I could use some outside perspective from people who have navigated this stage of their careers.
I'm 35 and currently hold the title of Product Lead at a SaaS company, but in practice my role looks much more like a GM for a business unit.
On paper, I own product strategy, roadmap planning, sprint execution, and the work of a 14-person development team. In reality, I spend just as much time acting as the subject matter expert, managing relationships with our largest enterprise, franchise, and international customers, closing complex deals, supporting escalated customer issues, reviewing marketing initiatives, translating between technical and non-technical teams, and advising senior leadership on growth opportunities, operational bottlenecks, and market dynamics.
I've also led pilot programs, go-to-market efforts, customer implementations, and a variety of cross-functional initiatives that don't neatly fit into any one department.
During various annual reviews, my CEO has called me "liquid"- naturally seeping into every operational gap to fill it - and "the connective tissue of this company"
The challenge is that I've spent the last 9 years in roles like this. My responsibilities consistently span product, operations, customer success, sales, implementation, and strategy. As a result, my resume doesn't tell a clean story, and I worry that hiring managers see a generalist without a clear lane rather than someone who has been operating across an entire business.
I'm ready for the next step, but I'm struggling to even get interviews.
For those who have made the jump from "does a lot of everything" roles into larger leadership or strategic positions, how did you position yourself? What roles would you target? And how do you communicate broad operational ownership without looking unfocused?
I'd appreciate any insights.