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GTM Org Chart/Roles and Responsibilities & Hiring Plan - Playbook

1. Definition​

What it is: A strategic planning project that designs and documents a scalable Go-To-Market organizational structure, defining roles, responsibilities, reporting relationships, career paths, and a phased hiring plan tied to revenue milestones and business objectives.

What it is NOT: Not a compensation/quota design project (that's Quotas and Target Setting). Not a headcount budgeting exercise (that's Finance). Not a recruiting/talent acquisition implementation. Not an HR policy or performance management system build.

2. ICP Value Proposition​

Pain it solves: GTM leadership lacks clarity on who owns what, reporting structures are informal or undocumented, and hiring decisions are reactive rather than strategic. New hires don't know their career path, and scaling the team becomes chaotic as revenue grows.

Outcome delivered: A complete GTM organizational blueprint including current-state org chart, future-state design tied to revenue triggers, standardized job families with career ladders, and a prioritized hiring plan that tells leadership exactly who to hire and when.

Who owns it: VP of Sales, CRO, or CEO (in earlier-stage companies). Often co-owned with Head of People/HR for implementation.

3. Implementation Procedure​

Part 1: Current-State Discovery & Assessment​

Step 1: Conduct GTM Leadership Interviews​

Step Overview: Interview key GTM leaders to understand existing roles, reporting lines, pain points, and organizational gaps. End state: Documented insights from each leader with common themes identified.

  • Schedule 30-45 minute interviews with VP Sales, VP Marketing, VP Customer Success, and RevOps lead
  • Ask about current team structure, reporting relationships, and span of control
  • Probe for role ambiguity issues (e.g., "Who owns expansion revenue?")
  • Document perceived gaps in current structure and skills
  • Identify any informal roles or responsibilities not reflected in current documentation
  • Compile interview notes into a summary document with recurring themes

Step 2: Map Current-State Org Chart​

Step Overview: Create a visual representation of the current GTM organization across all functions. End state: Complete current-state org chart with all roles, reporting lines, and headcount.

  • Gather existing org charts, HRIS data, and employee lists for GTM functions
  • Map Sales org (SDRs, AEs, AMs, Sales Management, Sales Ops)
  • Map Marketing org (Demand Gen, Content, Product Marketing, Marketing Ops)
  • Map Customer Success org (CSMs, Implementation, Support, CS Ops)
  • Map RevOps/GTM Ops structure and reporting relationships
  • Include Partnerships/Alliances if applicable
  • Document headcount per role and identify any open requisitions

Step 3: Identify Structural Gaps and Overlaps​

Step Overview: Analyze the current org chart against industry benchmarks and interview findings to identify gaps and redundancies. End state: Gap analysis document with prioritized issues.

  • Compare current structure to typical B2B SaaS org patterns for company stage
  • Identify missing roles critical for current revenue stage (e.g., no dedicated Sales Enablement)
  • Flag overlapping responsibilities between roles or departments
  • Note span of control issues (managers with too many or too few direct reports)
  • Document any roles with unclear ownership or accountability
  • Prioritize gaps by impact on revenue and operational efficiency

Part 2: Role Definition & Standardization​

Step 1: Define Job Families and Levels​

Step Overview: Create standardized job families and levels across GTM functions to enable consistent career pathing. End state: Job family framework with defined levels (IC and management tracks).

  • Identify core job families for each GTM function (e.g., Sales: SDR, AE, AM, Sales Leader)
  • Define level structure (e.g., Associate, Senior, Principal, Lead, Manager, Director, VP)
  • Establish criteria for each level (experience, scope, complexity, impact)
  • Align levels across functions for equitable career progression
  • Create visual career ladder showing progression paths
  • Include both individual contributor and management tracks

Step 2: Document Role Responsibilities and KPIs​

Step Overview: Write clear role definitions including responsibilities, success metrics, and required competencies for each position. End state: Role documentation for all GTM positions.

  • Create role template with standard sections (summary, responsibilities, KPIs, competencies)
  • Define 5-7 key responsibilities for each role
  • Assign 2-4 measurable KPIs per role tied to GTM outcomes
  • Specify required vs. preferred qualifications
  • Document reporting relationship and key cross-functional partnerships
  • Validate role definitions with current role holders and their managers

Step 3: Standardize Job Titles​

Step Overview: Align job titles across the organization to industry standards and internal consistency. End state: Approved title taxonomy with mapping to existing titles.

  • Audit current job titles for consistency and market alignment
  • Propose standardized titles aligned with level framework
  • Map existing titles to new standardized titles
  • Identify title changes that may require employee communication
  • Get HR/People team buy-in on title standardization approach
  • Create title glossary for future hiring consistency

Part 3: Future-State Org Design​

Step 1: Gather Growth Projections and Targets​

Step Overview: Work with leadership to understand revenue targets, customer growth projections, and strategic priorities that will drive org evolution. End state: Documented growth assumptions for org planning.

  • Review company growth model and revenue projections (12-36 months)
  • Understand customer count and segment growth expectations
  • Identify strategic initiatives that require new capabilities (e.g., new market entry)
  • Document planned product launches or expansion into new verticals
  • Clarify funding timeline and associated growth expectations
  • Align on planning horizon (typically 12-24 months)

Step 2: Design Future-State Org Structure​

Step Overview: Create the target organizational structure that supports projected growth, identifying when new roles and layers become necessary. End state: Future-state org chart with revenue triggers for each addition.

  • Model headcount needs based on revenue/rep ratios and productivity assumptions
  • Identify new roles needed at key revenue milestones (e.g., add Sales Manager at $5M ARR)
  • Determine when to add management layers vs. expand existing teams
  • Design for specialization as team grows (e.g., split SDR into inbound/outbound)
  • Plan for RevOps scaling aligned with GTM team growth
  • Document rationale for each structural decision

Step 3: Define Revenue-Based Triggers​

Step Overview: Establish specific revenue, headcount, or milestone triggers that signal when to implement org changes. End state: Trigger matrix linking org changes to business metrics.

  • Define ARR thresholds that trigger new role additions
  • Set headcount thresholds for adding management layers
  • Identify customer count triggers for CS org expansion
  • Map triggers to funding milestones if applicable
  • Create decision tree for common scaling scenarios
  • Document leading indicators that signal upcoming trigger points

Part 4: Hiring Plan Development​

Step 1: Prioritize Immediate Hiring Needs​

Step Overview: Identify and prioritize roles that should be filled immediately based on current gaps and strategic needs. End state: Prioritized Q1/Q2 hiring list with business justification.

  • Stack rank current open roles by impact on revenue and operations
  • Identify critical gaps from current-state assessment that need immediate fills
  • Evaluate build vs. buy decisions for specialized roles
  • Consider interim solutions (contractors, agencies) for urgent needs
  • Align immediate hires with budget and approval process
  • Create job descriptions for top priority roles

Step 2: Build Phased Hiring Roadmap​

Step Overview: Create a 12-24 month hiring plan with roles mapped to triggers and timeline. End state: Hiring roadmap spreadsheet with roles, triggers, and estimated timing.

  • Sequence future hires based on revenue triggers and strategic priorities
  • Estimate timing for each hire based on growth projections
  • Group hires into logical phases (e.g., Q1, Q2, H2, Year 2)
  • Include contingency hires if growth exceeds expectations
  • Calculate budget implications for each phase
  • Build flexibility for accelerated or decelerated hiring based on performance

Step 3: Create Hiring Playbooks for Key Roles​

Step Overview: Develop hiring guides for frequently-filled or critical roles to enable consistent, efficient recruiting. End state: Hiring playbooks for top 3-5 priority roles.

  • Select highest-priority or highest-volume roles for playbook creation
  • Document ideal candidate profile and sourcing strategies
  • Create structured interview guides with competency-based questions
  • Define interview panel and evaluation criteria
  • Include onboarding checklist and 30/60/90 day expectations
  • Build candidate scorecards for consistent evaluation

Part 5: Documentation & Leadership Alignment​

Step 1: Create Visual Org Chart Package​

Step Overview: Produce presentation-ready org chart visuals for current state, future state, and transition plan. End state: Polished org chart deck for leadership review.

  • Design current-state org chart with clear formatting and role labels
  • Create future-state org chart showing evolution over time
  • Build transition view showing phased changes
  • Include key metrics (headcount by function, span of control)
  • Add annotations explaining structural decisions
  • Export in formats suitable for presentation and sharing

Step 2: Compile Role Documentation Package​

Step Overview: Organize all role definitions, career ladders, and job descriptions into a comprehensive documentation package. End state: Complete role documentation ready for HR/People team handoff.

  • Compile all role definitions into organized document or knowledge base
  • Create career ladder visuals for each job family
  • Include compensation band recommendations if in scope
  • Build job description templates for new roles
  • Create onboarding guide pointing to role documentation
  • Package for handoff to HR/People team for implementation

Step 3: Present to Leadership for Approval​

Step Overview: Deliver findings, recommendations, and hiring plan to GTM leadership for review, feedback, and approval. End state: Approved org design and hiring plan with documented decisions.

  • Schedule leadership review session (60-90 minutes)
  • Present current-state findings and key gaps
  • Walk through future-state design rationale
  • Review hiring plan priorities and timeline
  • Capture feedback and requested modifications
  • Document approved decisions and any open items for follow-up

Step 4: Handoff and Implementation Planning​

Step Overview: Transfer all deliverables to client team with guidance on implementation and change management. End state: Client equipped to execute org changes and hiring plan.

  • Transfer all documentation to client's systems (Google Drive, Notion, etc.)
  • Walk through hiring roadmap with Talent/HR team
  • Provide guidance on communicating org changes to existing team
  • Schedule 30-day check-in to review progress
  • Identify quick wins for immediate implementation
  • Close out project and gather feedback

4. Dependencies & Inputs​

What must exist before starting:

  • Access to current org chart or employee list for GTM functions
  • Revenue data and growth projections (or access to leadership who can provide)
  • HRIS or People team contact for employee data
  • Understanding of current compensation bands (if career pathing includes comp)

What client must provide:

  • Time commitment from GTM leaders for interviews (30-45 min each)
  • Historical revenue data and forward projections
  • Any existing role documentation or job descriptions
  • Budget parameters for hiring plan
  • Decision-making authority to approve org design

5. Common Pitfalls​

  • Pitfall 1: Designing for today instead of 18 months out - Building an org that works now but doesn't scale leads to constant reorganization. Mitigation: Always include revenue triggers and future-state design even for near-term hires.

  • Pitfall 2: Creating new silos while trying to eliminate old ones - Over-specialization or poor cross-functional alignment in the new design. Mitigation: Include cross-functional collaboration requirements in role definitions and design regular coordination touchpoints into the structure.

  • Pitfall 3: Ignoring career path impact on retention - Unclear progression leads to top talent attrition. Mitigation: Ensure every role has a visible next step and document career ladders explicitly.

  • Pitfall 4: Building a hiring plan without budget alignment - Plans that don't account for financial constraints become shelf-ware. Mitigation: Involve Finance early and tie hiring triggers to revenue milestones that fund the new headcount.

6. Success Metrics​

  • Leading Indicator: Leadership alignment on future-state design achieved within first 2 weeks; all role definitions documented and approved by project end.
  • Lagging Indicator: 90-day post-project: Hiring plan on track (planned hires made on schedule), new hires report clarity on role and career path in onboarding surveys.