The race for Revenue Operations talent is heating up. “Head of RevOps” is now the fastest-growing job title in the U.S., with over 14,000 open roles according to Insightly. Gartner expects 75% of high-growth companies to have dedicated RevOps functions by next year.
Yet the supply of qualified operators hasn’t kept pace. Most teams are left scrambling, either burning cycles onboarding external hires or making do with misaligned resources. But what if your next hire isn’t across the internet, but across the sales floor?
The RevOps talent crunch is real
RevOps is an operational layer and a growth engine. Companies with formal Revenue Operations teams have the potential to grow faster and are achieve greater profitable than those without. For SaaS organizations, the upside is dramatic: RevOps-enabled teams grow 36% faster than their peers (Captivate Talent).
If RevOps is this valuable, why is it so hard to hire for?
Because great RevOps talent doesn’t just understand systems. They understand the business. They connect data to decisions, and teams to outcomes. That kind of alignment isn’t easy to find unless you know where to look.
Your best next RevOps hire might already be quota-carrying
High-performing BDRs and AEs work daily in your CRM, understand your ICP, live inside your funnel, and know what slows deals down. Many already write their own reports, troubleshoot pipeline blocks, and flag systemic issues.
They’re doing RevOps work. They just don’t have the title yet.
“About half my team today is former sellers,” says Alex Miller, Director of RevOps at Medallion. “Understanding what the people you’re serving are going through, and what it feels like to be stressful and have a quota, makes you a better operator”.
Hiring internally means faster ramp time and instant credibility. These hires bring three things every RevOps team needs more of: context, urgency, and connection .
Sales-sourced operators bridge the trust gap
Some RevOps initiatives fall flat because they’re built in a vacuum. Processes that sound great in theory break down in practice, especially if you don’t understand what happens on a call, in the CRM, or across the GTM motion.
Sales-sourced operators fix that.
“Shadow a rep for a week,” says Ryan Milligan, VP of RevOps at QuotaPath. “You’re gonna understand why they’re not filling in those 38 CRM fields. You’ll learn a lot, and bring that back into your RevOps process”.
This kind of inside-out understanding breaks silos and improves cross-functional GTM visibility.
How to spot RevOps potential in your sales org
Not every seller will want to move into RevOps, but the overlap in skillsets is more common than many leaders realize. Some of your best future operators may already be acting like mini-analysts, diving into pipeline patterns, self-serving insights, and raising flags on process friction.
Here’s what to look for:
- Reps who build their own reports or automate processes
- People who ask “why” before they ask “how”
- Those who naturally connect dots between tech, process, and people
“The perfect RevOps person is hard to find,” says Oliver Yu, Chief Growth Officer at QCSS Health. “You need someone who can be strategic, get into the weeds, and be analytical. But you also need someone who can be a thought partner and connect people, tools, and insights”.
That person might not apply to your job post. But they might already be asking the right questions in your pipeline review.
Make internal mobility your competitive edge
If you’re facing first RevOps hire challenges, look inward. Auditing your sales org for future operators is resourceful and strategic. These hires reduce onboarding time, improve alignment, and strengthen empathy across the GTM engine.
Strategic RevOps leadership starts with seeing talent before the title. The best operators often are right in front of you.
Go deeper
If you enjoyed this, check out our YouTube conversations with Alex Miller, Ryan Milligan, and Oliver Yu.
Learn more about how strategic RevOps leaders are using AccountAim.
