How to Optimize a SaaS Organizational Structure + Real Examples

Confused About How to Organize a High-Performing SaaS Team?

You are not alone. Many founders feel overwhelmed when structuring their SaaS team, even if they have experience with organizing a traditional team.

What sets it apart is the unique characteristics of a SaaS product. You must select team members based on the specific needs of your SaaS product. When the SaaS team expands, the organizational structure differs from the traditional ones, which creates confusion. 

No Need to Worry—We’ve Got You Covered!

Read this blog and find out how to build a SaaS organizational structure that helps your team to grow fast and sustainably with limited research. We also provide you with real-life examples of the SaaS organizational chart.

Key Components of a SaaS Organizational Structure:

Before diving into the main SaaS org structure. Let’s discuss the parts that determine the effects, functions, and performance of your whole organization – Key Components. 

As I mentioned before, SaaS has some unique components. So, it’s better to have knowledge about the key components before you start organizing your team structure.

Product

The product itself is the 1st key component of your SaaS organization. It is like the engine that drives the whole operation. From the development phase to release, then continuous updates, it directly impacts customer retention, scalability, security, and revenue growth. 

So, you need to make sure that your product is user-friendly, visually appealing, and engaging. You also need to understand your customer needs, budget, and timeline. 

Engineering

The 2nd component, “Engineering,” is the most essential component of your SaaS organization. This department turns your ideas into real software solutions. They are responsible for building, maintaining, and improving your software products and services.

Your engineering team is also in charge of product quality, performance, security, scalability, and collaboration with other teams. So, this team requires talented professionals in cloud computing, information management, software development, security, etc.

Sales & Marketing

Sales and marketing are the third key component of your SaaS company because they are responsible for selling your product, generating revenue, and driving growth. Without sales and marketing efforts, your organization would struggle to attract, convert, and retain customers. 

Additionally, sales and marketing teams convey product value and benefits to customers and the market. They also gather customer feedback and data to inform product development and engineering decisions. 

Customer Success

The key component that ensures customer satisfaction and loyalty to your organization is Customer success. Your customer success team helps customers with software products and services (like onboarding, training, troubleshooting, feedback, and advocacy).

The customer success team is also vital for retention and expansion as they give product and engineering teams user feedback and data and help customers achieve their goals with the product.

Finance

The last component I will discuss today is uncountably the most important component: finance. Your finance team is responsible for planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and analyzing corporate financial data like sales, expenses, cash flow, profitability, etc.

They are also responsible for tax, audit, accounting, and legal compliance and governance for your organization. Your executive team and other stakeholders rely on the finance team’s financial insights and suggestions to make strategic decisions and expand the company. 

Common Roles in a SaaS Team:

Now it’s time to get to know the people you need to run your SaaS organization. In this section, we will go over the most common roles in the SaaS business according to key departments. You won’t necessarily require all of them. We’ll talk about who you’ll need at what point later to create your SaaS org structure.

Here is an overview table of the common roles in each key department.

C-level Executives

C-level executives, or C-suite, are the high-ranking senior executives within a company. The “C” stands for “chief”. Here is the list of C-level executives you might need in different stages of your SaaS organizational structure.

CEO (Chief Executive Officer) 
Your organization’s visionary leader, who establishes the organization’s direction, culture, and goals, is your CEO. He/She is also in charge of overseeing the executive staff, fundraising, employing, etc.

CTO (Chief Technology Officer) 
Technology planning and leadership fall within the purview of your Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He/She is responsible for the product’s technical features, including its architecture, engineering, design, quality assurance, and security.

CSO (Chief Sales Officer)
Your Chief Sales Officer (CSO) is that senior executive who oversees sales operations. All type of revenue goals, sales strategy, and the efficiency of the sales department as a whole are their responsibility.

CMO (Chief Marketing Officer)
The person who is responsible for promoting your software as a service (SaaS) offering, strengthening the brand, and bringing in new customers is your CMO. He /she is responsible for implementation, monitoring, analyzing, and improving all marketing plans and efforts.

CCO (Chief Customer Officer)
Your CCO, also known as the Chief Customer Officer, is in charge of guaranteeing the satisfaction and success of the company’s customers. To provide the highest possible customer value and retention, He/she oversees all aspects of customer service.

CFO (Chief Financial Officer)
Your organization’s financial supervisor, who oversees all financial operations, including budgeting, reporting, and risk management, is your CFO. He/she plays a critical role in guaranteeing the financial health and sustainability of your firm.

COO (Chief Operating Officer)
The person who is responsible for managing the daily operations of your SaaS operations team structure is your Chief Operating Officer. He/she is concerned with your company’s internal operations, efficiency, and utilization of its resources.

Product Management

If you can successfully build and maintain this product, you will become a member of the global SaaS market valued USD 829.34 billion by 2031. So here is the list of members of project management team. 

Head of Product
Your Head of Product is in charge of setting your product’s vision, strategy, and roadmap. He/she also manages the product team, which consists of product managers and other team members in your SaaS product team structure.

Product Manager 
The product manager is in charge of setting the product’s direction, prioritizing its features, and making sure it meets the goals of both the organization and its customers.

Product Owner
The customer voice of your team is your product owner. He/she gets the feedback from customers and relays it to the team. He/she also works closely with the development team to manage and prioritize the product backlog.

Product Designer
The person who is responsible for developing your product’s interface and user experience by using design thinking, user research, prototyping, and testing is your product designer.

Engineering Management

This group of professionals with various technical skills, work together to design, develop, test, and maintain your product in your SaaS org structure. 

Head of Engineering
The engineering leadership, who is in charge of the engineering team and function, is your head of engineering. He/she reports to your CTO. He/she sets the engineering vision, strategy, and culture. Also manages the engineering budget, resources, and processes of your SaaS org structure.

Engineering Manager:

Leading and managing the engineering sub-teams, including front-end, back-end, DevOps, QA, etc., are the responsibilities of the engineering manager. He/she is also responsible for making sure everything is in sync with the product’s goals and schedule.

Scrum Master/Agile Coach

Your Scrum Master/Agile Coach promotes Scrum and other agile development practices by serving as an instructor for your team. His/Her responsibility includes removing blockages, promoting collaboration, and keeping the team focused on goals.

Software Engineer
The person who is in charge of designing, developing, and deploying the software code and systems is your Software Engineer. There are two types: Front-end engineers and Back-end engineers. 

QA Engineer
Ensuring the software’s quality and reliability falls under the responsibility of your QA Engineer. Using different types of testing, QA engineers test, verify, and validate your software. He/she also identifies and reports software bugs and issues.

DevOps Engineer
Your DevOps Engineer ensures the deployment and delivery of your software. He/she automates and streamlines the software development and operations processes. Also manages and monitors your software infrastructure and environment

UX/UI designer 
The artistic person on your team is your UX/UI designer. Depending on your team’s need, you can have both UX and UI designers. They will be responsible for designing your product’s user interface and the whole user experience to meet or exceed user needs and expectations.

Sales Management

With the primary goal of generating revenue, this team is responsible for selling your SaaS products or services to customers. 

Head of Sales
Your head of sales is in charge of leading the sales team and driving your organization’s revenue growth. He/she also designs and executes the sales strategy, methods, and metrics, as well as manages client and stakeholder relationships.

Sales Manager
The supervisor of your sales team, who sets the sales goals, quotas, and territories, as well as monitors sales performance and pipeline, is your sales manager. He/she also provides sales feedback, coaching, and training in your SaaS sales organization structure.

Sales Representative
You can call the sales representative your front-line warriors. He/she focuses on external advertising, lead qualification, sales presentations, and setting up initial meetings for your sales team.

Sales Engineer
Providing technical support and expertise to your sales team and customers is the main responsibility of your sales engineer. He/she also assists your sales representative in demonstrating how the SaaS product meets customer needs.

Sales Operations Manager
The person who handles the sales administration and processes, such as CRM, billing, reporting, and analysis, is your sales operations manager. he/she also supports the sales team with the sales tools and resources, such as proposals, contracts, and collateral.

Marketing Management

By utilizing various strategies and channels marketing team tries to reach targeted audiences and achieve the organization’s marketing goals. Here is the list of these warriors in your SaaS company structure. 

VP/Director of Marketing
Your director of marketing is in charge of your organization’s overall marketing strategy and activities, such as branding, content, campaigns, and events. He/she also focuses on shaping the organization’s market presence and ensuring alignment with business goals.

Marketing Manager
The person who oversees the development and implementation of all marketing strategies is your marketing manager. His/her responsibility includes planning and managing marketing campaigns, optimizing digital marketing, generating leads, and promoting your SaaS product.

Marketing analyst
The marketing Wikipedia of your team is your marketing analyst. He/she is responsible for collecting and analyzing the marketing data and metrics, such as traffic, conversions, engagement, retention, etc., to provide marketing information and advice to the marketing team and others.

Content Marketing Manager
Creation and distribution of content is overseen by your Content Marketing Manager. This includes blog posts, ebooks, newsletters, videos, and other materials that help educate and engage the target audience.

Digital Marketer
Your digital marketer focuses on online channels such as search engines,  email, social media, and other paid advertising to generate leads and drive your user acquisition.

Public Relations (PR) Manager
The person who is responsible for creating and managing your organization’s public image is your PR manager. He/she also handles media relations and ensures positive coverage of your organization and product in relevant outlets.

Customer Success Management

Customer is the most important part of any business. Making sure they are getting proper services for your product is this team’s goal.  

Head of Customer Success
The entire customer success function and team is overseen by your head of customer success. He/she is responsible for developing and executing the customer success strategy.

Customer Success Manager
Your CSM works closely with your customers to understand their needs and provide guidance on product usage. He/ she also ensures your customers realize the full value of your SaaS product. You can assign your CSM to specific accounts or customer segments to improve your SaaS company structure.

Onboarding Specialist
The person who guides your new customers through the initial setup and usage of your SaaS product is your onboarding specialist. His/ her goal is to ensure a smooth and positive onboarding experience for your new customers.

Customer Support Representatives
Your “frontline guardian” of customer satisfaction is your Customer Support Representative. He/she assists customers with technical issues, inquiries, and problem resolution.

Renewal Manager
By overseeing renewals of subscriptions, your renewal managers work to keep existing customers. He/ she also identifies upsell or cross-sell opportunities to increase your customer’s investment in your product.

Finance Management

Do you know, On average, five people supervise SaaS purchases, and 44% say their finance team is involved most of the time. Here is the list of your finance team roles that you might need over time. 

Finance Director/Controller
The senior role that oversees the finance function is your Finance Director. He/She reports to your CFO. His/her responsibility includes setting the finance vision, strategy, and culture, and managing the finance budget, resources, and processes.

Finance Manager
Your finance manager supervises your finance sub-functions, such as financial planning and analysis (FP&A), accounting, tax, audit, etc. He/she also manages your finance team and plans and executes finance activities and projects.

Financial Analyst
The person in your SaaS organizational structure who provides insights into your organization’s financial performance by analyzing financial data is your financial analyst.  He/she prepares reports and supports decision-making by providing recommendations based on financial trends.

Internal Auditor
Your organization’s internal controls and processes are assessed and enhanced by your internal auditors. He/she finds opportunities for improvement and ensures policies are followed.

Tax Manager
Ensuring tax laws are followed by your organization is the responsibility of your tax manager. He/she manages tax planning, reporting, and filings to minimize your organization’s tax liabilities.

Risk Manager
The person who assesses and manages financial risks (market volatility, credit risks, and operational risks) for your organization is your risk manager. He/she also implements strategies to mitigate potential financial losses.

Defining a High-Performing SaaS Organizational Structure:

Now that you are familiar with some common roles. It’s time to define your SaaS organizational structure. As we all know, it depends on factors like finance and team size. As finance is an ambiguous term, it differs from organization to organization, so we will proceed with team size to organize the structure to show you how your SaaS organizational structure looks with different numbers of team members. 

When You Have Up to 10 Team Members

Let’s say your organization is at a very early stage and has a team of up to 10 members. The main focus of your team at this point is to build a solid foundation for your SaaS product, validate your value proposition, and acquire your customers.

While acquiring these goals, you can face challenges like limited resources, balancing diverse needs and market competitors, and hiring talented people.

As you have limited resources, you need to make smart decisions on who you want to hire. At this stage, you must hire only the key people like the  CTO, Product Manager, Developers, Designer, QA engineer, CMO, Customer Support, CFO, etc., according to your organization’s needs.

Now that you know who you need to hire, you have to optimize the team for maximum performance. But the question arises: how do you organize the structure? Here are some suggestions 

As an early-stage organization, you can always rely on a Flat organizational structure. Employees will directly report to you and collaborate closely with each other. You can also maintain a high level of communication, feedback, and flexibility in your SaaS org structure. 

When You Have 11 to 50 Team Members:

When you have 11 to 50 persons on your team, you should concentrate most of your efforts on scaling your growth, expanding your market, and improving your operations. You should also work to improve your product, your customer experience, and your organization’s culture and principles.

As the team grows, maintaining effective communication and collaboration becomes challenging. As well as, recruiting, onboarding, and retaining talent have become more complex. 

You can hire many roles that are based on your SaaS company departmental needs, such as the Product Development Team, Engineering team, Sales team, Marketing team, Customer Success, and Finance team. I have already discussed the roles for each team earlier. 

Now that you have 11 to 50 people in your team, you can not oversee your whole team by yourself. In this case, a functional or matrix, where employees are grouped by function, and each function reports to a leader, who reports to you the founder/CEO. This way, you can define roles, establish accountability and authority, and encourage specialization and collaboration in your SaaS organizational structure.

When You Have More than 50 Team Members

If you are a SaaS organization with more than 50 team members, you have already entered the mature phase of your SaaS organization. In this stage, your main focus is sustaining growth, diversifying products, and scaling operations. You should also enhance consumer loyalty, competitiveness, culture, and values.

The main challenges you face in this stage are organizational and scalability complexity. Also, talent turnover can cause problems with operations. 

When your team member is over 50, your organization has already become unique and different. A significant amount of customers is using your product. At this stage, your team will be defined according to your customer’s needs. You may require a growth team or be able to merge your marketing and sales teams. Everything depends on your customer needs. 

As for your SaaS organization structure, you can follow a functional, divisional, hierarchical, or matrix one, where employees are grouped by product, market, or customer segment, and each division reports to a chief officer, who reports to you, the founder/CEO. Above is a hierarchical structure of a SaaS org structure.

This way, you can create more autonomy and accountability, foster innovation and customization, and leverage synergies and cross-functional collaboration. This allows flexibility, accountability, innovation, customization, synergy, and cross-functional collaboration with your SaaS organization. 

Conclusion: 

Hopefully, after reading this blog, you have an idea of how you want to structure your SaaS organizational structure. You must understand that there is no ideal fit organizational structure. You have to adjust your SaaS org structure based on your company’s needs and growth. You can also contact an expert if you need to.