The B2B landscape has shifted dramatically. The traditional playbook of “hire more sales reps, make more calls” isn’t cutting it anymore – it hasn’t for a while! Buyers are overwhelmed with outreach (I know I am), marketing teams are drowning in tech stack complexity (that one thing it should do but is riddled with bugs), and growth has stalled for many organisations despite increasing budgets.
Enter the GTM Engineer. GTM Engineer is a role that’s quietly revolutionising how B2B companies approach revenue generation. If you haven’t heard of this position yet, you’re not alone. It’s relatively new, but it’s already transforming how the smartest companies build their revenue engines. I’m also pretty sure we’re putting engineer in every job title now? It’s not quite Ninja or Captain of Moonshots, is it?
The Problem with Traditional GTM Teams
Most B2B companies follow a familiar structure: SDRs research prospects and send emails, Account Executives take calls and close deals, Sales Engineers handle technical questions, and RevOps keeps the CRM running. Each team operates in its own silo, passing leads like a relay race where the baton gets dropped regularly.
The reality is that this approach is “built around individual effort rather than scalable systems”, according to Clay’s analysis of modern GTM challenges. Think about how most SDRs work today—juggling LinkedIn research, crafting individual emails, managing their own tech stacks, all whilst trying to hit aggressive meeting quotas. Some figure out shortcuts, others drown in manual work, and their best practices rarely spread across the team.
It’s inefficient, expensive, and frankly, not fit for purpose in 2025.
What Actually Is a GTM Engineer?
A GTM Engineer (Go-to-Market Engineer) is fundamentally different from traditional GTM roles. They’re “a full-stack operator who designs, automates, and scales the systems that power modern revenue teams. They turn strategy into execution—connecting tools, workflows, and data to manufacture pipeline”, as defined by Cargo’s manifesto.
Unlike traditional roles that focus on specific functions, GTM Engineers take a holistic view. They don’t just manage tools or generate reports—they build automated systems that can reach thousands of prospects without adding headcount. They “become technical problem-solvers who design scalable revenue-generating systems & strategies for reaching prospects, build and maintain automated workflows, handle complex relationships while automation manages repetitive tasks, and share successful approaches across the team“.
Think of them as the architects of your revenue engine, not just the mechanics keeping it running.
The Unique Skill Set
What makes GTM Engineers special is their hybrid skill set. They need to be technical enough to build integrations and write scripts, yet business-savvy enough to understand buyer psychology and sales processes. The best candidates are “somewhat (or very) technical, have high product IQ, are great with people, have run growth at other companies, and have high agency”.
This combination is rare but powerful. They might spend their morning building an automated lead scoring system, their afternoon analysing call recordings to identify objection patterns, and their evening optimising an AI-powered outreach campaign.
Key competencies include:
Technical Skills:
- API integrations and automation platforms (Zapier, Make, custom scripts)
- CRM mastery and workflow design
- SQL queries and data analysis
- AI implementation for personalisation at scale
Go-to-Market Expertise:
- Deep understanding of B2B sales cycles
- Campaign strategy and execution
- Sales enablement and process optimisation
- Cross-functional communication
How GTM Engineers Challenge Convention
GTM Engineering fundamentally challenges several long-held beliefs in B2B:
“More Headcount = More Revenue”
Instead of hiring 20 SDRs, a GTM Engineer might build an automated system that personalises outreach to thousands of prospects. Suddenly, “one or two SDRs can manage leads that would normally require an entire floor of callers”. The focus shifts from human effort to systematic leverage.
“We Already Have Ops Roles”
Traditional RevOps manages systems and produces reports. GTM Engineers build new revenue-generating processes from scratch. Where typical ops roles “stick to standard operating procedures,” GTM Engineers “blow that up by asking, ‘How can we do this better, faster, or in a more personalized way?’ Then they build it”.
“Sales and Marketing Are Separate”
GTM Engineers eliminate the traditional handoff between marketing and sales. They design systems where lead qualification, nurturing, and initial outreach flow seamlessly. The result is “tighter feedback loops” where “an SDR doesn’t need to pass a lead to an AE, who pulls in a sales engineer for help—it’s all the same person”.
Real-World Impact
The results speak for themselves. At one mid-sized SaaS company, a GTM Engineer’s “outbound program is generating more booked demos than the old team of five did collectively” by orchestrating personalised sequences that reference specific company details and send emails at optimal times.
Another example: GTM Engineers tap into product usage data to trigger automated expansion campaigns. When a user’s monthly usage hits certain thresholds, the system automatically sends relevant upsell emails from Customer Success – useful for the Sales/Customer Handoff. If usage dips, it schedules check-in calls with account managers. This proactive approach prevents churn and drives expansion without manual intervention.
The Technology Advantage
Modern buyers expect personalisation, but manual personalisation doesn’t scale. GTM Engineers solve this through intelligent automation. They “build systems that activate the right data, in the right interface, for the right team” and “work across a unified data layer, leverage AI, and orchestrate the revenue stack so that high-leverage work happens by default”.
This isn’t about replacing human interaction—it’s about ensuring every human interaction is informed, timely, and relevant.
Complementing RevOps, Not Replacing It
A common misconception is that GTM Engineering competes with RevOps. The reality is “they’re different—but complementary—teams with different jobs”.
RevOps provides the foundation—ensuring CRM data accuracy, connecting tools, and maintaining stable processes. GTM Engineering represents “an experimentation layer” that “builds new systems and experiments on top of the RevOps foundation”.
When GTM Engineers discover what works, RevOps helps scale it organisation-wide. It’s a partnership that combines stability with innovation.
The Hiring Challenge
GTM Engineering is new, so the best candidates likely come from non-traditional backgrounds. Companies should look for candidates who “love to experiment” and can “speak business and tech”. Ask for stories about failed experiments or major wins—good GTM Engineers geek out over testing new tools and launching pilot programmes.
Red flags include candidates who only discuss traditional sales ops tasks or speak in abstract best practices without concrete examples.
Setting Up for Success
Once hired, GTM Engineers need:
- Clear revenue objectives (not vague goals like “help sales do better”)
- Direct access to all GTM functions
- Budget for experimentation with new tools
- Patience for iteration—not every experiment will succeed
The key is avoiding common pitfalls like “treating them like pure ops” or “expecting miracles overnight”. Give them space to innovate whilst ensuring proper measurement and alignment.
The Future of B2B Growth
The trajectory is clear: we’re moving towards more intelligent, automated, and data-driven B2B growth. GTM Engineers will dive deeper into “predictive analytics that spot leads on the verge of converting, ChatGPT-like tools that generate highly targeted copy for entire segments, and self-optimising campaigns that adapt in real time to performance data”.
This isn’t about removing the human element—it’s about amplifying it. The sales floor of tomorrow won’t look like today’s reality of manual emails and cold calls. It will resemble an engineering organisation where small teams build systems that scale without proportional headcount increases.
Why This Matters Now
B2B buyers have changed. They’re harder to reach, expect more personalisation, and move through complex buying journeys. Traditional approaches—hiring more reps, sending more emails—create noise, not signal.
GTM Engineers cut through this complexity by building systematic, data-driven approaches to revenue generation. They don’t just optimise existing processes; they reimagine what’s possible when technology and strategy align properly.
For companies still relying on manual, siloed approaches, GTM Engineering represents a competitive advantage that’s difficult to replicate. The question isn’t whether this role will become standard—it’s whether you’ll adopt it before your competitors do.
The transformation is already underway. The companies building revenue engines instead of just revenue teams will define the next era of B2B growth. GTM Engineers are the architects of that future.
