A new, high-impact role is emerging in the startup scene. Blending technical skills with business strategy, the go-to-market engineer is a game-changer for companies and a huge opportunity for freelancers. But what skills and experience do you need to apply?
A new role is quickly becoming a hot topic in the startup world: the go-to-market (GTM) engineer. The idea, as noted by startup news site Sifted, is to have a professional who bridges the gap between a company’s technical side and its commercial teams, like sales, marketing, and customer success. The goal is simple, but the role is anything but: use technology to build a more efficient and profitable business.
The GTM engineer role isn’t just about managing a tech stack; it’s about building a better one. This person uses their technical skills to automate processes, leverage AI, and connect various tools to create a seamless, scalable system for growth.
What does a GTM Engineer actually do?
A GTM engineer is part data analyst, part operations specialist, and part automation expert. They focus on solving real-world business problems with code and technology. That is why when The Freelance Informer sees this role being filled quickly by experienced freelancers and contractors because they have more exposure to different clients, sectors and potential hiccups that they can find solutions for.
Main duties of a Go-to-Market Engineer
- Automating the sales funnel: They build systems to find and qualify leads automatically. This moves a company away from manual outreach to a more data-driven and personalised strategy.
- Connecting the tech stack: They integrate CRMs (like Salesforce), marketing platforms, and other tools, making sure data flows correctly. This gives sales teams the right information at the right time.
- Using data for decisions: They create data pipelines to provide insights into what’s working and what’s not. This helps teams make smarter decisions and continuously improve their strategy.
- Building with AI: They use AI and low-code/no-code tools to create smart workflows for tasks like lead research or generating sales copy.
Essentially, a GTM engineer helps a small company operate with the efficiency of a much larger one.
Companies hiring GTM Engineers
While the role is still relatively new, a number of high-growth tech startups are already hiring GTM engineers. These roles are often remote or hybrid and can be found at companies like:
Northbeam: A marketing intelligence platform that needs a GTM engineer to build the systems that drive customer acquisition.
Squint Inc.: A manufacturing intelligence platform where the GTM engineer is responsible for creating data-driven outreach campaigns.
Sent: A company that sees the GTM engineer as the “architect of their revenue growth.”
You can also find these roles posted on job boards like ZipRecruiter and Remote.com.
How freelancers can transition into GTM engineers
For freelancers interested in exploring this new career path, here are some tasks you should consider:
- Refine your technical skills: You don’t need to be a full-stack developer, but you must be good with AI tools, automation platforms (like Zapier or Make), and working with data, APIs, and basic coding languages like Python.
- Specialise in a niche: While the world of work is heading towards being a jack of all trades, at this junction of the GTM engineer role, you might want to pitch yourself as a niche go-to expert. For example, you could offer AI-powered sales automation for B2B SaaS or automating marketing for e-commerce brands.
- Build an even stronger portfolio: The best way to show your value is with real results. Take on a few projects with smaller companies to build a portfolio of case studies. This proves you can deliver tangible results, such as saving a company time or increasing its lead flow.
- Create an online presence: If you haven’t already, make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date, has a bio headline that is easily spotted for SEO and clients looking for GTM engineer skills. Plus, create a simple website. This helps potential clients find you and understand what you offer.
- Develop business acumen: A GTM engineer isn’t just about code; it’s about strategy. You need to understand a client’s business goals and how your technical solutions can help them achieve those goals.
Helping existing clients with this skillset now can only sharpen your profile for future contract opportunities.
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