Program Positioning & Leadership Engagement is about making DevRel a strategic partner, not just a support function. By aligning with business goals, building executive relationships, and communicating impact in business terms, you secure the support and investment needed to drive real outcomes.
Program Positioning & Leadership Engagement
Transform DevRel from an isolated function into a recognized driver of business outcomes through strategic internal advocacy and leadership engagement.
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Goal
Position DevRel as a strategic business driver and secure executive support and investment
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Impact
Drive organizational alignment, unlock resources, and elevate DevRel’s influence on business outcomes
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Success Indicators
Executive sponsorship, strategic influence, resource allocation
1
Foundation
Why internal positioning and executive engagement are essential for DevRel’s long-term success, and how to build credibility from day one
DevRel’s impact is multiplied when it’s seen as a strategic partner, not just a cost center. Building credibility with executives and aligning with business goals unlocks resources, accelerates outcomes, and ensures DevRel’s voice is heard where it matters most.
Business Impact
- Secure executive sponsorship and investment
- Drive cross-functional alignment and collaboration
- Elevate DevRel’s influence on product and business strategy
- Accelerate adoption and customer success through internal advocacy
Business Value Storytelling
Communicate DevRel’s impact in business terms
- Translate developer outcomes into business value
- Use proof points and case studies to build credibility
- Connect DevRel work to revenue, retention, and growth
Executive Relationship Building
Cultivate champions and sponsors at the highest levels
- Identify and engage key decision-makers
- Build trust through transparency and results
- Leverage executive sponsors to unlock resources
Cross-Functional Alignment
Integrate DevRel into the broader business strategy
- Collaborate with product, marketing, and sales
- Align goals and metrics across teams
- Drive unified customer and developer experiences
Strategic Advocacy
Champion developer needs in executive conversations
- Bring developer insights to the leadership table
- Influence product and business decisions
- Position DevRel as a driver of innovation
2
Strategy
How to position DevRel as a strategic business driver and secure executive support, and the acceleration multipliers that make positioning success unlock resources across all other dimensions
Community & Advocacy
Executive support amplifies community programs, while community proof points help secure leadership buy-in.
Education & Training
Leadership investment accelerates training initiatives, while training outcomes provide business value stories for executives.
Developer Experience
Executive focus on developer experience drives cross-team improvements, while DX metrics help make the business case for investment.
Marketplace & Resources
Marketplace success stories provide proof points for leadership, while executive sponsorship accelerates ecosystem growth.
Metrics & Analytics
Business-aligned metrics secure executive support, while leadership engagement ensures metrics drive real decisions.
Business Alignment
- How do we position DevRel as a strategic business driver, not just a support function?
- What proof points and stories resonate with executives?
- How do we connect DevRel work to revenue, retention, and growth?
Executive Engagement
- Who are our key executive sponsors and how do we build those relationships?
- How do we communicate impact in business terms?
- What feedback loops help us adapt to changing leadership priorities?
Cross-Functional Influence
- How do we align DevRel goals and metrics with other teams?
- What partnerships accelerate business outcomes?
- How do we ensure DevRel’s voice is heard in strategic decisions?
3
Implementation
How to actually build internal influence and avoid the common pitfalls that keep DevRel on the sidelines
Establish basic internal communication and stakeholder relationships while proving initial program value and securing continued support. Focus on transparency, early wins, and communicating impact in business terms that resonate with different stakeholder groups.
Key Activities:
- Conduct comprehensive stakeholder mapping to understand internal audiences, their objectives, success metrics, communication preferences, and influence patterns within the organization. Consider using a stakeholder matrix to help you understand the different types of stakeholders and their influence/power within the organization.
- Establish regular reporting cadence with basic metrics that demonstrate program activity, early impact, and clear connection to business objectives. Start simple but be consistent. Consider how you're telling your story - its not just the metrics that create a compelling narrative, it's the outcomes, customer impact, and frankly the expanded visibility that comes from being a strategic business driver.
- Align program goals explicitly with at least one major organizational objective or strategic initiative, making the connection clear and measurable.
- Develop stakeholder-specific value propositions that connect DevRel activities to the priorities and success metrics that each audience cares about most.
- Build foundational relationships with key decision-makers and influencers across relevant departments, focusing on understanding their challenges and how DevRel can help solve them.
Success Metrics:
- Regular stakeholder communication established and maintained (monthly/quarterly reporting that people actually read)
- The data your need for your program budget to be successful secured and successfully defended during budget planning cycles
- Basic business value metrics tracked, communicated, and understood by key stakeholders
- Stakeholder comprehension of DevRel purpose, activities, and business contribution
- Integration with at least one major cross-functional initiative or strategic objective
Position DevRel as a strategic business driver while building systematic stakeholder engagement and organizational influence. Leverage executive sponsorship to drive cross-functional alignment and collaboration, expanding DevRel's influence by partnering with other teams and sharing comprehensive business value stories.
Key Activities:
- Develop comprehensive ROI narratives using all four metric categories to tell complete impact stories that resonate with different stakeholder priorities and communication styles.
- Create stakeholder-specific dashboards and reports that highlight the metrics most relevant to each audience while connecting to broader business outcomes and strategic objectives.
- Establish systematic feedback loops with product, sales, marketing, and engineering teams to demonstrate strategic integration and influence on key business decisions.
- Build executive sponsorship through regular business reviews, strategic planning participation, and demonstrated contribution to organizational success metrics.
- Document and amplify success stories that connect developer outcomes to business impact, creating compelling narratives that stakeholders can use to advocate for the program. Consider how you're telling your story - its not just the metrics that create a compelling narrative, it's the outcomes, customer impact, notable customer stories, and frankly the expanded visibility that comes from being a strategic business driver.
Success Metrics:
- Program expansion or additional resource allocation secured based on demonstrated ROI and strategic value
- DevRel insights and feedback integrated into product roadmap, business planning, and strategic decision-making processes
- Stakeholder advocacy for the program - they champion it, promote it, and defend it without prompting because they see clear value
- Clear attribution established between DevRel activities and key business outcomes that matter to different stakeholder groups
- Recognition of DevRel as strategic function rather than tactical support, with corresponding influence and resource allocation
DevRel becomes integral to business strategy with systematic influence on organizational decisions and industry positioning. At this stage, DevRel is driving strategic business initiatives, establishing thought leadership, creating scalable advocacy frameworks, building strategic ecosystem partnerships, and influencing industry standards and best practices.
Key Activities:
- Drive strategic business initiatives where DevRel insights, community feedback, and ecosystem intelligence influence major organizational decisions about product direction, market strategy, and competitive positioning.
- Establish thought leadership positioning for the organization through DevRel program success, creating industry recognition that enhances competitive differentiation and market position. Many DevRel programs are on the bleeding edge of what's possible - lean into this and use it to your advantage as you think about how your program can enable your organization to be a thought leader in your industry.
- Create scalable advocacy frameworks that can be replicated across other business units, markets, or product lines, demonstrating program methodology as organizational competitive advantage. What's your game plan when it comes to launching or promoting new community/developer programs? How can you scale them? How is that replicated across other company events/functions?
- Build strategic ecosystem partnerships that enhance organizational competitive positioning, market reach, and business development opportunities through developer community strength. Strategic partnerships can be a great way to get your foot in the door with new customers, a big name to bring attention to your program, and can also help you build a stronger ecosystem.
- Influence industry standards and best practices through program leadership, innovation, and demonstrated success that positions the organization as market leader in developer experience and community building.
Success Metrics:
- DevRel/community leader included in strategic planning processes and major business decisions at the executive level
- Program methodology recognized and adopted as organizational best practice or competitive differentiator across multiple business functions
- External industry recognition of program excellence through awards, case studies, speaking opportunities, and thought leadership positioning
- Direct influence on major business outcomes including product strategy, market expansion, partnership decisions, and competitive positioning
- Program model successfully replicated, scaled, or adapted across other organizational functions, markets, or business units
4
Principles
The hard-won lessons that separate high-impact DevRel programs from those that remain on the sidelines
Speak the language of business
Translate developer outcomes into business value and communicate impact in terms that matter to executives.
Build relationships before you need them
Invest in executive relationships early—trust and sponsorship are built over time, not in a crisis.
Proof points beat promises
Share real stories and measurable outcomes to build credibility and secure investment.
Alignment is a continuous process
Keep goals, metrics, and messaging aligned as the business evolves—don’t let DevRel drift from strategic priorities.