Marketing Leadership recruitment
Heads of Marketing, VPs and CMOs set the strategy, build the team and own marketing's contribution to revenue. In software, that increasingly means a seat in the forecast call, not just the brand meeting.
What the job really covers
Marketing leadership in a B2B software company means the people accountable for the whole marketing function: heads of marketing who build the first team, VPs of marketing who scale it, and chief marketing officers (CMOs) who own brand, positioning, demand and marketing’s contribution to revenue at executive level.
- Setting marketing strategy and budget against the company's revenue plan
- Building and leading demand, product, brand and operations teams
- Owning pipeline targets alongside the CRO
- Representing the company with analysts, press and the board
Titles we recruit
- Head of Marketing
- Director of Marketing
- VP Marketing
- VP Demand Generation
- CMO
- Chief Growth Officer
What we assess, and how
Every shortlist comes with notes on all four- 01
Revenue accountability
Marketing's sourced and influenced share, and how it changed under their leadership. - 02
Team building
Who they've hired, and who they've developed into leaders. - 03
Board readiness
How they present marketing results to a board or investors. - 04
Stage fit
First marketing hire or scaling an existing team. They're very different jobs.
A question we always ask
“How much pipeline did marketing create last year, and what did it cost?”
Pay benchmarks
Indicative 2026 ranges from the TRG GTM Salary Guide. Varies by company stage and city.| Role | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Head of Marketing | £85–120k base | $160–200k base |
| Marketing Director | £105–140k base | $175–220k base |
| VP Marketing | £130–170k base£155–210k OTE | $200–260k base$240–320k OTE |
| CMO | £140–200k base£170–250k OTE | $250–330k base$300–400k OTE |
Career path
- Head of Marketing
- Director of Marketing
- VP Marketing
- CMO
Tools of the trade
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Marketo
- 6sense
- Looker
- Dreamdata
Market notes
UK marketing leaders at US-headquartered companies usually own EMEA field and regional demand, not global brand. Global CMO roles based in London are rarer and highly competitive.
UK marketing leaders often lead EMEA or international marketing for US companies, or global marketing for UK-headquartered scale-ups. London is the centre of the market, with three-month notice periods standard at senior level. UK leaders need a working knowledge of UK GDPR and PECR, and of marketing across several European languages and markets.
Ashdown Group's 2026 London quartiles: head of marketing £85k–£120k, marketing director £105k–£160k, CMO £115k–£195k. Robert Half's Greater London bands are slightly lower (head of marketing £74k–£100k, marketing director £96k–£123k) because they span all sectors.
Hiring in the UK →Market notes
US CMO searches increasingly want a revenue background. The pipeline-led CMO with demand gen roots is in more demand than the brand-led CMO.
US marketing leadership searches are most active in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Boston and Austin, with growing openness to remote leaders who travel. Equity is a central part of the package at scale-ups, and US CMOs at later-stage companies often lead large teams across brand, demand, product marketing and communications.
Pavilion reports a B2B CMO median base of $275k and OTE of $327.5k. Founderpath's US SaaS medians are lower (VP Marketing $157.5k, CMO $132k) because they include early-stage companies. Robert Half's San Jose marketing director band is $144k–$217k. The BLS median for all marketing managers is $166,790 (May 2025).
Hiring in the US →Marketing leadership recruitment: CMOs, VPs and heads of marketing, UK & US
Skills in demand
- B2B marketing strategy
- Positioning and brand
- Pipeline ownership
- Marketing budget management
- Team building and leadership
- Board reporting
- Demand generation leadership
- Product marketing leadership
- Analyst relations
- Communications and PR
- Marketing operations and attribution
- International marketing
- AI search visibility
What B2B SaaS marketing leaders do
A B2B marketing leader is responsible for making the company known, wanted and chosen by the right buyers. In practice that means owning positioning and brand, building and running the demand engine, leading product marketing, managing budget and agencies, and reporting marketing’s contribution to pipeline and revenue to the CEO and board.
The weight of each part varies by stage. A first head of marketing at an early-stage company usually spends much of their time hands-on: rewriting the website, launching the first campaigns, building the first marketing ops setup. A VP of marketing at a scale-up builds teams and systems that create predictable pipeline. A CMO at a later-stage company sets the strategic narrative, owns the brand and runs a large organisation across several functions and regions.
Modern B2B marketing leaders are judged on revenue as much as on brand. Boards expect them to understand the full funnel, to work closely with the CRO, and to explain clearly where marketing investment goes and what it returns.
- Set positioning, narrative and brand strategy
- Own marketing’s pipeline and revenue targets
- Build and lead demand gen, product marketing, content and ops teams
- Allocate budget across channels, programmes and markets
- Report to the CEO and board, and partner with the CRO
Roles we recruit
We recruit heads of marketing, marketing directors, VPs of marketing, SVPs and CMOs at B2B software and technology companies. We also recruit leaders of specific marketing functions at senior level: VPs of demand generation, VPs of product marketing, heads of brand and communications, and regional marketing leaders such as head of EMEA or North America marketing.
Titles reflect stage as much as scope. A “head of marketing” at a Series A company and a “VP of marketing” at a Series C company may have similar responsibilities with very different team sizes. A CMO title at an early-stage company may be used to attract senior talent. We look at scope, team, budget and reporting line rather than titles alone.
Most marketing leadership searches are retained, with a full market map, structured assessment and involvement from the CEO and board.
- Head of marketing and marketing director
- VP of marketing and SVP marketing
- Chief marketing officer
- VP of demand generation and VP of product marketing
- Regional marketing leaders (EMEA, North America)
What makes a strong B2B marketing leader
We assess four areas. Strategic clarity: can they define a sharp positioning and a focused go-to-market plan, and explain the choices? Revenue ownership: have they owned pipeline targets, and do they understand conversion, CAC and payback? Team building: have they hired and developed strong marketers and built effective teams? Executive partnership: do they work well with the CEO, CRO, product and the board?
We look for balance. Some marketing leaders are excellent brand builders but weak on pipeline; others are strong demand engine builders but struggle with narrative and brand. Your stage and situation decide which balance you need, and we test for it.
We also look at results over time. What happened to pipeline, revenue, brand awareness and win rates during their tenure? How did they respond when targets were missed? What did the team look like when they left?
- Strategic clarity on positioning and go-to-market
- Pipeline and revenue ownership, with efficiency metrics
- Hiring and team development record
- Partnership with CEO, CRO, product and board
- Results across full tenure, including setbacks
Metrics marketing leaders are judged on
The core metrics are marketing-sourced and influenced pipeline, pipeline-to-revenue conversion, cost per opportunity and customer acquisition cost, and marketing’s share of new revenue. Most boards also look at blended CAC payback and at how marketing spend changes as the company grows.
Brand and market measures matter too, especially at later stages: share of voice, branded search growth, analyst recognition, win rates against key competitors and, increasingly, visibility in AI assistants and answer engines as buyers research with them.
We ask candidates which metrics they reported to the board, how they set targets and how they defended investments that take time to pay back, such as brand and content.
- Marketing-sourced and influenced pipeline
- Pipeline-to-revenue conversion and win rates
- CAC, CAC payback and cost per opportunity
- Share of voice, branded search and analyst recognition
- Budget efficiency over time
How we run a marketing leadership search
We start with a detailed brief with the CEO and, where appropriate, the CRO and investors. We agree the problem the new leader must solve, the scope (which teams, which markets), the budget, the reporting line and the success measures at six and twelve months.
We then map leaders at competitors, at adjacent companies with similar buyers and motions, and at companies a stage or two ahead. We approach candidates confidentially, test their interest and give you regular updates on the market’s view of your company and the role.
Assessment includes a structured interview on the four areas above, a case exercise based on your real situation, such as a 90-day plan or a critique of your current positioning, and detailed references from CEOs, peers and team members.
- Brief with CEO, CRO and board
- Full market map and confidential approach
- Weekly progress and market feedback
- Case exercise on your real positioning or plan
- 360° references and offer support through to start
Hiring challenges and how to avoid them
Marketing leaders in SaaS have short average tenures, often because expectations were unclear or unrealistic at the start. The most important thing you can do is agree what success looks like, and how quickly, before you hire. We help you write it down.
Stage mismatch is the second common problem. A CMO from a large public company may not be the right person to build a marketing team from three people. A hands-on head of marketing may not be the right person to lead a 50-person global function. We test for stage fit directly.
The third is unclear relationship with sales. If marketing and sales disagree on what counts as pipeline, how leads are handled or who owns SDRs, the new leader will spend their first months in conflict. We raise these questions at the brief so they can be settled early.
- Agree success measures and timelines up front
- Match the leader to your stage
- Settle pipeline definitions and SDR ownership with sales
- Give the leader a clear budget and authority
- Plan the first 90 days together
Career paths into marketing leadership
B2B marketing leaders typically come up through demand generation, product marketing or, less often, brand and communications. Many have experience in more than one, which helps them lead a broad team.
From VP of marketing, the next step is usually CMO, either at the same company or a larger one. Some CMOs take on wider roles such as chief growth officer, chief customer officer or general manager, or move into CEO roles at earlier-stage companies.
We also see marketing leaders move into advisory and fractional roles, supporting several early-stage companies at once. That is a growing part of the market, and we recruit fractional and interim marketing leaders where it fits.
- Demand gen or product marketing → Head of marketing → VP Marketing
- VP Marketing → CMO
- CMO → Chief growth officer or general manager
- CMO → CEO at an earlier-stage company
- Senior leader → Fractional or interim CMO
Marketing leadership terms explained
Marketing leaders now talk to boards in the language of revenue and efficiency, alongside brand. These are the terms that come up most in our marketing leadership searches.
One newer measure is AI search visibility: how often a company is mentioned or recommended when buyers ask AI assistants about its category. It is not yet standardised, but many marketing leaders now track it alongside share of voice and branded search.
We ask leadership candidates which of these measures they reported, how targets were set and how they balanced short-term pipeline with longer-term brand investment.
- Share of voice: a brand’s share of conversation or visibility in its category compared with competitors
- Blended CAC: total sales and marketing cost divided by new customers acquired
- Marketing’s share of pipeline: the proportion of total pipeline sourced by marketing
- Branded search: searches for the company name, a common proxy for brand awareness
- AI search visibility: how often AI assistants mention or recommend the brand for category questions
Our advice before you hire
Agree how marketing will be measured before you hire. Leaders walk away when the board measures pipeline but the CEO expects brand, or the other way round.
Brief us on a Marketing Leadership role →Marketing Leadership recruitment FAQs
A B2B SaaS CMO owns brand, positioning, demand generation, product marketing and marketing’s contribution to revenue. They sit on the executive team, report to the CEO and board, and work closely with the CRO and product leadership.
Often once there is early product-market fit and a sales team that needs more pipeline than founders can generate. The first head of marketing is usually hands-on, building positioning, the website, early campaigns and marketing operations.
The difference is mainly scope and seniority. A CMO usually sits on the executive team and owns the full marketing function, often across several regions. A VP of marketing may report to a CMO or CEO and often focuses on building and scaling the team and pipeline engine.
A retained CMO or VP of marketing search typically takes 10 to 16 weeks from brief to accepted offer, plus notice. A full market map, structured assessment and references all take time and reduce the risk of a costly mis-hire.
Yes. Fractional and interim CMOs can be a good option for early-stage companies or during transitions. We help you decide whether a fractional, interim or permanent leader best fits your situation.
Usually a base salary, an annual bonus tied to company or marketing targets and, at most scale-ups, equity. See our 2026 salary guide for indicative ranges in the UK and US.