A useful brief when you need someone to own the marketing plan and still deliver work personally. Set out which channels already work, the budget available and whether the hire will inherit a team or build one.
Ask what they delivered with a similar budget. Separate the work they did themselves from results supported by an agency or a much larger team.
Consider a director when the job involves leading several marketing disciplines, allocating budget and agreeing priorities with sales and product. Be explicit about the commercial decisions they can make without returning to the founder.
Look for an example of a budget decision, the evidence behind it and the result. Discuss how they handled disagreement with the sales leader.
A VP of Marketing brief may include several teams, markets or routes to market. The title means different things in different companies, so define the management responsibility and growth problem before starting the search.
Explore how they built the team beneath them, which measures they used and what changed as the company grew. Check how closely that setting resembles yours.
A CMO appointment gives marketing a voice in company direction, alongside responsibility for the function. Clarify the relationship with the CEO, the board and the revenue leader, including who owns pricing, positioning and customer strategy.
Ask for a company decision they influenced beyond marketing. Examine their reasoning and the commercial consequences, as well as campaign performance.
The ability to identify whether the real problem is demand, conversion, positioning, retention or something else.
Evidence that marketing choices were tied to revenue, customer behaviour and the wider company plan.
Enough breadth to lead the function, with honest depth in the disciplines that matter most for this stage.
A record of choosing what to build internally, where to use partners and what the budget can realistically achieve.
When the role is ready
We recruit permanent marketing leadership roles from Head of Marketing through to Chief Marketing Officer for UK startups and scaleups.
Not always. We test which parts of the market context are essential and where evidence from an adjacent sector may be more useful than a familiar logo.
There is no upfront charge. Our 12.5% success fee is based on base salary only and becomes payable when the chosen candidate signs their employment contract.
Yes. We research and approach people against the agreed brief, including those who are not actively applying. An approached profile only counts towards the shortlist after screening, discussion of the opportunity, confirmed interest, practical checks and permission to present their details.
Start with the work and the team. If the hire must run campaigns personally while building the function, a Head of Marketing may fit. If they need to lead managers across several disciplines or markets, a VP remit may be more appropriate. Titles overlap, so agree the budget, decision rights and expected results first.
One accountable senior partner owns your brief, communication and final shortlist, supported by a dedicated delivery team and AI enabled research. We also manage interviews, feedback, references, the offer and candidate close.
Check the salary range before you agree the brief. Then decide how you will assess candidates and what you need to see in the shortlist.