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 Manager, Revenue Operations / Principal Strategist
3-5 years at this level before DirectorSkills to master
- Mastering end-to-end project leadership, designing and implementing major operational systems (e.g., CPQ, advanced forecasting models), and demonstrating strong team leadership skills (mentoring, informal management). You've proven you can operate autonomously on complex initiatives.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led 2-3 major cross-functional RevOps projects with significant business impact.
- Consistently delivered high-quality strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
- Effectively mentored and developed junior team members, showing leadership potential.
- Owned a significant operational area (e.g., global compensation, entire SFDC architecture) with demonstrable results.
- 2
Director of Sales Operations (from a smaller company)
2-4 years in a smaller, less complex environmentSkills to master
- Adapting to a larger, more complex global organisation, managing a bigger team, and influencing a broader range of senior stakeholders. You'll need to scale your existing operational expertise to a global context and learn to navigate more intricate corporate politics.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully built and scaled a RevOps function in a high-growth environment.
- Demonstrated ability to manage and develop a team of 3+ direct reports.
- Proven track record of strategic impact on revenue growth and sales efficiency.
- Eagerness to learn and adapt to the complexities of a larger, global enterprise.
- 3
Head of Commercial Finance / FP&A (with strong sales alignment)
4-6 years in a finance leadership roleSkills to master
- Developing deep expertise in sales processes, sales technology, and sales enablement. You'll need to shift from a purely financial lens to a more operational and commercial perspective, understanding the nuances of sales behaviour and incentives. This path requires a strong desire to be closer to the 'front lines' of revenue generation.
You're ready to move on when
- Deep understanding of commercial P&L and revenue drivers.
- Strong analytical and modelling skills, especially for forecasting and budgeting.
- Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with sales leadership on strategic initiatives.
- A clear passion for optimising sales performance and operational efficiency.