The modern business environment is data-driven and revenue operations (RevOps) has emerged as the critical function that aligns marketing, sales, and customer success teams to drive a growth that’s predictable.
But what exactly is RevOps, and how should organizations be approaching staffing for this department?
After 15+ years in GTM leadership, I’ve seen how the right teams can jack up business performance and how the wrong staffing approach can lead to misaligned departments, data disparity, and missed revenue targets.
What is RevOps? A Clear Definition
“RevOps will allow you to grow with purpose and teach you when and how to say no. Growth at all costs used to be acceptable, but now responsible investment in growth is required.”
– Cuyler Owens, CRO at TrustRadius
Before going into staffing considerations, let’s set a clear definition of what revenue operations actually is.
What does RevOps do?
Revenue Operations (RevOps) is a strategic approach that aligns sales, marketing, and customer success under a unified revenue team. It breaks down departmental silos for a friction free end-to-end revenue process circling around initial awareness, customer expansion and advocacy.
The core mission that RevOps lives by is to drive growth through operational efficiency, data-driven decision making, and cross-functional alignment.
Unlike traditional departments, the revenue operations responsibilities takes a holistic view of the entire customer journey for the complete revenue picture instead of isolated metrics.
The Core RevOps Responsibilities
A well-structured RevOps team typically handles responsibilities across these four key areas:
1. Process Management
Designing and optimizing the end-to-end revenue process
Creating and maintaining SLAs between departments
Establishing and enforcing rules of engagement
Developing and managing territory plans and account assignments
2. Technology & Systems
Managing the tech stack across marketing, sales, and customer success
Ensuring clean data flow between systems
Administering CRM and other key platforms
Implementing new tools and integrations
3. Data & Analytics
Defining and tracking key performance indicators
Building dashboards and reports for visibility
Conducting analysis to identify opportunities and threats
Managing data quality and governance
4. Enablement & Optimization
Developing training and onboarding programs
Creating sales playbooks and content
Identifying and implementing best practices
Conducting experiments and optimizations
The expanse of these responsibilities shines a light on why having the right team structure is so important for carrying out a successful revenue operations strategy.
RevOps Team Structure: Models and Approaches
There’s several approaches to structuring a RevOps team, each with its own advantages depending on your organization’s size, resources, and growth stage.
Model 1: Centralized RevOps Function
In this model, all operations professionals across marketing, sales, and customer success report to a central RevOps leader (often a VP of Revenue Operations or Chief Revenue Operations Officer).
Advantages:
Strong alignment across the entire revenue process
Consistent processes and data management
Clear ownership of cross-functional initiatives
Unified reporting and analytics
Disadvantages:
Potential distance from day-to-day departmental needs
Risk of becoming a bottleneck for departmental requests
Challenges balancing competing priorities
Model 2: Hub-and-Spoke Model
This hybrid approach features a core RevOps team that handles cross-functional initiatives and technology, with dedicated operations resources embedded within each department.
Advantages:
Balance of alignment and specialized support
Deeper understanding of department-specific needs
Clearer lines of communication
Greater agility in responding to department requests
Disadvantages:
More complex management structure
Potential for conflicting priorities
Higher staffing requirements
Model 3: Functional Operations with RevOps Coordination
In this model, departments maintain their own operations teams (Sales Ops, Marketing Ops, CS Ops), but with formalized coordination mechanisms and shared resources for cross-functional needs.
Advantages:
Deep specialization within departmental operations
Clear ownership of department-specific processes
Simplified management structure
Lower initial investment required
Disadvantages:
Greater risk of silos and misalignment
More complex data and system management
Challenges driving cross-functional initiatives
According to the industry leaders interviewed in the RevOps Blueprint, the most effective structure combines elements of the hub-and-spoke model, with a central RevOps leader coordinating specialized resources across departments.
Revenue Operations Roles and Job Descriptions
As your RevOps function grows, you’ll need to consider various specialized roles. Here’s a breakdown of key positions and their typical responsibilities (plus revenue operations job descriptions as bonus!)
Head of Revenue Operations
This senior leader oversees the entire RevOps function, developing strategy and ensuring alignment with business objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
Developing the overall RevOps strategy and roadmap
Building and managing the RevOps team
Aligning with executive leadership on revenue goals
Identifying and addressing cross-functional challenges
Managing relationships with key technology partners
Required Skills:
Strategic thinking and executive presence
Deep understanding of the entire revenue process
Strong leadership and team management
Ability to translate complex data into actionable insights
Experience with change management and organizational design
Revenue Operations Manager
Here’s what a revenue operations manager job description typically looks like in the context of systems, analytics, or enablement.
Key Responsibilities:
Implementing and managing key systems and processes
Building and maintaining reports and dashboards
Conducting analysis to identify opportunities for improvement
Managing day-to-day operations and troubleshooting issues
Collaborating with department leaders on operational needs
Required Skills:
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
Experience with relevant systems and tools
Process design and optimization skills
Project management capabilities
Effective cross-functional communication
RevOps Specialist
This role focuses on execution within a specific area of RevOps, such as CRM administration, reporting, or enablement.
Key Responsibilities:
Managing specific tools and systems
Creating and maintaining reports and dashboards
Supporting day-to-day operations and troubleshooting
Implementing and enforcing process improvements
Assisting with training and enablement activities
Required Skills:
Technical proficiency with relevant systems
Basic analytical and reporting skills
Attention to detail and process orientation
Strong problem-solving abilities
Collaborative work style
Sales/Marketing/CS Operations Specialists
These roles provide a more specialized support to specific departments from within the RevOps function.
Key Responsibilities:
Supporting department-specific processes and systems
Building and maintaining department reports and dashboards
Providing specialized expertise in department tools
Identifying and implementing department optimizations
Collaborating with other operations specialists on cross-functional initiatives
Required Skills:
Deep understanding of department-specific processes
Experience with department tools and systems
Strong analytical capabilities
Effective communication with department stakeholders
Ability to balance department and cross-functional priorities
Data Analyst
This specialized role focuses on extracting insights from revenue data to drive decision-making.
Key Responsibilities:
Conducting in-depth analysis of revenue data
Building and maintaining advanced reports and dashboards
