Chief Marketing OfficerJob Description, Salary, Career Path, and Trends

Sample job description #1

We invite you to review our current Executive Team before applying to the position. As ABC Company’s Chief Marketing Officer, you will play a key role in shaping the brand of ABC Company for years to come and ensure that our vision of being the greatest talent company in the world is visible in everything we do. Reporting to our CEO and serving on the company’s Executive Team, you will have the opportunity to unify the brand vision and creative elements across all levels of the organization. As a dynamic leader who sets elevated quality standards, you will ensure that the principles ABC Company stands for are effectively communicated to all relevant audiences by planning and directing synchronized communications, public relations, and marketing strategies. You will be the authority, curator, and decision-maker when it comes to all aspects of the brand at ABC Company. This role is ideal for proven executives who are ambitious, creative, and strategic people leaders who are skilled at driving growing teams in a rapidly-scaling environment.

The level of attention to detail required for this position is possibly the most important part of this role. We’re looking for someone who will debate whether or not to use an Oxford comma, debate the shade of green within an ad campaign, and has the ability to create ideas that can translate into excellent brand initiatives and marketing campaigns. You will be expected to be the gatekeeper of quality as it pertains to brand at ABC Company, and should be looked up to as the person with the absolute highest level of attention to detail within the marketing function.

This is a remote position that can be done from anywhere. Due to the remote nature of this role, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship. Resumes and communication must be submitted in English.

Responsibilities

• Develop, refine, and ensure frameworks, processes, and policies related to brand are adhered to and hold members of the organization strictly accountable
• Partner with other ABC Company functions including Public Relations, Events, Design, Content, Enterprise, and Growth to fill their needs for content, images, and video
• Establish clear guidelines for brand identity and ensure brand consistency across all outlets
• Ensure the quality and effectiveness of brand content
• Build and effectively manage the senior leadership team for the Marketing function
• Ensure consistent strategic and tactical alignment throughout your team by establishing ambitious Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
• Establish required levels of competency and governance processes to ensure others can operate independently while adhering to your strict standards for quality
• Drive and push the limits of creativity with everyone in the organization, ensuring that we’re always challenging the upper limits of what we can do to amplify our brand and embark on forward-thinking marketing campaigns

In the first week, expect to

• Onboard and integrate into ABC Company
• Rapidly begin learning about ABC Company’s history, culture, and vision
• Meet with leadership from all Marketing teams
• Meet with key executives to understand their perceptions of ABC Company Brand and its importance to their success
• Understand the fundamentals of ABC Company’s Marketing operations and what sets us apart
• Learn about the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and goals that have been set forth for your function

In the first month, expect to

• Meet with other Executive Leadership Team members to obtain an overview of our business, team structures, and needs
• Refine the OKRs, and associated roadmaps for the Marketing function, with your senior leadership team
• Work with ABC Company’s CEO to understand the initiatives and relationships that are key to your success

In the first three months, expect to

• Build and begin executing upon frameworks, policies, and processes to meet strategic objectives and ensure quality
• Perform a comprehensive quality audit to reveal gaps in brand adherence
• Work with analytics to define/solidify performance success metrics and related targets for all functions
• Create solid training, containing clear guidelines for consistency with brand identity, for your functional employees and others across ABC Company that leverage our brand

In the first six months, expect to

• Deliver training and execute upon processes to ensure adherence to brand standards
• Close major gaps revealed through the quality audit
• Execute upon functional and team Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and initiatives outlined in your roadmaps

In the first year, expect to

• Achieve recognition as an expert at the company for your areas of responsibility
• Meet/exceed stakeholder expectations for the delivery of content that meets world-class standards
• Have a strong infrastructure in place to ensure quality and consistency across all activities and deliverables within the Marketing function

Requirements

• You must have an extremely high attention to detail when judging copy, creative, design, and all forms of brand-related work products
• Proven leadership skills with an ability to motivate, coach, and hold teams accountable to produce high-quality results
• You must be driven by the prospect of building a high-performing Marketing function that scales with ABC Company over time
• Strong professional background leading successful teams, including direct experience developing and executing marketing strategies, content development, communications plans, and overseeing 360 campaign creation (including video, OOH/print, email, events, websites, digital, social, etc.)
• Experience developing strategy for a multi-faceted Marketing function and the establishment of team objectives and key results
• Experience with the nuances of different forms of marketing tactics and how to adapt messaging and design to each form
• Experience delivering marketing content (case studies, white papers, etc.) for B2B professional services is preferred
• Ability to establish processes in a fast-growing company with a focus on execution, quality, and extreme attention to detail
• You must be a self-starter with initiative and drive, capable of executing rapidly with limited strategic direction
• You must have an exceptional eye for quality and an unwillingness to compromise on high standards for both messaging and design
• You must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to collaborate with individuals across a variety of functions
• You must be a world-class individual contributor first and foremost to thrive at ABC Company. You will not be here just to tell other people what to do

Sample job description #2

This position is a critical member of the leadership team and works closely with product, operations and finance leadership to drive the overall success of the brand. The CMO will be a brilliant thought partner to the Chief Product Officer and CEO and will be the “wonderer” of the ABC Company brand. The ideal candidate comes with a deep understanding in digital, eCommerce, and product marketing, and is someone who thrives in fast-paced start-up environments.

Key objectives

• Modernize the marketing function: focusing on data, retention and personalization
• Develop and deploy a long term marketing strategy shifting away from discounts to lead with benefits/differentiation (desktop & mobile)
• Build out the product marketing function to better define their go-to-market strategy, feature and benefit language, and the design content selection strategy
• Drive the development of the site merchandising strategy for mobile app/web and desktop that connects with a marketing plan across all channels, to drive improved conversion rate and ultimately ROAS

Responsibilities

• Serve on the executive leadership team to own the entire marketing, creative, sales and business development functions, and direct the conceptualization, development, execution and evaluation of marketing plans and programs in support of growing the ABC Company brand
• Manage and define the messaging around new product/feature launches and product expansion to new customer segments
• The clear differentiation of AMC Company across all channels to drive competitive positioning
• Collaborate with Human Resources and Talent Acquisition to build a strong employer brand to attract and retain top tier talent
• Partner with the analytics team to ensure all marketing tactics are measurable and own the reporting and analysis of marketing initiatives
• Build, inspire, and lead a high performing marketing organization that delivers against marketing goals: clearly defined KPIs and performance measurement, roles, career paths, and employee success strategies
• Oversee a team of 19 across acquisition, retention, product marketing, social media marketing, brand & content marketing, partnerships, sales, creative, PR and communications
• Create and maintain a work culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability, always driven by customer-centricity

Qualifications

• 12+ years of B2C and/or B2B marketing experience, with a minimum of 5 years of experience leading high-performing marketing teams and at least 3 years of consumer ecommerce experience
• Prior success in high-growth, technology driven companies with a deep understanding of eCommerce and the digital ecosystem
• Strong brand building experience that is tied back to overall revenue growth and company performance
• Expert-level command of product marketing (messaging, product launches, strategy, etc.)
• Strong knowledge of all metrics that measure marketing effectiveness (LTV, CAC, Churn, CPA, attribution models, average customer spend, ROAS, other customer-focused metrics, etc.) Leverages metrics and data to drive decision making
• Experience building strategies across multiple marketing channels including product marketing and eCommerce
• Holistic full funnel marketer with experience scaling digital and non-digital channels that drive growth of mobile and desktop
• Has experience taking a brand from a niche customer set to a broader customer set

Personality traits and characteristics

The ideal candidate is entrepreneurial and enjoys leading and building teams, implementing processes, and growing and scaling businesses

• Entrepreneurial, roll-up your sleeves, get in the trenches
• Humble, hungry for growth and smart in how one treats others
• Embraces team based cross functional execution
• Direct in offering feedback, because they know the most caring thing they can do is help their teammates improve
• Captivating, visionary storyteller, and leader
• Structured and analytical thinker along with being a force for creative ideas and innovation
• Nimble, flexible, responsive to changes in the market
• Prioritizes clarity over certainty, values accountability
• Results oriented, driven, and strong work ethic

Sample job description #3

We’re looking for a proven industry marketing leader who will be responsible for strategy and execution of corporate brand, digital, demand generation and product marketing efforts. This person will bring a unique combination of strategic and tactical depth, business acumen, vision and passion to lead our marketing teams worldwide including North America, EMEA and APAC. The Chief Marketing Officer will be an integral part of the company’s executive team, reporting to and working closely with the CEO and will play a critical role in the development of a long term strategic vision for ABC Company.

Strategy and execution of ABC Company’s marketing vision

• Manage all Marketing functions globally including the vision, strategy and execution
• Design, refine and execute messaging to create excitement, “Wow”, brand awareness and demand to achieve worldwide revenue growth to meet the quarterly and annual company revenue goals
• Work with the executive team and board of directors to continually develop innovative marketing strategies
• Oversee all activities in Product Marketing including positioning, pricing packaging and competitive analysis
• Collaborate with leaders cross-functionally and build alignment around marketing goals and objectives
• Create, drive and track innovative strategies in demand and lead generation
• Utilize critical market and competitive research to segment and define target markets
• Oversee selection and execution for all company attended and sponsored marketing events
• Refine the product value proposition and implement the best in class market penetration strategies
• Create targeted campaigns for unique vertical and strategic accounts to achieve revenue goals and deliver on-going revenue forecasts
• Create and oversee marketing strategies and metrics to add new revenue opportunities that will align with the overall business objectives
• Oversee the creation of new and leverage existing marketing programs including demand generation and customer research to provide strategic vision for brand and positioning
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams internally to ensure successful metrics for our marketing programs
• Develop strong partnerships with executive team members to ensure revenue goals align with our ability to deliver world class products and services
• Capitalize the latest technologies in digital marketing to enhance brand awareness
• Collaborate with Sales and Product Management to design a comprehensive go-to-market plan across all global regions, channels and market segments
• Engage and oversee analyst relationships and messaging
• Oversee development of engaging content, presentations and video to highlight product value proposition and industry insights
• Work closely with Sales leadership to drive growth in target markets
• Create accountability within Marketing department by developing appropriate metrics for lead generation, targeted campaigns and marketing operations
• Set individual and department-wide goals and objectives to support ABC Company’s revenue goals and long-range strategic objectives
• Know when, where and how to “double down”
• Hire, train, and manage a top performing marketing team worldwide
• Keep employees, teams and management engaged and focused on quality and metrics while preparing for long term growth
• Mentor and coach marketing individuals and managers
• Demonstrate leadership by bringing new ideas and solutions to the company
• Represent ABC Company with the highest level of integrity

Skills and experience requirements

• Advanced degree/MBA and 10+ years of Marketing leadership experience, preferably in a SaaS software or related company
• Strong track record of leadership including the ability to hire and mentor a top performing global marketing team to achieve company revenue objectives
• Previous experience overseeing innovative, cutting edge corporate and product marketing metrics-driven programs
• Entrepreneurial mindset, highly respected team player with a roll-up-your-sleeves work ethic, who is committed, results-driven, action-oriented, and used to a fast-paced, demanding start-up culture
• Previous accountability leading and managing a high growth, metrics driven marketing organization
• Ability to play a key role on the Executive Management team, significantly contributing to the overall corporate strategy and to the long-term direction of ABC Company
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, ever-changing, high growth environment, in which cross-functional teamwork and initiative is paramount to achieving success
• Diligent work ethic and the highest level of integrity and discipline, with a strong drive to exceed goals and achieve at the highest standard of excellence
• Superb written and verbal communication skills and a demonstrated ability to deliver high-impact results
• Strong presentation skills with previous experience in speaking engagements
• Highly inspirational leader; creative, results-driven, self-motivated, positive attitude, strong attention to detail, organized, great follow-through, effective time management skills with the ability to prioritize, respond to pressure, and meet deadlines

Sample interview questions

• What does your marketing dashboard entail?
• Which KPIs do you track?
• What steps do you take to determine how to brand a company’s products and services?
• In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge you face as a chief marketing officer? How do you overcome this challenge?
• What steps do you take to ensure the highest level of productivity from your marketing department staff members?
• What is your preferred pricing framework?
• What are some tools and techniques you have accrued throughout your career in marketing?
• What steps do you take to balance inbound and outbound marketing?
• What would you do differently at your last job, if you could go back and change it?
• What are your marketing strengths? What would you say are your weaknesses?
• What do you know about our company? If given complete creative freedom, what changes would you make and why?
• What marketing strategies do you have previous experience with?
• Tell me about your best scaling strategies. 
• Have you ever had to overhaul your marketing strategy in light of new circumstances? How did it turn out?
• Have you ever had to manage a difficult situation regarding someone on your team? Tell me about it. 
• Have you ever had to bring team members together to collaborate? How did you do it?
• What words would your previous coworkers use to describe you when asked?
• What qualities do you look for in new hires?
• What would you do if you were faced with a situation where you had an excellent employee but they did not work well with others?
• Have you ever made a decision that went against your gut instinct? What was the result? Would you do anything differently if faced with that situation again?
• Have you ever faced a conflict where you had to choose between an analytical resolve and an intuition based choice? What was the outcome? What would you change next time?