Job Executor is a key concept in the Jobs to be Done (JTBD) framework that identifies individuals who help job beneficiaries get their jobs done using current solutions in the market. Understanding the role of job executors is essential for portfolio companies to develop effective product strategies and mitigate long-term market risks.
A job executor is an individual who helps the job beneficiary get their job done with existing solutions. They function as part of the current solution ecosystem, performing tasks that the beneficiary cannot currently perform themselves due to skill requirements, time constraints, regulatory requirements, or technological limitations.
In the JTBD framework, job executors are distinguished from job beneficiaries (who directly benefit from getting the job done) and purchase decision makers (who decide which solutions to buy). This distinction is critical for understanding market dynamics and developing effective growth strategies.
A fundamental insight of the JTBD framework is that markets naturally evolve in a direction that reduces or eliminates the need for job executors. Over time, new solutions emerge that enable job beneficiaries to get more of their job done directly, without requiring specialized intermediaries.
This evolution occurs because:
Understanding this evolutionary pattern helps portfolio companies anticipate market changes and position their products accordingly.
The role of job executors varies significantly across different market types:
In consumer markets, the job beneficiary and job executor are often the same person. Consumers both benefit from getting jobs done (like getting to destinations on time, creating moods with music, or preparing meals) and execute these jobs themselves.
However, even in consumer markets, job executors can be distinct from beneficiaries. For example:
In these cases, the job executor performs tasks that the beneficiary could potentially do themselves but chooses to delegate for reasons of convenience, expertise, or necessity.
In business-to-business (B2B) markets, job executors are frequently specialized roles within organizations who help job beneficiaries accomplish their goals:
These job executors possess specialized knowledge, skills, and tools that allow them to perform tasks that job beneficiaries cannot currently do themselves.
Medical markets present perhaps the clearest illustration of the distinction between job beneficiaries and job executors:
In medical markets, job executors are highly trained professionals whose expertise is currently essential for job execution. However, even in these markets, the trend toward enabling beneficiaries to accomplish more on their own is apparent, as seen in the rise of home testing kits, patient-administered treatments, and telehealth services.
Understanding the role of job executors in a market has profound strategic implications for portfolio companies:
Portfolio companies that target job executors rather than job beneficiaries face significant long-term risks. As markets evolve, new solutions typically emerge that allow beneficiaries to accomplish more of their job directly, potentially eliminating the need for executors entirely.
For example:
Portfolio companies must assess this evolution risk when developing their product strategies, especially if their current customers are primarily job executors rather than beneficiaries.
When job executors remain an essential part of the solution ecosystem, portfolio companies must design products that serve both executors and beneficiaries effectively:
This dual focus ensures that products succeed in the current market structure while positioning for future evolution.
Understanding job executors helps portfolio companies identify potential competitive threats that might not be apparent in traditional competitive analyses.
The most significant threats often come not from direct competitors targeting the same job executors, but from companies developing solutions that enable job beneficiaries to bypass executors entirely. By monitoring this boundary between executors and beneficiaries, companies can anticipate disruptive threats before they become existential challenges.
Accurately identifying job executors in a market requires careful research and analysis:
thrv's methodology provides portfolio companies with structured approaches to conduct this analysis and correctly identify job executors in their markets.
Understanding job executors influences how portfolio companies develop their product roadmaps:
In the near term, products often need to work effectively with current job executors, addressing their needs and integrating with their workflows. This might include:
These elements ensure the product can succeed in the current market structure.
Over the longer term, product roadmaps should anticipate the evolution toward greater beneficiary empowerment:
This evolution-focused approach positions products for sustainable growth as markets change.
As markets evolve, job executors don't necessarily disappear entirely. Instead, their roles often transform in several ways:
As basic execution tasks become automated or directly accessible to beneficiaries, job executors often shift to higher-value activities:
Portfolio companies can support this evolution by developing products that automate routine tasks while enhancing executors' ability to perform higher-value functions.
Job executors frequently respond to market evolution by specializing in increasingly complex aspects of job execution that remain difficult for beneficiaries to perform directly:
Products that support this specialization can maintain relevance even as markets evolve toward greater beneficiary empowerment.
Many job executors transition from direct execution to advisory roles, helping beneficiaries make better decisions as they take on more execution themselves:
Portfolio companies can facilitate this transition by developing products that enhance executors' advisory capabilities while empowering beneficiaries.
thrv's proprietary Jobs to be Done methodology includes specific approaches for analyzing job executors and incorporating this understanding into portfolio company strategies:
By incorporating this executor-aware perspective, thrv helps portfolio companies develop more robust growth strategies that account for long-term market evolution.
For portfolio companies, understanding the role of job executors in their markets delivers several strategic benefits:
By deeply understanding job executors—their current role, their relationship to beneficiaries, and how this relationship is likely to evolve—portfolio companies can develop more effective growth strategies and create greater equity value with reduced risk.