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
Senior Product Training Specialist (L3/L4)
5-8 years as an IC, then 3-5 years as a Senior/LeadSkills to master
- Mastery of instructional design, advanced content authoring, leading complex training projects, informal team mentorship, and strong stakeholder management.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivering high-impact training programmes for major product launches.
- Successfully mentoring junior team members and taking on informal leadership roles.
- Proactively identifying strategic training needs, not just reacting to requests.
- Demonstrating strong analytical skills to measure and report on training effectiveness.
- 2
Product Manager with L&D Focus
8-12 years in Product, with a strong interest in enablementSkills to master
- Deep product knowledge, understanding of product strategy, user empathy, and a developed passion for teaching and knowledge transfer.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully launched multiple products, understanding the full go-to-market process.
- Actively participated in or led enablement efforts for their own products.
- Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical concepts into understandable language.
- Expressed a clear desire to shift into a learning-focused leadership role.
- 3
Sales Enablement Lead/Manager
8-12 years in Sales Enablement, with a product focusSkills to master
- Understanding of sales methodologies, sales process optimisation, content strategy for sales, and a strong grasp of product features and benefits.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully driven sales performance through enablement programmes.
- Deep expertise in how product knowledge impacts sales effectiveness.
- Managed or led a team of sales enablement specialists.
- Strong relationships with sales leadership and a track record of influencing sales strategy.