Go-To-Market is one of the most talked about roles in marketing right now, particularly across our Go-To-Market jobs and wider growth-focused roles.
But it’s also one of the least clearly defined.
We speak to candidates every week who are doing parts of a GTM role… and clients who are hiring for it…Yet both sides are often describing slightly different things.
So what are hiring managers actually looking for when they hire a Go-To-Market Manager?
It’s not just about launching campaigns
One of the biggest misconceptions we see is this:
That GTM is just about executing product launches.
That’s part of it… but it’s not the full picture.
Hiring managers are looking for someone who can:
Bring structure to how products go to market
Align teams around a clear commercial goal
Ensure launches actually translate into pipeline
It’s less about activity… and more about impact.
Commercial understanding matters more than channels
This is where GTM roles really differ from more traditional marketing positions.
Hiring managers aren’t just looking for someone who knows channels.
They’re looking for someone who understands:
How the business makes money
Where growth is coming from
How marketing supports sales outcomes
For example, being able to say:“We shifted focus towards X audience because it had a shorter sales cycle and higher conversion rate”…is far more powerful than listing campaign activity.
They expect you to connect the dots
GTM roles often sit across marketing, sales, and product.
Which means hiring managers value people who can:
Translate product value into clear messaging
Align marketing activity with sales priorities
Identify where friction exists in the customer journey
It’s not about owning one channel.
It’s about connecting everything together.
Clarity beats complexity
A lot of candidates overcomplicate their experience when applying for GTM roles.
But hiring managers are usually looking for the opposite.
They want someone who can simplify:
The target audience
The messaging
The route to market
If you can clearly explain:
Who you’re targeting
What problem you’re solving
How that turns into revenue
You’re already ahead.
Evidence of impact is key
Like most marketing roles right now, expectations are becoming more commercial.
Hiring managers want to see:
Pipeline contribution
Conversion improvements
Adoption of new products or features
For example:“Led the go-to-market strategy for a new product launch that generated £800k in pipeline within the first 6 months”
That level of clarity stands out.
They’re not always expecting a perfect CV
Because Go-To-Market is still evolving, many hiring managers aren’t expecting someone who has held the exact title before.
They’re often open to candidates from:
Many of these sit closely alongside our Growth Marketing jobs, Demand Generation roles, and Commercial Marketing opportunities, particularly in businesses where marketing is closely aligned to revenue.
What matters more is whether you can demonstrate:
Strategic thinking
Commercial awareness
Cross-functional collaboration
Where hiring teams sometimes get this wrong
We also see challenges on the hiring side.
Go-To-Market can mean very different things depending on the business, which can lead to:
Hiring for a GTM role when the real need is demand generation or product marketing
Expecting one person to cover strategy, execution, and sales enablement
Not clearly defining what success looks like in the first 6 to 12 months
This is often where roles become difficult to hire for, or don’t deliver what was expected.
It’s why we regularly work with clients to map out where a GTM role should sit within their team before going live, ensuring the scope aligns with the business’s growth plans.
Where candidates often fall short
The biggest gaps we see tend to be:
Focusing too much on channels instead of outcomes
Not showing how they’ve worked with sales or product
Describing activity without linking it to commercial results
GTM roles sit closer to the commercial side of the business than many realise, and your experience needs to reflect that.
Final thought
Go-To-Market roles aren’t about doing more.
They’re about bringing clarity, alignment, and commercial focus to how a business grows.
And for hiring teams, getting that clarity upfront often makes the difference between a role that drives real impact… and one that never quite lands.
If you’re exploring your next move, you can browse our latest marketing and growth roles, or if you’re hiring, get in touch with our team to discuss how to structure your next hire.
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Photo by Terrillo Walls on Unsplash