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Marketing operations ties together how you work, handle your data, and pick your tech, so that your campaigns can grow and improve. Nearly 98% of B2B marketers think marketing automation is key to success, while 78% rely on it to manage complex multi-channel processes.
Without it, marketing teams can become slowed down by inefficiencies, have a hard time measuring their impact, and find it difficult to scale.
A solid marketing operations team structure makes things clear, defines who does what, and helps teams work together. So, it’s important you get it right.
The core pillars of a marketing operations team structure
The size and complexity of a marketing operations team structure will change based on the company, but most are built around a set of core pillars.
These areas are separate but work with each other to keep marketing running smoothly.
Danielle Balestra
1. Leadership and strategic direction
At the top sits a leader (like a Head of Marketing Operations, Director, or VP) who decides how things should go to make sure operations match the business’ goals.
They set priorities, manage budgets, and explain why marketing operations matters to executive leadership. Their work also includes setting the vision for MarOps, ensuring it aligns with the wider business strategy, and overseeing how it performs.
More and more, these leaders are getting a say in big decisions: 37% of marketing operations professionals report having “a seat at the table”, showing growing influence at the C‑suite level.
These leaders also act as the primary point of contact between marketing operations and executive leadership, making the case for new investments and reporting on results.
A strong leader knows the big picture and is also aware of what’s happening on the ground. They can see how marketing ops helps the company grow and also fix problems, like when systems don't work together or processes are slow.
This combination of perspectives ensures marketing operations is both relevant to the business and suitable for day-to-day demands.
2. Marketing technology management
Technology forms the backbone of marketing operations. Tools like CRM platforms, marketing automation software, content management, and analytics help you run and measure campaigns at scale.
And martech specialists are the ones selecting tools, integrating platforms, monitoring how they’re used, and ensuring people are actually using them.
Their efforts matter: when picking marketing tools, 81% of operations professionals say integration is their top priority, well above even cost or scalability.
3. Data and analytics
Marketing ops needs to take data and turn it into something you can actually use. Analysts clean up and connect data, make dashboards, and see how well campaigns are doing while keeping data safe.
Then, marketing leaders can make smart choices. By seeing what's up, what's working, and what's not, analytics helps you plan and make your campaigns better.
More than data collection, you need to figure out what it all means. 30.55% of marketers say data helps them find the best strategies, 29.59% say it improves ROI, and 27.36% say it helps them reach audiences better.
4. Process and workflow optimization
Making processes run well is important, but this can be an overlooked part of marketing ops. After all, MarOps ensures that projects move smoothly from one stage to the next and that every team member knows what they need to do at each step.
Marketing operations professionals document workflows for different types of campaigns, from email marketing to large-scale product launches. They plan timelines, who needs to approve what, and key dependencies, so that the work is done well.
They also monitor how processes are working in practice, spotting bottlenecks or unnecessary steps and making adjustments to improve performance.
Good workflow management reduces delays, helps teams work together, and ensures that quality is maintained even when there’s more work to be done.
5. Campaign operations
Campaign operations specialists turn plans into action by setting up ad campaigns, building automation, checking quality, and launching campaigns.
They connect strategy and delivery.
They also monitor campaigns and optimize them in real time to make sure they're working as they should.
Ana Panizo Neary
6. Enablement and training
Enablement professionals bring on new hires, create user documentation, train people, etc. They make sure the marketing team can use its tools, follow its processes, and use its data effectively.
They also promote best practices across the team, so that everyone is on the same page.
Interestingly, 56% of marketing operations professionals say they lack adequate training and development opportunities. If you don’t invest in enablement, tools and workflows can fall short, and systems will fail without capable users.
Collaboration across departments
U.S. companies may lose as much as $1.2 trillion per year because of communication breakdowns, which really highlights the importance of collaboration.
A marketing operations team does not work alone. It helps and depends on other parts of the company.
Collaboration with sales is key to making sure leads go smoothly between the teams and that both sides agree on what the customer journey looks like. For example, agreeing on how to score leads and pass them off can help with more conversions.
Working with IT is equally important, especially for connecting systems, maintaining security, and ensuring that the tech is able to handle what marketing needs.
Finance also helps by watching the budget and helping to measure the return on marketing investments. Marketing operations must then track their spending and ensure forecasts are accurate, as well as that resources are used on what helps the most.
Different structures for different company sizes
The structure of a marketing operations team will differ based on the size and needs of the company.
In smaller businesses, one marketing operations manager might do everything, from tech management and data analysis to planning and campaign execution.
This generalist approach works when there's not too much work and the team can hire externals for specialist tasks.
In mid-sized organizations, the function grows to include specialists for key areas like MarTech, analytics, and campaign operations.
This allows for greater expertise and for MarOps to handle more work without sacrificing quality.
In large enterprises, marketing operations may become its own department with sub-teams dedicated to different tasks.
For example, there might be separate teams for tech, data, planning, and enablement, each with its own manager.
This level of specialization allows for more advanced work but needs a strong leader to ensure everyone is aligned.
Despite the size, the goal is the same: clarity, execution, and collaboration.
Building an effective marketing operations team
Creating a good marketing ops team is more than hiring people. The structure should help everyone work together, be accountable, and continuously improve.
Clear roles help prevent overlap and make sure that everything is covered. Processes should be documented so they can be followed consistently and scaled as the company grows.
The tech stack should be selected to meet both current and future needs, with integration and usability as key aspects to be considered.
Measuring performance is essential. Regular reviews let leaders see whether MarOps is delivering on its objectives and where there are opportunities for improvement.
Ongoing training and development help the team stay up to date with the latest tools, techniques, and best practices. This is particularly important in areas like analytics and martech, where things change fast.
Overcoming common challenges
When it comes to a marketing operations team structure, there are several common problems that come up, no matter how good or big the team is.
Tool overload/poor integration
Many marketing operations teams inherit or acquire many tools that overlap, so workflows can be slow and the data inconsistent.
Without integration, systems don’t talk to each other. This slows execution and makes it hard to make decisions.
Data silos
Different teams or platforms often collect and store data independently, so you get a fragmented view of your customers.
Poor data (duplicate records, missing fields, outdated contacts) leads to reporting inaccuracies and hurts the performance of your campaigns.
Lack of clear processes
Without workflows, campaigns can be slow, have miscommunication, and be inconsistent. When people don't know what to do, work may even be done twice or not at all.
Resistance to change
Even when new steps or tools are helpful, teams might not want to use them, especially if they feel the change messes up what they're used to or makes them do more work.
Terri Leigh Rhody
Difficulty demonstrating ROI
Because marketing operations often works behind the scenes, it can be hard to prove how it contributes to revenue.
Without clear KPIs, leaders might not think it's important, limiting investment in staff or technology.
Limited resources
In smaller companies, one manager might have to handle it all, including tech, data, campaigns, and planning, while also fixing urgent problems.
Misalignment with other departments
A lack of coordination with sales, IT, or finance can lead to inefficiencies, duplicate spending, and conflicting priorities. Without shared goals, marketing ops might not be able to help with the bigger plan.
In short
A well-defined marketing operations team structure is essential for delivering consistent, efficient, and measurable marketing results.
By aligning leadership, technology, data, processes, execution, and enablement, MarOps helps marketing to focus on strategy and creativity.
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