth · Head of Revenue Operations · VP of Revenue Strategy · Sales Director (Strategic Growth)

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

No confident skill match yet for VP of Growth. The closest we hold is below.

Level 5 Award in Leadership Institute of Sales Professionals · Level 5 · covers 1 of 1 standard

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Manage Ethical, Legal and Professional Requirements Level 5 Award in Leadership

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner
Trust Fluency keeping the digital world safe
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2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a VP of Growth?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skill this role is being asked for

  • AI-Powered Strategic Foresight
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your VP of Growth plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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3What this role really is

A VP of Growth owns the revenue engine of a business, aligning sales, marketing and customer success towards the same targets. The role shapes how a business wins in its market. It calls for strategic thinking, operational discipline and a focus on results.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Salesforce Sales Cloud Strategic

You won't be a daily user, but you'll make platform investment decisions, evaluate AppExchange partners, and define the overarching data governance policies for your business unit. You'll understand the object architecture and its strategic implications.

HubSpot / Marketo (or similar Marketing Automation) Strategic

Aligning marketing automation strategy with your business unit's sales outcomes. You'll approve budget, hold the CMO accountable for MQL-to-SQL metrics, and ensure lead flow supports your GTM strategy.

Outreach / Salesloft (or similar Sales Engagement Platform) Strategic

Evaluating platform effectiveness in driving pipeline and rep productivity. You'll set top-level engagement KPIs for your teams and ensure the tools support our sales methodology and GTM playbooks.

Tableau / Power BI (or similar Business Intelligence) Strategic

As a primary consumer of executive dashboards, you'll define the key questions your business unit needs to answer and direct analysts to build the necessary visualisations. You'll interpret the data, not build the dashboards.

Anaplan / Pigment (or similar Financial Planning & Analysis) Advanced

Collaborating closely with Finance to build and stress-test the annual operating plan for your business unit. You'll use the platform for complex scenario modelling, like 'What happens to our forecast if we increase headcount by 10% in EMEA?'

Diligent / BoardVantage (or similar Board Portal) Advanced

Securely preparing, distributing, and presenting your quarterly business reviews and strategic growth plans to the Board of Directors. You'll be comfortable navigating these platforms for high-stakes communications.

Miro / Notion (or similar Collaboration/Whiteboarding) Strategic

Using these tools in C-suite offsites and strategic planning sessions to align executives on multi-year growth initiatives and visualise the interconnected revenue engine. You'll facilitate these sessions, not just participate.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Annual Operating Plan & Budget Allocation No involvement. Contribute data and insights for specific project budgets. Propose and defend budget requests for specific workstreams.
Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy for New Products/Markets Execute tasks related to GTM launch (e.g., data entry). Support GTM execution, provide feedback on process. Lead GTM workstream, make recommendations on tactical execution.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Net Revenue Retention (NRR)
The percentage of revenue retained from existing customers, including expansion and minus churn.
Target · Consistently above 120% year-on-year for your business unit.

If your business unit generated £5M from existing customers last year, you'd aim for £6M+ this year, showing strong upsell, cross-sell, and low churn.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Payback Period
How long it takes to recoup the investment made to acquire a new customer.
Target · Under 12 months for new customer cohorts.

If it costs £10K to acquire a customer with an average monthly revenue of £1K, the payback period is 10 months. You'll work to get that number down.

Enterprise Revenue Growth
The overall year-on-year revenue growth for your specific business unit or strategic segment.
Target · Consistent 30%+ year-on-year growth in target market segments.

Delivering £10M in revenue this year compared to £7.5M last year for your assigned segment, representing a 33% growth rate.

Sales Velocity
Measures how quickly opportunities move through the pipeline and generate revenue.
Target · Increase by 10-15% year-on-year through process optimisation.

Reducing the average sales cycle from 90 days to 80 days while maintaining deal size and win rate, effectively speeding up revenue recognition.

C-Suite & Board Alignment on Growth Strategy
How effectively you articulate and gain consensus on the multi-year growth strategy with executive leadership and the board.
  • Regular positive feedback from the CGO and board members on strategic presentations
  • your growth plans are consistently approved with minimal friction
  • you're proactively consulted on broader company strategy.
Effectiveness of GTM Playbook Adoption
The degree to which your designed go-to-market playbooks and processes are actually used and valued by Sales, Marketing, and CS teams.
  • High completion rates for enablement programmes
  • positive feedback from sales leaders on the clarity and usefulness of playbooks
  • measurable improvement in rep productivity and consistency across teams
  • you'll see reps actually following the steps you've laid out.
Talent Development & Retention within Growth Teams
Your ability to build, mentor, and retain a high-performing team of growth leaders and specialists.
  • Low voluntary turnover in your direct and indirect reports
  • internal promotions from your team
  • positive feedback in 360-degree reviews regarding your leadership and coaching
  • people actually want to work for you.
Proactive Market & Competitive Intelligence
Your team's ability to identify emerging market trends, competitive threats, and new opportunities before they become critical.
  • Regular, insightful reports on market shifts that lead to strategic adjustments
  • successful pivots based on early identification of competitive moves
  • your team is seen as the 'eyes and ears' for future growth.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Building and Scaling High-Impact Systems

You'll spend your days designing and refining the processes, technologies, and team structures that allow us to grow predictably and efficiently. This means architecting the entire revenue operations framework, from lead acquisition to customer expansion. You'll get a real kick out of seeing your strategic blueprints come to life and deliver tangible results.

Successfully launching a new GTM motion that reduces CAC by 15% while increasing market share, seeing your strategic vision translate into a more efficient, higher-performing sales machine.

Driving Business Transformation

This role isn't about maintaining the status quo; it's about fundamentally changing how we operate to unlock new levels of growth. You'll lead initiatives that redefine our market approach, product packaging, and sales methodologies. If you love taking a complex problem and designing a multi-year solution that reshapes the business, you'll thrive here.

Leading the successful integration of a newly acquired company's sales team and processes, transforming two disparate systems into one cohesive, high-performing unit.

Mentoring and Developing Future Leaders

You'll be coaching and developing a team of directors and managers, helping them grow their own capabilities and impact. This means investing time in their strategic thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills. You'll find immense satisfaction in seeing your direct reports step up and take on bigger challenges.

One of your direct reports gets promoted to a VP role in another part of the business, directly attributing their growth to your mentorship and guidance.

What frustrates people
  • The 'Spreadsheet War': Wasting days before board meetings trying to reconcile the 'sales number' from Salesforce, the 'marketing number' from Marketo, and the 'finance number' from the ERP. It's a recurring nightmare.
  • Product Roadmap Misalignment: Losing multi-million pound deals because a critical feature has been 'on the roadmap' for three quarters, while engineering ships features nobody seems to want. It's incredibly frustrating when you know what the market needs.
  • The 'Hero Rep' Problem: Having 20% of the sales team generate 80% of the revenue, making growth unscalable and the forecast terrifyingly dependent on a few individuals. You'll be tasked with fixing this.
  • Chasing Shiny Objects: The CGO or CEO returns from a conference, and suddenly the entire company must pivot to a 'Product-Led Growth strategy' this quarter, derailing all existing, well-thought-out plans. Expect to manage these pivots.
  • Unrealistic Board Expectations: Being handed a revenue target based on a competitor's valuation multiple rather than a bottoms-up analysis of the market and your team's actual capacity. You'll need to push back with data.
  • 'Garbage In, Garbage Out': Your sophisticated forecasting model is useless because sales reps aren't consistently updating their deal stages or close dates in the CRM. You'll own fixing the underlying data quality issues.
  • Being the Scapegoat: When the company misses its number, the VP of Growth is often the first person held responsible, even if the root cause was a market downturn or a faulty product release. You need a thick skin and a data-driven defence.
What this role does not give you
  • A quiet, solitary work environment – you'll be in meetings, presenting, and collaborating constantly.
  • The ability to avoid difficult conversations – you'll need to challenge assumptions, push back on unrealistic demands, and deliver tough news.
  • A 'set it and forget it' approach – the market, our competitors, and our customers are always evolving, so your strategy needs to as well.
  • A purely operational focus – you're expected to be highly strategic, looking 2-3 years ahead, not just at the next quarter.

8Who you work with

This role directly shapes the business unit's strategy and market position. You'll be accountable for a P&L of £2M-£10M+, driving multi-year transformation initiatives that fundamentally change how we go to market. Your decisions will influence everything from product roadmap priorities to sales compensation plans, ultimately determining our ability to scale and compete effectively.

Inside the business
  • Chief Growth Officer (CGO)
  • Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
  • Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
  • Chief Product Officer (CPO)
  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
  • Regional Sales VPs
  • Heads of Customer Success
Outside the business
  • Strategic channel partners
  • Key technology vendors (e.g., Salesforce, Gong)
  • Industry analysts and consultants
  • Investors (occasionally, for specific deep dives)
  • Major clients (for strategic feedback)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Proven track record of 15+ years in progressive sales, revenue operations, or growth leadership roles, with at least 5 years at a Director level or above.
  • Demonstrable experience managing a P&L of at least £2M-£5M, with direct accountability for revenue targets and cost management.
  • Experience building and leading multi-functional teams (20+ people) including managers, with a strong focus on talent development and retention.
  • Deep expertise in designing and implementing end-to-end GTM strategies for B2B SaaS or similar recurring revenue businesses.
  • Extensive experience with major CRM (e.g., Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms (e.g., HubSpot, Marketo) from a strategic, architectural perspective.
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data, build robust financial models, and make data-driven strategic decisions.
  • A history of successfully influencing C-suite stakeholders and presenting to executive boards on growth strategy and performance.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Revenue Technology Ecosystem Architecture

As our tech stack grows, so does its complexity. You'll need to move beyond managing individual tools to architecting a cohesive, integrated revenue technology ecosystem that supports our multi-year growth strategy. This means making strategic decisions about platform consolidation, API integrations, and data flow across Sales, Marketing, and CS.

API-First Integration Strategies · Data Lake/Warehouse for Revenue Intelligence · Vendor Consolidation & Rationalisation · Security & Compliance in Revenue Tech

  • This month: Review our current revenue tech stack, identifying key integration points and potential data bottlenecks.
  • Next quarter: Lead a strategic review of one major revenue platform (e.g., Salesforce) to identify areas for optimisation or potential consolidation.
  • Month 4-6: Work with IT and Data teams to define the requirements for a unified revenue data model or data lake for your business unit.
  • Month 7-9: Present a strategic roadmap for our revenue technology ecosystem to the CGO, outlining key investments and expected ROI.

Quick win: Identify one current manual data transfer process between two revenue tools and challenge your team to automate it using existing integration capabilities or a low-code solution. Immediate efficiency gains.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attend industry conferences (e.g., SaaStr Annual, Revenue Summit) to stay abreast of market trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in growth.
  • Participate in executive leadership programmes or peer groups (e.g., Vistage, Chief) to network with other senior leaders and gain diverse perspectives on business challenges.
  • Engage in continuous learning around AI and machine learning applications in sales and marketing, focusing on strategic implications rather than just technical details.
  • Mentor junior leaders within the organisation or externally, which helps refine your own leadership and coaching skills.
  • Contribute to industry thought leadership through articles, webinars, or speaking engagements, establishing yourself as an expert in growth strategy.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Powered Strategic Foresight

Competitors are already using advanced AI to predict market shifts, identify emerging customer needs, and even anticipate product failures. Leaders who can harness AI for strategic foresight will have a significant competitive advantage, allowing for proactive rather than reactive growth strategies.

  • Generative AI for Scenario Planning
  • Predictive Analytics for Market Entry
  • AI for Competitive Threat Detection
  • Ethical AI Governance in Sales

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Revenue Operations (RevOps) Strategy
  • Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy Design & Execution
  • Predictive Revenue Forecasting & Modelling
  • Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) Optimisation
  • Sales Methodology Implementation & Optimisation

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Director of Sales Operations / Revenue Operations

    5-8 years at Director level

    Skills to master

    • Deep expertise in sales process optimisation, CRM architecture, data analytics, and cross-functional project leadership. You'd need to expand your scope beyond just operations to include GTM strategy and P&L accountability.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led a major RevOps transformation project that delivered measurable ROI.
    • Built and scaled a high-performing RevOps team.
    • Consistently provided strategic insights that influenced executive decisions.
    • Demonstrated ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships across Sales, Marketing, and Finance.
  2. 2

    Head of Go-to-Market Strategy

    4-7 years at Head of level

    Skills to master

    • Expertise in market analysis, competitive positioning, pricing strategy, and launch execution for new products or markets. You'd need to gain significant experience in team leadership and P&L ownership.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully launched multiple new products or entered new markets with measurable revenue impact.
    • Developed and iterated on core GTM playbooks that were widely adopted.
    • Demonstrated strong analytical skills in market sizing and opportunity assessment.
    • Proven ability to influence Product and Marketing teams to align with GTM objectives.
  3. 3

    VP of Sales (with strong operational/strategic bent)

    3-6 years at VP level

    Skills to master

    • While you'd have sales leadership down, you'd need to deepen your expertise in revenue operations, marketing alignment, and the broader revenue technology stack. It's about shifting from managing sales to owning the entire growth engine.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Consistently exceeded sales targets for a large, complex sales organisation.
    • Implemented significant sales process improvements that drove efficiency.
    • Developed and promoted sales leaders within your team.
    • Demonstrated a strong understanding of the financial levers of the business beyond just top-line revenue.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead towards chief executive positions, board or non-executive director roles, or operating partner roles in private equity or venture capital.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how VP of Growth is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Manage Ethical, Legal and Professional Requirements, worked against VP of Growth.

Manage Ethical, Legal and Professional Requirements Level 5

Applied to your work in VP of Growth

This unit aims to provide learners with an understanding of ethical, legal, and professional requirements within the sales function. Learners will understand relevant legislation, codes of conduct, and best practices. Furthermore, they will be able to implement policies and procedures to ensure compliance and respond appropriately to non-compliance.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

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See Your Progress Grow Illustration
VP of Growth
  • Revenue Operations (RevOps) Strategy
  • Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy Design & Execution
  • Predictive Revenue Forecasting & Modelling
  • Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) Optimisation
  • Sales Methodology Implementation & Optimisation
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

VP of Growth is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Chief Growth Officer (CGO)

    3-5 years

    C-Suite (Level 7)

    • Defining and owning the enterprise revenue architecture.
    • Shaping company-wide market positioning and brand strategy.
    • Driving cross-functional alignment across all C-suite peers.
    • Navigating complex regulatory and compliance landscapes at a global scale.

  2. Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

    3-5 years

    C-Suite (Level 7)

    • Orchestrating all revenue-generating functions (Sales, Marketing, CS) for the entire enterprise.
    • Developing and executing global go-to-market strategies.
    • Building and managing a world-class sales leadership team.
    • Driving revenue through complex channel and partnership ecosystems.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, as a VP of Growth, your time is gold. You're constantly juggling strategic planning, team leadership, and board presentations. The good news? AI isn't just for junior analysts anymore. It's a game-changer for senior leaders like you, freeing you up from the mundane and giving you superpowers for insight and execution.

We're embedding AI into our daily operations, not just as a buzzword, but as a practical tool to make every aspect of our growth engine smarter and faster. You'll find AI helping your teams, giving you better data, and even drafting your first pass at board narratives. Here's a glimpse of how AI will actually make your life easier and your impact bigger:

Automated Lead Scoring & Routing

Imagine AI models (like Salesforce Einstein) analysing firmographic data, intent signals, and past interactions to score and prioritise inbound leads in real-time. The hottest prospects get routed to the best-fit rep in seconds, not hours. This isn't just about speed; it's about making sure your sales team is always working on the highest-value opportunities, without you needing to manually intervene.

Predictive Forecasting & Risk Analysis

Say goodbye to endless spreadsheet reconciliations. AI-powered revenue intelligence platforms (think Clari or Gong) will analyse your entire pipeline, historical deal data, and even rep communications to generate a more accurate, unbiased forecast. The AI will flag deals at risk of slipping and identify potential upside opportunities, giving you a clearer picture for board updates and resource allocation. You'll spend less time on forecast roll-ups and more time on strategic adjustments.

GTM 'White Space' Identification

Want to find untapped market segments or customer profiles that perfectly match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)? AI market intelligence tools (like 6sense or ZoomInfo) will crunch vast amounts of market data, hiring trends, and technographics. What used to take weeks of manual research can now be done in days, allowing you to make faster, more data-driven decisions on where to focus your GTM efforts and carve out new territories.

Quarterly Business Review (QBR) Narrative Generation

Preparing for board meetings is always a crunch. Imagine feeding your key performance data (revenue attainment, pipeline generation, win rates, NRR) into a generative AI tool. It then creates a first draft of your quarterly narrative, explaining performance drivers, key learnings, and strategic implications. This saves you and your team 4-6 hours of drafting and wordsmithing per quarter, freeing you up to focus on higher-level strategy and deeper insights.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a VP of Growth?

Common routes in include Director of Sales Operations / Revenue Operations (5-8 years at Director level), Head of Go-to-Market Strategy (4-7 years at Head of level) and VP of Sales (with strong operational/strategic bent) (3-6 years at VP level). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a VP of Growth progress to?

This role can lead on to Chief Growth Officer (CGO) (3-5 years) and Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) (3-5 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a VP of Growth?

Increasingly, AI-Powered Strategic Foresight. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in sales

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The growth and revenue operations skills built in this role apply across many industries, especially B2B SaaS, technology and professional services. Building and scaling a revenue engine is a skill that transfers well between sectors.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my VP of Growth plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.