What Does a Head of Marketing Do?

A Head of Marketing is responsible for setting and delivering the overall marketing strategy of a business, with a clear focus on driving growth, brand positioning, and revenue. They lead marketing teams, manage budgets, and align marketing activity with wider business goals.

Key takeaways

A Head of Marketing owns both strategy and performance
The role combines leadership, execution, and commercial responsibility
Responsibilities vary depending on company size and growth stage
Strong alignment with sales and leadership teams is critical
The best hires balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery

What is a Head of Marketing responsible for?

A Head of Marketing is responsible for planning, delivering, and improving all marketing activity to support business growth.

Head of Marketing responsibilities

Area	Responsibility
Strategy	Define positioning, messaging, and overall marketing direction
Team	Hire, manage, and develop the marketing team
Performance	Track leads, conversions, ROI, and revenue impact
Budget	Allocate and optimise marketing spend
Leadership	Align marketing with wider business objectives

What does a Head of Marketing do day-to-day?

The role is typically split between strategy, leadership, and performance.

Setting the marketing strategy

A Head of Marketing defines how the business attracts and converts customers. This includes choosing channels, planning campaigns, and shaping messaging. The focus is on driving measurable growth rather than activity for its own sake.

Managing the marketing team

They are responsible for building and leading the team. This includes setting clear objectives, supporting development, and ensuring the team is aligned with business priorities.

Owning marketing performance

A Head of Marketing is accountable for results. This involves tracking performance across campaigns, improving conversion rates, and ensuring marketing contributes to revenue.

Managing budgets

They decide how marketing budget is allocated. This includes prioritising high-performing channels, testing new ideas, and improving return on investment.

Aligning with leadership

They work closely with senior stakeholders such as the CEO or sales leadership to ensure marketing supports overall business goals.

A professional seated at a desk studying data visualisations on dual monitors that display charts and performance metrics.

What skills does a Head of Marketing need?

A Head of Marketing needs a mix of strategic thinking, analytical ability, and leadership skills.

Key skills include:

Commercial awareness and understanding of revenue impact
Data analysis and performance tracking
Team leadership and people management
Communication and stakeholder management
Experience across key marketing channels

There is also increasing demand for:

Understanding of AI and automation
Familiarity with marketing technology and CRM systems
Ability to improve the full customer journey

What does a Head of Marketing do in a small company?

In startups or scale-ups, the role is often more hands-on and focused on building the function.

Typical responsibilities include:

Creating the initial marketing strategy
Testing channels and campaigns quickly
Hiring the first marketing team
Delivering campaigns directly

This version of the role is more execution-focused.

What does a Head of Marketing do in a large company?

In larger organisations, the role becomes more focused on leadership and direction.

Responsibilities usually include:

Managing teams or specialist functions
Overseeing larger budgets
Scaling existing marketing activity
Focusing on long-term performance and optimisation

Hands-on work is less common, with more emphasis on oversight and strategy.

Head of Marketing vs Marketing Manager

A Marketing Manager is typically responsible for executing campaigns and delivering activity.

A Head of Marketing is responsible for setting direction, leading the team, and ensuring marketing delivers business results.

In many companies, the Head of Marketing is the step above a Marketing Manager and is responsible for the entire marketing function.

How many years of experience do you need to be a Head of Marketing?

Most roles require around 8 to 12 or more years of marketing experience, often including previous leadership responsibility.

This can vary depending on the company. Startups may hire earlier potential, while larger organisations usually expect more experience.

Does a Head of Marketing need to be technical?

A Head of Marketing does not need to be highly technical, but should understand key areas such as SEO, paid media, analytics, and marketing technology.

This allows them to make informed decisions and manage specialists effectively.

What reports into a Head of Marketing?

This depends on the size of the business, but typically includes:

Smaller teams may report generalists, while larger teams include multiple specialists or team leads.

What we’re seeing in the market

From a recruitment perspective, expectations for Heads of Marketing have shifted.

There is increasing demand for commercially focused leaders rather than purely brand-led marketers. Many businesses are also looking for people who can combine strategic thinking with the ability to execute when needed.

One of the biggest challenges is alignment. Employers often expect immediate impact, while effective marketing leaders need time to build and refine a strategy that delivers results.

Why hiring the right Head of Marketing matters

A strong Head of Marketing can drive consistent growth, improve efficiency, and strengthen brand positioning.

A poor hire can slow progress, create internal misalignment, and lead to wasted budget.

Because of this, hiring at this level requires a clear understanding of what the role involves and what the business actually needs.

Final thoughts

A Head of Marketing plays a central role in how a business grows. The position sits between strategy, leadership, and performance, making it one of the most important hires for any growing company.

Understanding what a Head of Marketing does helps businesses make better hiring decisions and helps candidates understand what is expected as they progress into leadership roles.

FAQs

A Head of Marketing is responsible for setting and delivering a company’s marketing strategy, managing the team, and ensuring marketing drives business growth.

Yes, it is typically a senior leadership position, often reporting to the CEO or Managing Director.

Salaries vary by location and company size, but typically range from mid to senior-level leadership pay bands.

Most roles require around 8 to 12 or more years of experience, often including leadership responsibility.

A Head of Marketing usually focuses on execution and team leadership, while a CMO is more focused on long-term strategy at executive level.