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 Global Sales Operations (or major pillar)
5-7 years at Director levelSkills to master
- Leading large, multi-regional teams
- managing multi-million-pound budgets
- driving cross-functional strategic initiatives
- presenting to C-suite
- deep expertise in 2-3 core Sales Ops domains (e.g., Comp & Quota, Forecasting, Tech Stack).
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led 2-3 major global transformation programmes end-to-end.
- Consistently exceeded performance metrics for your functional area or region.
- Developed and mentored at least 3-5 senior managers who have progressed in their careers.
- Proven ability to influence and gain buy-in from senior leaders outside your direct reporting line.
- Managed a significant budget (£1M+) with demonstrable ROI.
- 2
Head of Sales Strategy / Chief of Staff to CRO
5-8 years in a strategic sales roleSkills to master
- Deep understanding of overall sales strategy
- strong analytical and modelling skills
- exceptional executive communication
- ability to translate strategic vision into operational plans
- high-level stakeholder management.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully designed and launched new go-to-market strategies or sales motions.
- Provided critical strategic support to the CRO on major initiatives (e.g., M&A, market entry).
- Demonstrated ability to bridge the gap between strategy and execution.
- Built strong relationships across all revenue-generating functions.
- Proven ability to influence at the C-suite level.
- 3
Management Consultant (Sales & Operations focus)
8-12 years in top-tier consulting, with a focus on sales transformationSkills to master
- Structured problem-solving
- executive-level client management
- deep industry benchmarking
- change management at scale
- designing and implementing complex operational solutions.
You're ready to move on when
- Led multiple large-scale sales transformation projects for Fortune 500 clients.
- Developed expertise in sales operations best practices across various industries.
- Proven ability to quickly diagnose complex business problems and design actionable solutions.
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills, particularly to C-suite clients.
- Strong project management and programme leadership experience.