Product Marketing Career Development Framework

IC3 IC4 IC5
Role Summary A mid-career PMM, who is confident driving well-scoped projects from beginning to end. A PMM capable of executing an ambiguous, cross-functional projects to completion, while understanding the impact of their work to Sourcegraph and the broader market as a whole. A very experienced PMM, who influences our GTM strategy and drives multiple cross-functional projects in a highly autonomous way, shaping the future of Sourcegraph’s business.
Launch/Project Management
Scope Manages L2 launches mostly autonomously, with minor guidance from manager. Manages L1 launches, mostly autonomously. Manages day-to-day projects independently and leads holistic planning initiatives specific to their product area, with minor support from manager. Drives strategic initiatives and programs across the entire organization. Proactively identifies and prioritizes impactful opportunities and secures the resources to execute.
Impact Understands the importance of prioritizing projects based on business impact; works with manager to balance requests based on such impact. Autonomously prioritizes requests and projects based on business impact, with little guidance form manager. Helps broader team align work and prioritized projects, based on business impact.
Execution Collaborates across Marketing, Comms, Demand Gen, and Community to develop the launch plan, including key activities, content, and goals. Has a POV about how Marketing should contribute, but relies primarily on the expertise of other teammates to develop the plan for their respective areas. Collaborates and influences the strategy across Marketing, Comms, Demand Gen, and Community to develop the launch plan, including key activities, content, and goals. Serves as a thought partner to cross-marketing teams to develop team-specific plans. Delegates key elements of an L1 launch to multiple PMMs to drive a complex launch. May work with agencies and partners.
Drive to Completion Keeps team of 3-6 contributors on track to hit launch timeline. Works with manager to resolve blockers. Keeps large cross-functional team on track to hit launch timeline. Proactively surfaces and addresses blockers. Works with manager to resolve complex blockers. Keeps the entire company on track to hit launch timeline. Proactively surfaces and resolves blockers without manager.
Internal Communication Keeps working group up-to-date. Keeps the company and stakeholders up-to-date through all relevant channels (Slack, company meetings, trainings, etc.), with little guidance from manager Proactively keeps the company and stakeholders up-to-date through all relevant channels (Slack, company meetings, trainings, etc.), with no guidance from manager
Maximizing Impact Sets and achieves goals ambitious goals; works with manager to set these. Autonomously sets and achieves ambitious goals, often driving alignment across multiple stakeholders in order to achieve them. Proactively flags barriers to achieving goals. Sets and achieves ambitious goals by aligning multiple stakeholders. Proactively flags and addresses barriers to achieving goals.
Pricing and Packaging Works with manager to align on pricing and packaging. Influences pricing and packaging for their respective product area, with little guidance from manager. Proactively recommends holistic pricing and packaging updates.
Product Expertise
Sourcegraph Expert in their respective product, including features, benefits, and use cases. Strong understanding of the entire code intelligence platform and an expert in their respective product area. Expert in all aspects of Sourcegraph as a code intelligence platform.
Competition Understands the category our product operates in and our key direct competitors. Understands specific challenges our customers face and how our product(s) address these. Understands direct and indirect competitors in our category and how we compare. Creates messaging and collateral to help Sales and the market understand our competitive differences. Is an expert on all competitors and uses competitive intelligence to set company Sales, Marketing and Product strategies.
Market Understands the broad categories of tools within the devtools ecosystem, with deep knowledge of a few key players. Has a solid understanding of the devtools ecosystem and where Sourcegraph fits in. Briefs analysts on product updates. Proactively helps Sourcegraph understand how our platform will be interpreted by the market, prospects, customers, competitors, partners, and analysts.
Developer Intuition Understands the importance of building trust with developers. Seeks feedback from developers and technical counterparts to ensure all messaging and positioning resonates with developers. Understands how influential devs and dev communities perceive the product, effectively communicates in a way that earns respect from developers. Uses understanding of product to create stronger messaging. Uses technical intuition to create better messaging and positioning, evolves nuance and understanding alongside the evolving technical landscape and trends of Sourcgeraph and the market.
Messaging and Writing
Developer First Synthesizes input from PM, customers, market, and competitors to drive key messages and create content that resonates with developers. Synthesizes input from PM, customers, market, and competitors to drive key messages and create content that resonates with developers. Drives collaboration on messaging and content for all projects with some consultation EMs, PMs, PMM, and/or leadership, requires very little editing and guidance.
Content Reviews Reviews Marketing content and makes suggestions to improve for areas where they are a subject matter. Final approver for editing customer-facing content for the rest of the Marketing & PMM team. Other teammates can work with them to uplevel existing content. Used as a resource to improve any piece of content, messaging, or positioning.
Content Creation Creates content for their respective product area, including blog posts, one-pagers, and landing pages. Runs complex messaging and writing projects with help from manager: new sales decks, new L1/L2 messaging, bylines, updated packaging, naming, and more. Proactively identifies and creates content to support broader business goals, including thought leadership content, executive keynotes, and more.
Strategic Thinking
Strategy Regularly suggests projects and other ideas to help the Product Marketing Team achieve its goals. Works with manager to get such projects prioritized and resourced. Regularly suggests projects and other ideas to help the Product Marketing Team achieve its goals. Works with manager to get such projects prioritized and resourced. Regularly suggests projects and other ideas to help Sourcegraph achieve its goals. Independently works to get such projects prioritized and resourced, including driving buy-in at the executive level.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Engineering and Product PMs/EMs rely on PMM as a strategic thought partner throughout the product development lifecycle. Effectively partners with multiple PMs/EMs and/or leadership to influence product roadmap and direction. Brings in insights from customers, the market and competition to influence the roadmap. Works with Product/Eng leadership to influence the product roadmap (e.g. the next Sourcegraph 4.0); consulted by leadership on major roadmap decisions and proactively identifies opportunities to influence the roadmap, based on a deep understand of our product, the marketing, competitors, and customers.
Sales and CE Collaborates with IC AEs/CEs to understand how PMM can better support them and proactively develops content to equip the Sales team for their respective product area. Regularly connects with Sales leadership to understand challenges and opportunities; brings opportunities back to the Marketing teams and gets them prioritized. Creates content for Sales and Demand Gen on a variety of topics (use cases, personas, products, etc.) Works with Sales/CE leadership to influence the GTM strategy and messaging; consulted by leadership on major messaging/strategy decisions and proactively identifies opportunities to improve our content, messaging, and positioning, based on a deep understand of our product, the marketing, competitors, and customers.
Cross-Functional Projects Participates in company-wide cross-functional projects. Owns assigned part(s) of company-wide cross-functional projects. Serves as the DRI for cross-functional projects.
Marketing A strong, clear communicator, who adds significant value to discussions and makes collaboration happen where it should. Constantly aims to move their team forward.

Considers effects of their work and words on others and represents the team well in discussions with other teams, customers, and stakeholders.

Proactively proposes additions and changes to the team’s roadmap.

A very strong communicator who drives cross-functional collaboration efforts and the long-term direction of their team.

Shares their experience and expertise to help others grow, through mentoring and coaching other teammates, focussing on insightful strategy/plans/RFC reviews, etc.

Effectively able to convince and challenge teammates and cross-functional stakeholders using valid expertise and respectful communication.

Routinely drives improvements in team processes.

Manages conflicting views at the executive level without need for escalation to their manager.

Used as a resource to uplevel campaigns, programs, or initiatives.