Report The State Of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022

ReportThe State of MarketingOperations Talent: 2022Findings from the Highway Education x Demandbase Study1 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022

Table of Contents.Introduction. 3Section 1:Marketing Operations:A Rapidly Expanding Marketing Function. 4Section 2:Industry Talent Dysfunction. 9Section 3:The Cost of Hiring and Training. 14.Conclusion. 18Methodology. 20Expert Bios. 21

IntroductionWhat’s the matter with MOPs?Marketing operations leaders can feel it: MOPs is facinga talent crisis. It’s hard to hire; it’s hard to train; it’s hardto keep people from burning out. To make matters worse,these challenges have intensified so swiftly that leadershave hardly had time to digest them, let alone mounta defense.To better understand this fast-changing landscape,Highway Education and Demandbase set out touncover what the MOPs industry is up against andto provide guidance to its leaders. The result was theState of MOPs Talent study.We found that marketing ops is an industry growingfast—so fast, in fact, that the talent supply can’t keepup with demand. The consequences of this gap cropup everywhere, in the form of burnout, turnover, andrunaway compensation. And the steep costs of hiringand training make the problem far from simple to solve.Read on for a closer look at the dynamicsshaping our industry’s biggest challenges.3 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022About UsSmarter GTM for B2B brands, helpsmarketing and sales teams spotthe juiciest opportunities earlierand progress them faster.Helps MOPs leaders overcome theindustry talent crisis by providingjob-ready junior MOPs talent forleaders to hire.

Section 1Marketing Operations: A RapidlyExpanding Marketing FunctionDemand for MOPs talent is growing at anastounding rate.Everywhere you look, companies are discovering something marketingops pros have known for years: Marketing operations is a crucialmarketing function that’s well worth a substantial investment.Today, funds flow toward tech and talent. Usage of B2B marketing opssoftware has jumped by nearly 2.5x in less than a decade, and hiringnumbers aren’t far behind. In companies large and small, the numberof marketing ops pros have grown by two-thirds, with fastest growthrates occurring in organizations of 10,000 employees and below.But finding new talent ready to hit the ground running can be toughand most employers find themselves needing to train junior hiresthemselves—or reposition existing ones. In fact, more than nine inten MOPs professionals say they “fell into” their role and never hadformal training.“We all have found our way into MOPs some randomway,” says Pierce Ujjainwalla, Co-Founder and CEOat Knak. “There aren’t enough people learning it.”4 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022

Section 1MOPs is an Essential Part ofthe Modern Marketing MachineB2B Marketing Automation Software UsageMarketing automation is omnipresentand growing quickly.2016228%in the number ofcompanies usingmarketing automationsince 201620000150000# of s: BoldDigital State of Marketing Automation, 2017; SimilarTech5 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022MarketoElouqa

Section 1Marketing Operations Teamsare Growing FastTeam size has nearly doubled in justtwo years as companies funnel moreresources toward this critical function.66%growthMOPs AverageTeam Size117in the average MOPsteam since 20202020 996k6 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 20222022professionals are working inmarketing operations today

Section 1Marketing operations teamshave grown in organizationsof every size.Average Number of MOPs Growth2020Ave. No. MOPs EmployeesIncreased Investmentis Universal20226040201-200200-10,00010,000 Company SizeThe MOPs Industry Lacksa Means of GeneratingNew TalentDespite growing demand formarketing automation pros,there is no systematic sourcefor new talent supply.How MOPs Pros Learned Their Craft4% 3%%9393%Learned on the jobOtherFormal training with employer7 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022of marketing operationsprofessionals say they“fell into” their role andhave had no formal training.

Section 1Marketing operations experts weigh inHow has marketing ops changed and where is new talent coming from?“Dr. Debbie Qaqish“Crissy SaundersPierce Ujjainwalla““Darrell AlfonsoThe change in marketing operations in the last decade has been almost indescribable.Today, marketing ops isn’t just a “thing,” it’s a big thing. The function has continued to getmore sophisticated. In the last three years, the evolution has really accelerated and theneed for talent has accelerated with it.”Marketing ops isn’t taught in schools; it’s not something that people even know about untilthey’re in a marketing entry-level job. I always ask guests on my podcast how they got intooperations, and everyone says something similar: They were an SDR manager and likedthe process around CRM; they were a marketing intern or entry hire and found theopportunity because they picked up tech faster than others.”I know hundreds of marketing operations professionals, and most of them stumbled intoit in some random way. Some people started in sales, while others were simply the onlyperson in their company who understood marketing technology and got ‘voluntold.’”There’s a disconnect between marketing strategy and the actual execution—what ittakes to actually operationalize and bring a strategy to life. Leadership, especially the ‘oldguard,’ will be more familiar with traditional methods like field marketing and commercials.But now, during the pandemic and post, there’s an entire digital world that needs to bemanaged by people who know what they’re doing.”8 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022

Section 2Industry Talent DysfunctionA lack of talent supply has strained the MOPs industry.But where, exactly, are all these new professionals coming from? With demandskyrocketing, companies have found themselves up against a new dilemma:Just because there’s a growing need for marketing operations professionalsdoesn’t mean the talent pool is expanding at the same rate.“The state of hiring in MOPs is different than other traditionaljobs,” says Crissy Saunders, CEO and co-founder of CS2,a marketing operations consulting agency. “It’s very competitive—it feels like we’re all swimming in a very small pool going afterthe same talent.”Lacking a reliable stream of new talent, most organizations are left top-heavy, withexperienced MOPs pros outnumbering more junior staffers who would otherwise bethere to manage program execution. As a result, many veterans are left shoulderingwork below their pay grade instead of prioritizing more strategic projects.Should we be surprised, then, that burnout andturnover rates are staggering, or that the priceof hiring new talent continues to grow?9 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022

Section 2SeniorNumber of Employeesat Each Experience LevelMid-LevelSeniorJuniorMid-LevelWithout a Source of New Talent, MOPsTeams are Becoming Top-HeavyThe ideal MOPs teams is structured like a pyramid:A concentrated number of experienced practitioners focuson strategic initiatives and are supported by more juniorteam members who are responsible for day-to-dayoperations and execution.10 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022JuniorBut we found that junior-level employees are outnumberedin the average MOPs team, leaving higher-level teammembers to pick up the slack.

Section 2With More Top-HeavyTeams, Veterans are StuckDoing Low-Level WorkWhile the majority of MOPsprofessionals are appropriatelychallenged by their work, more than30% feel that they would benefitfrom being able to delegate in orderto focus on more strategic projects.MOPs Pros are Burned Out and Turning OverWith many MOPs pros facing burnout, it’s no surprise that nearly¾ change their job every two years.57%of MOPs prosstruggle withburnoutMOPs Pros’ Thoughts on Workload3%Too muchJust rightToo little39%MOPs Pros’ Thoughts onWork Difficulty Level57%4%72%33%of MOPs prosleave theircompany in lessthan 3 years63%Just rightToo easyToo hard11 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022Average MOPs Company Tenure1%1 year or less1-3 years3-5 years5 years14%14%72%

Section 2Average Salary by Year 118,234 108,138Escalating demand relativeto supply drives up pay rates.2020Source: Sarah McNamara, Marketing Operations Salary Survey12 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 20222021 121,794MOPs salaries aregrowing at 2X theannual inflation rate2022

Section 2Marketing operations experts weigh inWhat forces are driving the marketing ops talent gap and what impact does it have on MOPs pros?Sara McNamara““Crissy Saunders“Pierce UjjainwallaDarrell Alfonso“Without enough junior recruits, senior people get stuck in triage. They want to do strategicwork and progress in their careers, but instead, they continue to get hit with requestswhile being under-resourced. It’s very demoralizing in the long-term.”We overwhelm the people who are coming into organizations with high expectations anddon’t set them up for success. It’s not just burnout—it’s languishing, which means peoplearen’t able to actually finish projects. A lot of people won’t stay in a job if it doesn’t meettheir expectations, because they know other companies are looking for their skill set.”When you consider how few really great marketing operations people are out there,they’re a rare and valuable asset. Companies should make it their job to determine howthey can use those people most strategically. Unfortunately, so many times we see thesetalented people stuck trying to get campaigns out the door, cleaning up data—doinglow-value tasks.”The best marketing ops people have their pick of jobs. They can switch every year forincreases in salary, and I don’t blame them. It’s a candidate’s market right now when itcomes to marketing ops.”13 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022

Section 3The High Cost of Hiring & TrainingExacerbates the Talent CrunchFinding, hiring, and training new talent leavesMOPs teams stuck in a dysfunctional cycle.What to do with an imbalanced team and a drastic need for moremarketing operations support? Hire, of course! But with the risingprice of new talent and a limited pool to choose from, many marketingorganizations have discovered that finding and landing the right teammembers doesn’t happen overnight.And once teams are lucky enough to find the right fit, they’ve only justbegun. Training new hires drains bandwidth from already-overtaxedteams, nearly 70% of which will invest five or more hours per weekover six months to get new hires up to speed.When considered in the context of turnover rates, it’s clear that manyorganizations regularly find themselves in drawn-out, costly hiringand training cycles as they struggle to keep up with the needs oftheir marketing operations mandate.70%14 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022of Marketing Operations teams willinvest 5 hours per week over 6months to get new hires up to speed

Section 3With a Small Pool of Qualified Talent, Hiring Takes TimeFor most teams, the MOPs hiring process burns through hours of staff’s time across multiple months.Duration of MOPs Hiring ProcessTime Per Week Spent By Hiring Team5%2 months1 hour3 months3 hours4 months5 months14%5 hours33%11%8 hours23%35%50%30%Nearly half of new MOPs roles take4 months to recruit and hire.While hiring new MOPs roles, 60% of hiring teamsdevote at least 5 hrs/week to the process, and96% spend at least 3. On average, companies spend15 The State of Marketing Operations Talent: 2022 16,907 4,743 22,696recruiters and adsemployee timeon hiring new MOPs pros.