GrowthFlowEngineering · Skill System

Explore the GFE Skill Ladder

Explore illustrative levels across Marketing, Sales, and Finance. This preview does not assess or certify a person, submit a profile, or create access to the Talent Marketplace.

Explore illustrative levels
GFE-2.3.1
Designer in Marketing · Strategist in Sales · Operator in Finance
Designer
Marketing Level
Strategist
Sales Level
Operator
Finance Level
L0
Observer
Watches, learns, and shadows. Executes tiny tasks under close guidance.
~1–3 months to L1 Close supervision AI: follows templates
▼
Marketing
Attends campaign planning meetings as observer. Takes notes. Learns tool interfaces with explicit walkthroughs.
🤖Copy-paste from templates with explicit instructions ("Paste this into ChatGPT, pick option 2")
Sales
Shadows discovery calls. Documents objections heard. Reviews CRM with mentor guidance.
🤖Uses AI tools only when explicitly instructed, follows SOPs word-for-word
Finance
Reviews budget spreadsheets with mentor. Asks clarifying questions. Learns KPI definitions.
🤖No independent AI use yet — learning what the tools do and why
LEO Progression Weights
Earning (E)60%
Learning (L)25%
Org Building (O)15%
⏱ Time to next level: 1–3 months · Complete 10+ shadowed tasks with supervision
L1
Operator
Follows playbooks reliably. Gets things done on time with periodic check-ins.
6–12 months to L2 SOP-driven AI: prompt templates
▼
Marketing
M-001: Clean Contact Lists (bounce rate <2%). M-003: Segment audiences by defined criteria. Reliable execution of campaign SOPs.
🤖Uses AI tools with SOPs ("Use this prompt template to generate 3 subject lines")
Sales
S-001: Qualify Inbound Leads (checklist applied). S-002: Log Outreach Activity for CRM hygiene. Consistent pipeline data entry.
🤖Uses AI for call summaries, email drafts, CRM data enrichment within defined SOPs
Finance
F-001: Update Lead Revenue Source (attribution tagging). F-014: KPI Dashboard Instrumentation and data refresh.
🤖Uses AI for data cleanup and formula generation within spreadsheet workflows
Progression Criteria
Learning: Demonstrate understanding of 3+ process workflows, pass knowledge checks
Earning: Complete 50+ tasks with <5% error rate, contribute to measurable KPI movement
Org Building: Create SOPs for 2+ repetitive tasks you've mastered
⏱ Time to next level: 6–12 months · 50+ tasks, <5% error rate
L2
Designer
Designs campaigns, flows, and processes. Self-directed within scope. Proposes approaches.
12–24 months to L3 Self-directed AI: integrates into workflow
▼
Marketing
M-504: Webinar Calendar & Tiering (program design). M-402: Campaign Setup & Launch. M-403: Creative QA & Ad Copy Review.
🤖Integrates AI into personal workflow — automation, analysis, content generation at project scale
Sales
S-110: Pipeline Stage Qualification (criteria design). S-120: Deal Desk Template & Pricing Engine. Designs multi-step deal workflows.
🤖Uses AI for proposal generation, competitive research synthesis, and deal scoring models
Finance
F-401: Paid Channel CAC Calculation (model building). F-501: Event Costing & ROI analysis framework design.
🤖Automates report generation with AI + Python; builds reproducible analysis pipelines
Progression Criteria
Learning: Design 3+ processes end-to-end, present rationale to peers
Earning: Own outcomes for 5+ KPIs over 2+ quarters, consistent improvement
Org Building: Train 2+ L0/L1 practitioners on processes you designed
⏱ Time to next level: 12–24 months · Own 5+ KPIs for 2+ quarters
L3
Strategist
Owns outcomes across channels. Integrates M/S/F signals. Leads humans and AI agents toward OKRs.
24–48 months to L4 Full outcome ownership AI: orchestrates agents
▼
Marketing
Leads marketing strategy for a product, region, or segment. Chooses where to play, how to win, and how to allocate budget and attention. Manages marginal CAC and channel saturation.
🤖Designs AI-supported operating models. Decides which tasks stay human vs. move to agents, with quality and ethics guardrails.
Sales
Owns sales strategy and performance for a motion or segment. Balances pipeline health, win rates, pricing, and rep productivity. Analyses win/loss data for bottlenecks.
🤖Sets guidelines for AI use in sales — where automation is allowed, where humans must stay in the loop, monitoring quality and compliance.
Finance
Strategic partner to growth leaders. Translates growth ideas into financial scenarios, risk profiles, and board-ready narratives. Constructs sensitivity analyses.
🤖Designs and supervises AI-enabled analytics workflows. Agents handle data processing; humans retain judgment over assumptions and outputs.
Progression Criteria
Learning: Mastery across 2+ domains (e.g. GFE-3.3.2), teach strategy to peers
Earning: Deliver 3+ OKRs across 3+ quarters with measurable valuation impact
Org Building: Design systems others can run; create training curriculums
⏱ Time to next level: 24–48 months · 3+ OKRs delivered with EV impact
L4
Architect
Designs growth systems and pods. Sets standards. Balances revenue, risk, and well-being at enterprise scale.
Rare · 4–10+ years path Vision & system design AI: architects human+AI systems
▼
Marketing
Owns the long-term architecture of the marketing system. Decides how brand, demand, and product marketing fit together over 12–36 month horizons. Defines the operating model.
🤖Designs the macro pattern of human + AI work. Chooses platforms, defines guardrails, ensures the system evolves without becoming brittle or unethical.
Sales
Architects the sales model. Decides what motions exist, how they interact, and how the org changes as the company scales. Has led or shaped GTM redesigns that changed trajectory.
🤖Designs the sales tech and AI stack at conceptual level. Decides where automation belongs, data flows, and how to protect relationships and compliance.
Finance
Designs the financial architecture supporting sustainable growth. Connects accounts, investors, risks, and opportunities into a coherent view. Manages IRI to drive WACC reduction.
🤖Architects how AI and analytics support financial decision-making at scale — model governance, data quality, and human oversight frameworks.
The Valuation Link
L4 Architects move the enterprise valuation formula: EV = FCF / (WACC − g). By standardizing systems (lowering IRI), they reduce WACC. By designing growth pods, they increase g. The result is compounding enterprise value.
⏱ Rare role: 4–10+ years cross-functional growth experience · >$10M+ verifiable EV impact
📣
Marketing
M-001 → M-820 · 100+ tasks across L0–L4
L0
Observer
Attends planning meetings, takes notes, shadows campaigns
L1
Operator
Cleans contact lists, segments audiences, runs SOPs reliably
L2
Designer
Designs webinar calendars, launches multi-channel campaigns, QAs creative
L3
Strategist
Owns PLG onboarding strategy, bid & budget optimization, pipeline targets
L4
Architect
Architects the full marketing operating model across 12–36 month horizons
🤝
Sales
S-001 → S-820 · 50+ tasks across L0–L4
L0
Observer
Shadows discovery calls, documents objections heard
L1
Operator
Qualifies inbound leads by checklist, logs CRM activity consistently
L2
Designer
Designs pipeline stage criteria, builds deal desk templates and pricing engines
L3
Strategist
Owns bookings/ARR targets, forecasting & coverage, PQL→SQL conversion
L4
Architect
Architects GTM motions, org structure, comp design and sales model evolution
📊
Finance
F-001 → F-820 · 40+ tasks across L0–L4
L0
Observer
Reviews budget spreadsheets with mentor, learns KPI definitions
L1
Operator
Updates revenue attribution tags, refreshes KPI dashboards reliably
L2
Designer
Builds CAC calculation models, designs event costing & ROI frameworks
L3
Strategist
Translates growth into financial scenarios, PLG unit economics, board narratives
L4
Architect
Designs financial architecture, manages IRI, shapes capital allocation strategy
Illustrative profiles
These examples explain how GFE describes role capability. They are not open vacancies, validated assessments, or evidence that a person has been certified. The Talent Marketplace is in development.
GFE-1.2.0
Growth Operator — Revenue Focus
Reliable execution of sales flows and marketing SOPs. Owns CRM hygiene, inbound qualification, and basic campaign operations. Learning finance fundamentals.
M: Operator S: Designer Illustrative role profile
GFE-2.2.1
Growth Designer — Full Funnel
Designs and launches campaigns across Marketing and Sales. Builds pipeline qualification criteria, webinar programs, and attribution models. Reads CAC/LTV basics.
M: Designer S: Designer F: Operator Illustrative role profile
GFE-3.2.1
Growth Strategist — Marketing Lead
Owns pipeline and revenue targets from the marketing side. Designs PLG onboarding, bid optimization, and channel strategy. Coordinates with Sales Designers and Finance Operators.
M: Strategist S: Designer F: Operator Illustrative role profile
GFE-2.3.2
Revenue Strategist — Deals & Unit Economics
Owns bookings, ARR and NRR targets. Runs forecasting and territory planning. Builds deal desk frameworks and pricing models. Partners with Finance on CAC/LTV and scenario analysis.
M: Designer S: Strategist F: Designer Illustrative role profile
GFE-3.3.3
Senior Growth Strategist — Cross-Functional
Leads pods spanning Marketing, Sales, and Finance. Integrates signals across the full revenue engine. Accountable for OKR delivery and board-level narratives. Orchestrates AI agents alongside human teams.
M: Strategist S: Strategist F: Strategist Illustrative role profile
GrowthFlowEngineering · SkillSystem preview
Illustrative reference only; not a hiring, scoring, or certification service.