LinkedIn has recently reported the roles that are growing in demand in 2023.

We’ve asked Oakstone’s Divisional Directors what the competition for these roles is really like and how crucial they are for our SaaS and FinTech clients:

Customer Success

What they do: Customer success individuals work with customers of a product or service to ensure their experience is the best it can be and improve processes in a company to build lasting customer relationships.

Most common skills: Software as a Service (SaaS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Customer Retention

Most common industries: Technology and Media, Professional Services, Financial Services

Current gender distribution: 51% female; 49% male

Median years of prior experience: 4.1

Remote job availability: Ranges from 11.4% to 31.2%

“Every SaaS company is heavily focussed on client retention. Losing clients equals lost revenue, a lack of advocates, and a damaged reputation.

The right investment needs to be made in customer success before renewal dates, with a clear focus on user adoption and value creation for the customer. New logos will be harder to secure in an economic downturn, so preventing the loss of existing clients is essential.

Right now, there are more CSMs on the market than jobs in that discipline. I suspect companies are looking at a regional resource pool and thinking they can cut CSM hires and save costs by asking existing CSMs to handle a larger client base. That is feasible in the short term; however, companies will see the negative effects of cutting corners in the medium to long term. Existing CSM teams will be spinning too many plates to ensure customer outcomes are being delivered, ultimately decreasing revenue and reference ability.

CSM is about proactive client engagement and management, not reactive problem-solving. No SaaS company can grow if they keep losing their clients.”

- Tristan Heywood, Oakstone Divisional Director

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Sales Development Representative (SDR)

What they do: A sales development representative deals with sales prospecting and identifying and developing sales leads. These can come through marketing, email, newsletter signups, individual referrals or social media, and cold outreach.

Most common skills: Lead Generation, Cold Calling, Software as a Service (SaaS)

Most common industries: Technology and Media, Professional Services, Financial Services

Current gender distribution: 32% female; 68% male

Median years of prior experience: 2.4

Remote job availability: 25.5%

Chief Growth Officer

What they do: Chief growth officers lead a company's growth strategy across various pillars, including customer size and revenue.

Most common skills: Growth Strategies, Growth Hacking, Strategic Partnerships

Most common industries: Professional Services, Technology and Media, Financial Services

Current gender distribution: 28% female, 72% male

Median years of prior experience: 6.9

Remote job availability: 27.9%

A Chief Growth Officer is typically an interesting blend of sales and marketing. They have commercial responsibilities but rarely lead a team. Companies tend to start looking for a Chief Growth Officer if their engagement model allows them to sell digitally or if they have an open-source product that is strongly influenced by the brand.

Due to their rarity, competition for Chief Growth Officers is reasonably high, but they are essential to businesses that want to implement their growth plans. Businesses that are digitally focused and have hybrid sales and marketing growth may find it easier to hire a CGO than businesses outside this sector.

Businesses need to think carefully about their primary route to market so they can find the right person to accelerate their growth. It may be better for someone looking for a step-up who has done a hybrid marketing and sales role rather than trying to make a marketing OR revenue leader work in the role. From my experience in hiring CGOs, the usual path to hire is finding a revenue leader who can adapt and embrace different route-to-market strategies whilst complimenting the leadership team

— Steve Farr, Oakstone International Divisional Director

Enterprise Account Manager

What they do: Enterprise account executives manage the business relationships with existing key customers of a company, often across a specific territory. They also generate new business for their firm.

Most common skills: Software as a Service (SaaS), Enterprise Software, Solution Selling

Most common industries: Technology and Media, Professional Services, Education

Current gender distribution: 19% female; 81% male

Median years of prior experience: 6.2

Remote job availability: 39.9%

Growth Marketing Manager

What they do: Growth marketing managers seek to drive revenue and growth at a company by planning marketing strategies, activating new and existing customers and adapting their approach based on the customer response.

Most common skills: Growth Strategies, Google Analytics, Conversion Optimisation

Most common industries: Technology and Media, Professional Services, Financial Services

Current gender distribution: 51% female; 49% male

Median years of prior experience: 4.8

Remote job availability: 23.5%