LinkedIn’s 2024 “Jobs on the Rise” report found that more than two-thirds (68%) of their jobs didn’t even exist 20 years ago, including seven of the top ten titles!
To anyone working in SaaS this is not a surprise given the rapid pace of technological change, the ever changing demands of customers, and more recently the rapid process changes hitting Go-to-Market (GTM) teams. As the market changes, companies and the workforce must adapt, with these newer roles being a reflection of that adaptation.
The work landscape has gone through a significant transformation over the past few years, with the emergence of new technologies and business models driving a shift in the required skill sets.
Historically, “Go-to-Market 1.0” was a traditional, siloed approach to market strategy that relied on gut-driven decisions, fragmented technology, and short-term sales tactics. GTM 2.0 is a modern approach to market strategy that emphasizes integrated revenue operations, strategic partnerships, data-driven decision-making and a more pragmatic approach to executing the decisions called Applied Revenue Intelligence.
As companies drive revenue growth, they face challenges that require a cohesive GTM strategy throughout the whole organization, breaking down silos to work seamlessly toward common goals. Maintaining a rapid pace of revenue growth has become particularly challenging recently, and the solution demands alignment across marketing, sales, customer success, and partnerships. This explains the need for roles that can bridge these siloes!
This is where the fastest-growing jobs of 2024 come into play, as they are not just reflective of current trends but are also necessary for an effective GTM strategy.
LinkedIn's latest findings highlight the fastest-growing jobs in North America, showcasing the trends that are shaping the job market.
At the top of the list is the Chief Growth Officer, a role most commonly characterized by skills in revenue growth strategies, strategic partnerships, and business development. In fourth place on the list was the Director of Revenue Operations (RevOps), reflecting the increasing importance of streamlined revenue processes.
As stated earlier, companies are struggling to meet revenue targets, so deploying a role dedicated to ensuring smooth revenue operations is an obvious next step!
Additionally, in 24th place was the Head of Partnerships, highlighting the importance of external collaboration in today’s business environment. These roles are becoming indispensable for companies aiming to enhance their GTM effectiveness.
Let’s examine each of these key roles in more detail.
Focusing on the job at the top of the list, the Chief Growth Officer (CGO) is responsible for overseeing and driving the company’s growth initiatives. This role focuses on overall business growth including market expansion, innovation, and customer acquisitions and retention (whereas a Chief Revenue Officer focuses specifically on driving revenue generation and sales operations, usually with less focus on longer-term product innovation). A CGO requires a deep understanding of market dynamics, customer behavior, and strategic planning; by aligning product, marketing, sales, and customer success teams, the CGO ensures a cohesive approach to growth, directly impacting the company's revenue trajectory.
GTM-oriented roles like the Director of Revenue Operations and the Head of Partnerships are also among the fastest growing.
The Director of RevOps plays a pivotal role in optimizing the revenue process, ensuring that data, tools, and processes are aligned to support the company’s growth objectives.
Meanwhile, the Head of Partnerships focuses on building and managing alliances that can drive new business opportunities and enhance the company’s market position. This role is not necessarily new, but its importance has grown as we’ve seen the Go-to-Market Revolution underline the effectiveness of relationship-driven market growth.
Relationship-driven growth is beneficial because it is a highly scalable way of increasing revenue in both existing and new markets by leveraging the investments and current relationships of partners. But it isn’t without its challenges which is why, as the LinkedIn analysis shows, experienced Heads of Partnerships are highly in demand.
Collectively, these roles contribute to a comprehensive GTM strategy, driving revenue growth and operational efficiency. They illustrate how companies must adapt to the changing job landscape, integrating new roles that support a unified approach to market success.
Implementing and coordinating various GTM-oriented roles comes with its own set of challenges.
Newer roles often mean a candidate pool with limited experience, and companies may struggle to find the right talent to fill these positions. This is especially true for roles related to Revenue Operations. A clear and well-defined GTM strategy is essential for these new roles to be effective, especially if the new hires are still learning their roles and the rest of the organization is also learning how to engage with them.
This strategy needs to include the creation of a strong data foundation, pulling data from across the company to help these new roles make optimal decisions. Companies must map out their approach carefully, ensuring that all new roles and surrounding functions are aligned towards common goals.
To support these roles and build a strong RevOps foundation, companies need to deploy the right processes and tools, hence the significant growth in revenue operations and applied revenue intelligence software. The hiring challenges mentioned above are also driving an ecosystem of outsourced revenue operations vendors that help smaller companies drive their GTM strategy without the immediate need to hire a dedicated RevOps professional.
The job landscape is undergoing a massive shift, with new roles emerging to meet the demands of modern business strategies. Companies must listen to the message these changing strategies and roles are telling us: GTM-oriented roles like the Chief Growth Officer, Director of Revenue Operations, and Head of Partnerships are becoming table stakes for successful revenue growth. These roles are integral components of a cohesive Go-to-Market 2.0 strategy that drives revenue growth and efficiency through the application of Applied Revenue Intelligence.
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