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
Director of Marketing Operations & Analytics
5-8 years at Director levelSkills to master
- Deep expertise in marketing technology architecture, advanced attribution modelling, marketing data strategy, and leading large analytics teams. Must also develop strong cross-functional influencing skills with Sales and CS.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully unified Marketing Ops and Analytics functions, driving significant ROI improvements.
- Consistently delivered data-driven insights that directly influenced marketing strategy and budget allocation.
- Built strong relationships and influenced decision-making with Sales and Customer Success leadership.
- Managed a multi-million-pound budget and led a team of 20+ operations and analytics professionals.
- 2
VP of Sales Operations
5-8 years at VP levelSkills to master
- Mastery of sales compensation design, territory planning, sales enablement, CRM architecture, and sales forecasting. Needs to develop a strong understanding of marketing and customer success operations to bridge gaps.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully scaled sales operations for a high-growth company, improving sales productivity and efficiency.
- Designed and implemented effective sales compensation plans that drove desired sales behaviours and outcomes.
- Proven ability to influence sales leadership and drive adoption of new processes and technologies.
- Managed a large sales ops team and significant budget, demonstrating strong financial acumen.
- 3
Head of Commercial Strategy & Planning
7-10 years in strategic planning rolesSkills to master
- Exceptional strategic thinking, market analysis, financial modelling, and cross-functional project leadership. Needs to gain deep operational understanding across all revenue functions.
You're ready to move on when
- Developed and implemented successful GTM strategies for new products or markets.
- Led complex strategic projects involving multiple departments (Marketing, Sales, Product).
- Demonstrated strong analytical capabilities in market sizing, competitive analysis, and financial projections.
- Proven ability to influence C-suite decisions and drive alignment on strategic priorities.