A Blueprint for Building and Scaling a RevOps Team

A Blueprint for Building and Scaling a RevOps Team

Introduction

Revenue Operations (RevOps) has rapidly become a critical function within the SaaS industry. In fact, RevOps technology solutions have seen a 169% increase in adoption over the past six years, with a 43% increase between 2022 and 2023 alone (source). Furthermore, Gartner predicts that by 2026, 75% of the highest growth companies will adopt and run a RevOps model (source).?

As companies scale and Go-to-Market (GTM) strategies grow more complex, the need for operational alignment across teams has never been greater.

Yet, structuring and scaling a RevOps team remains a significant challenge for many organizations. Should RevOps focus solely on operational efficiency, or should it include strategy and enablement? How do you balance specialization with scalability?

In this article, we will provide a comprehensive blueprint for building and growing a RevOps department, offering insights into team structure, key roles, and career paths. This model is designed to be adaptable to various mandates and company sizes, making it relevant for any organization looking to unlock sustainable growth.


Why RevOps? The Need for Unified GTM

RevOps evolved from traditional Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success operations with the goal of solving three primary challenges:

  • Unified Operations: Aligning GTM teams under a cohesive operational framework.
  • Breaking Down Silos: Creating shared accountability by monitoring KPIs across departments.
  • Scalable Strategy: Acting as the bridge between GTM teams and peripheral functions like Finance, Legal, and Product.

RevOps teams may differ in scope - from managing systems and data to owning GTM strategy and enablement - but they all share one mission: to optimize the entire revenue engine.


The Four Pillars of RevOps

RevOps teams operate across four distinct pillars, each representing specialized functions necessary for success:

  1. Systems: Designing and integrating tools to manage data flow across platforms.
  2. Operations: Managing the day-to-day execution of GTM processes.
  3. Strategy: Analyzing data to refine GTM strategies and drive decision-making.
  4. Enablement: Training and empowering representatives to perform at their best.

Each pillar brings unique value and skills, contributing to a high-performing revenue engine.


Systems: Building and Integrating Complex Systems

Overview:

The Systems team is the backbone of RevOps infrastructure. These professionals design, implement, and manage tools like CRMs (e.g., Salesforce), ensuring seamless integration with other platforms. They are responsible for maintaining data flows between GTM systems and broader business systems.

Key Skills:

  • CRM configuration and optimization.
  • API integrations and automation.
  • Security and data governance.

Career Path:

  • Entry-Level: Junior System Administrator.
  • Mid-Level: Senior System Admin, System Developer.
  • Advanced: System Architect, Senior System Architect.

Deployment Tips:

Smaller companies often outsource or merge this function with Operations. For larger organizations, dedicated Systems teams become essential to scale effectively.

RevOps Systems Career Path


Operations: the Backbone of RevOps

Overview:

Operations teams handle the day-to-day processes and requests that keep GTM systems running smoothly. Typical responsibilities include managing a tech stack that often spans 15–20 tools, integrating them with the CRM to support account planning, prospecting, enrichment, marketing automation, and more. They ensure that tools are properly configured, reps have the resources they need, and new processes are implemented effectively.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Managing support requests from GTM teams.
  • Configuring GTM systems for daily use.
  • Implementing new workflows and processes.

Key Skills:

  • Strong understanding of GTM processes.
  • Ability to prioritize and manage multiple requests.
  • Experience with a wide array of GTM tools.

Career Path:

  • Entry-Level: Revenue Operations Associate.
  • Mid-Level: Revenue Operations Manager.
  • Advanced: Head of RevOps, Director of RevOps.

Deployment Tips:

This is the first function to hire when building a RevOps department. Over time, it can evolve into specialized sub-teams (e.g., Sales Ops, Marketing Ops, CS Ops).


RevOps Operations Career Path

Strategy: The Differentiator of RevOps

Overview:

Strategy is where RevOps delivers the greatest business impact. The Strategy team analyzes KPIs, identifies bottlenecks, and proposes new processes to maximize GTM performance. These professionals act as the “brains” of the Revenue factory.

Key Responsibilities:

  • KPI analysis and reporting.
  • Designing and optimizing GTM strategies.
  • Forecasting and planning.

Emerging Role:

The GTM Engineer is a new hybrid role that combines data expertise with operational skills, often leveraging AI to automate workflows and drive efficiency. This emerging role represents an evolution of the traditional BDR, integrating AI, data, and operational capabilities to take a more strategic position within GTM teams. As it bridges technical and strategic functions, the GTM Engineer should be considered an integral part of the Strategy pillar in RevOps

Key Skills:

  • Advanced data analysis and visualization.
  • Deep understanding of the SaaS business model.
  • Ability to translate insights into actionable strategies.

Career Path:

  • Entry-Level: Data Analyst, GTM Engineer.
  • Mid-Level: Senior Analyst, Senior GTM Engineer.
  • Advanced: Revenue Architect, Director of Revenue Strategy.

Deployment Tips:

Strategy teams are critical for scaling organizations. Smaller companies may outsource this function, while larger ones benefit from having in-house expertise.


RevOps Strategy Career Path

Enablement: Equipping Reps for Success

Overview:

The Enablement team focuses on training and empowering GTM representatives (BDRs, AEs, CSMs, etc.). They work closely with Strategy and Operations to ensure processes are adopted and reps are consistently improving their skills.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Developing training programs and materials.
  • Coaching reps to improve performance.
  • Aligning sales processes with GTM strategy.

Key Skills:

  • Deep knowledge of sales processes.
  • Strong communication and coaching abilities.
  • Experience creating actionable training content.

Career Path:

  • Entry-Level: Enablement Specialist.
  • Mid-Level: Sales Enablement Manager.
  • Advanced: Director of Sales Enablement, VP of Sales Enablement.

Deployment Tips:

Enablement becomes essential as teams scale and need consistent processes for onboarding and performance improvement.


RevOps Enablement Career Path

Scalability Checklist

Here’s how to scale your RevOps department effectively:

Assess Current Needs:

  • Start by identifying gaps in your current GTM operations. Analyze areas where inefficiencies, silos, or data inconsistencies exist.
  • Ask yourself: Do we need better systems, more process optimization, or deeper strategic insights?

Start Small:

  • Begin with hybrid roles that combine Systems and Operations functions. This allows your team to cover foundational needs while keeping headcount lean.
  • Prioritize hires who can multitask across different GTM functions and have a willingness to adapt.

Expand Strategically:

  • Αs your company scales, gradually build out specialized teams for Strategy and Enablement to address evolving needs like KPI analysis, forecasting, and rep performance improvement.
  • Align expansion with revenue growth milestones or key GTM pain points.

Ensure a Mix of Roles and Expertise:

  • Build a balance between entry-level and mid-level roles to ensure scalability while fostering career development.
  • Include roles with project management skills to handle complex RevOps initiatives effectively and deliver scalable solutions.

Focus on Collaboration:

  • Foster strong alignment between RevOps pillars (Systems, Operations, Strategy, Enablement) and GTM leaders (Sales, Marketing, CS).
  • Encourage open communication to break silos and streamline workflows.

Establish Points of Contact (POCs):

  • Assign different RevOps POCs for GTM and business teams. This ensures stakeholders have clear communication channels and accountability for tasks, reducing reliance on a single point of failure.

Measure Success:

  • Define and monitor KPIs to evaluate the effectiveness of your RevOps structure. Examples include: reduction in sales cycle time, improved forecast accuracy, higher rep productivity, faster onboarding time for new reps, GTM efficiency, etc.
  • Continuously refine processes based on KPI insights.


Conclusion

RevOps is a multidisciplinary and dynamic function that combines technical expertise, operational execution, and strategic insight. Structuring such a team requires careful consideration of company size, GTM complexity, and growth goals. By leveraging the four pillars—Systems, Operations, Strategy, and Enablement—organizations can create a high-performing RevOps team that drives long-term revenue growth.

Whether you’re just starting out or scaling to hundreds of millions ARR business, this blueprint offers a foundation for building and optimizing your RevOps function.

How does your organization structure RevOps? Share your insights and challenges in the comments!

Wuraola Bolujoko

Revenue Operations for Tech Companies with $bn volume goal | Cross Border Payments | OTC Desk |

2 个月

Insightful article for everyone at whatever stage of their RevOps journey. Thanks Andreas Drakos - I sent you a DM with some follow up questions.

Ritesh Naik

Analyst with a Business Mind | RevOps | Always Learning

2 个月

Appreciate it, Andreas!

Gary Pine

Interim Executive | Advising CEOs & Founders | Product Growth | Marketing Growth | Revenue Growth

2 个月

The most interesting piece of the jigsaw is the cyclical nature of the 'Operations: Managing the day-to-day execution of GTM processes' > 'Strategy: Analyzing data to refine GTM strategies and drive decision-making' hamster wheel. How do the ups and downs of the daya to day inform revisions, updates or even wholesale change to yur strategic dorection?

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