Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Head of Marketing
💰 $180,000 - $250,000
🎯 Role Definition
We are on the hunt for a dynamic and results-oriented Head of Marketing to join our executive team and architect the future of our brand. In this pivotal role, you will be the strategic mind behind all marketing initiatives, responsible for developing and executing a cohesive plan that elevates our brand presence, drives significant demand generation, and directly contributes to our revenue goals. You will lead a talented team of marketing professionals, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate is a master storyteller, a data-driven strategist, and an inspirational leader who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and is eager to make a tangible impact on our company's trajectory.
📈 Career Progression
Typical Career Path
Entry Point From:
- Director of Marketing
- Senior Marketing Director
- VP of Marketing (at a smaller organization or startup)
- Head of Growth
Advancement To:
- Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
- Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
- Chief Operating Officer (COO)
- General Manager (GM)
Lateral Moves:
- Head of Sales / VP of Sales
- Head of Product / VP of Product
- Chief Strategy Officer
Core Responsibilities
Primary Functions
- Develop, articulate, and execute a comprehensive, multi-channel marketing strategy that aligns directly with the company's business objectives and revenue targets.
- Own the entire marketing budget, including allocation, forecasting, and performance analysis, ensuring maximum ROI across all campaigns and initiatives.
- Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing marketing team across all functions, including demand generation, content, product marketing, brand, and communications.
- Define and meticulously track key performance indicators (KPIs) and marketing metrics, delivering regular, insightful reports to the executive team on performance against goals.
- Oversee the entire demand generation engine, implementing strategies to grow the marketing-sourced pipeline, shorten the sales cycle, and improve conversion rates.
- Spearhead the company's brand strategy, ensuring consistent and compelling messaging, positioning, and visual identity across all customer touchpoints.
- Drive the content marketing strategy from ideation to execution, creating valuable and engaging content that builds brand authority and fuels the inbound funnel.
- Collaborate closely with the Head of Sales to ensure tight alignment on lead lifecycle management, MQL-to-SQL conversion, and go-to-market strategies.
- Lead product marketing efforts, working with the product team to develop powerful go-to-market plans, launch new features, and drive product adoption.
- Direct all digital marketing channels, including SEO, SEM, paid social, email marketing automation, and affiliate programs, to optimize for growth and efficiency.
- Cultivate a deep understanding of our target audience, customer journey, and competitive landscape through market research and data analysis to inform strategy.
- Manage and optimize the marketing technology stack (e.g., CRM, marketing automation, analytics platforms) to improve operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making.
- Act as the primary steward of the company's public voice, overseeing public relations, analyst relations, and corporate communications to enhance our market reputation.
- Champion a data-first culture within the marketing team, utilizing analytics and A/B testing to drive continuous improvement and campaign optimization.
- Develop and manage a robust partner marketing program, building strategic relationships with key players in the ecosystem to expand reach and drive referrals.
- Oversee the strategy and execution of all events, including trade shows, webinars, and field marketing activities, to generate leads and build brand awareness.
- Establish clear goals and career development paths for each member of the marketing team, fostering an environment of professional growth and high morale.
- Serve as a key member of the leadership team, contributing to overall company strategy, planning, and culture.
- Analyze campaign performance and customer data to identify new market opportunities, segments, and growth levers.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with external agencies, vendors, and contractors, ensuring they deliver high-quality work that aligns with our brand and goals.
Secondary Functions
- Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to uncover new marketing insights.
- Represent the company as a thought leader at industry events, conferences, and on podcasts.
- Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements for better marketing attribution.
- Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies where marketing and product/engineering overlap.
- Evaluate and negotiate contracts with marketing technology vendors and creative agencies.
Required Skills & Competencies
Hard Skills (Technical)
- Marketing Automation Platforms: Deep expertise in systems like HubSpot, Marketo, or Pardot for lead nurturing and campaign management.
- CRM Systems: Proficiency with Salesforce or similar CRM to manage and analyze the sales and marketing funnel.
- Data & Analytics Tools: Strong command of Google Analytics, Tableau, Looker, or similar BI tools to measure and report on performance.
- SEO/SEM Strategy & Tools: Proven ability to drive organic growth and manage paid search, using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Ads.
- Budget Management & Financial Forecasting: Experience managing multi-million dollar marketing budgets and reporting on financial impact.
- Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy: Demonstrated success in developing and executing GTM plans for new products or market entries.
- Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Experience designing and running targeted ABM campaigns using platforms like 6sense or Demandbase.
- Content Management Systems (CMS): Familiarity with WordPress or other modern CMS platforms.
- Paid Social Advertising: Expertise in managing and optimizing ad campaigns on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
- B2B SaaS Marketing Metrics: In-depth understanding of key metrics such as LTV, CAC, MQL, SQL, and pipeline velocity.
Soft Skills
- Strategic & Visionary Thinking: Ability to see the big picture, anticipate future market trends, and build a long-term marketing vision.
- Inspirational Leadership & Mentorship: A proven track record of building, leading, and motivating high-performing, collaborative teams.
- Exceptional Communication & Storytelling: The ability to craft and articulate a compelling narrative for the brand, both internally and externally.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: A strong analytical mindset with the ability to translate data into actionable insights and strategy.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: A natural ability to build strong relationships and align with Sales, Product, and Executive teams.
- Executive Presence: Confidence and credibility to present to the C-suite, board members, and external stakeholders.
- Adaptability & Resilience: Thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and can pivot strategy in response to market changes.
- Creativity & Innovation: A passion for testing new ideas, challenging the status quo, and finding creative solutions to problems.
Education & Experience
Educational Background
Minimum Education:
- Bachelor's Degree
Preferred Education:
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Master's degree in a related field.
Relevant Fields of Study:
- Marketing
- Business Administration
- Communications
- Economics
Experience Requirements
Typical Experience Range:
- 12-15+ years of progressive marketing experience, with at least 5-7 years in a leadership role managing a team.
Preferred:
- Proven experience scaling the marketing function from an early stage to a mature, revenue-generating machine in a high-growth SaaS or tech company.
- A demonstrated history of success in both building brand awareness and driving a predictable, scalable demand generation engine.
- Deep experience across a wide range of marketing disciplines, including digital, content, brand, product marketing, and communications.
- Strong P&L and budget management experience, with a track record of delivering measurable ROI.