From Role Clarity to Revenue Growth
Clear Role Definition is the Key to Aligning Talent with Your Business Goals
Hiring a new marketing leader can set your company up for long-term success—or leave you frustrated if it goes wrong. Over my career, I’ve helped hire 25+ marketing leaders for software companies of all shapes and sizes. Reflecting on the successes and the missteps, I’ve identified the most important step in ensuring you bring in the right leader: thoroughly defining the role before starting the search.
Why Role Clarity Matters
Role clarity is more than just a box-checking exercise; it’s the foundation for a successful search. When you clearly define the role, you’re not only ensuring you hire someone with the right skills and experience, but you’re also creating a roadmap for their success. This clarity helps you attract candidates who align with your expectations, set realistic goals from day one, and minimize the risk of misalignment between leadership and the new hire. Additionally, investing time upfront to articulate responsibilities, expectations, and success metrics signals to candidates that you’re serious about the role, which is particularly important in a competitive talent market. Ultimately, clear role definition fosters trust, alignment, and accountability—key ingredients for a productive and lasting partnership.
Start with a Blank Sheet of Paper
To move forward effectively—whether this is your first marketing hire or your tenth—you need to start fresh. Resist the urge to grab a job description from LinkedIn or recycle one from a past hire. Instead, I encourage CEOs to spend a few hours with a blank sheet of paper and answer the following key questions:
Responsibilities: What Will They Own?
Begin by outlining what this leader will be responsible for. Will they own the entire go-to-market (GTM) strategy? Will they oversee product marketing, demand generation, brand, or all three? Be specific. As I’ve shared previously, I believe your CMO should own the GTM strategy for the company. Why? Because your GTM strategy addresses the “who,” “what,” “where,” and “how” of market entry. It is the blueprint for how the company is going to market and this is essentially, the marketing remit.
Title: What Will Their Title Be?
Titles matter, both for internal alignment and external recruiting. The title should reflect their scope of responsibility, team size, budget, qualifications, and success metrics. For example, a VP of Marketing will oversee a broader remit than a Director of Demand Generation. Because titles often correlate with compensation, it’s important to balance ambition with realism. That said, if you can afford a Director of Demand Generation and not a VP of Marketing, the responsibilities noted above should map to this.
Team: What Does the Team Look Like Now, and How Might It Evolve?
Consider the current size and structure of your marketing team. Will this leader inherit a team, or will they need to build one from scratch? This context is crucial for setting expectations.
Budget: What Resources Will They Manage?
Every marketing leader needs a budget to execute their vision. Define the level of budget ownership and control they will have. A robust budget might indicate that you’re serious about investing in growth, which is attractive to high-caliber candidates. Your budget will also tie back to responsibilities and titles. A highly compensated CMO with a five-figure budget won’t yield the results you might expect.
Reporting Structure: Who Will They Report To?
This is a key consideration that impacts alignment and influence. I fundamentally believe that your marketing leader should report to the CEO because marketing strategy is a critical component of overall business strategy (marketing owns the GTM). This level of reporting ensures strategic alignment and provides the marketing leader with a seat at the table with their peers, and because marketing is often seen as a key driver of growth, this reporting structure ensures marketing efforts are contributing to achieving growth targets.
Compensation: How Will They Be Incentivized?
Define the compensation structure, including base salary, bonuses, and equity. Consider how you will align their incentives with company objectives. For example, is their bonus tied to a shared bookings target? As a former CMO, I always wanted my comp to be similar in structure to that of the CRO to drive even tighter alignment. If they do well and we both hit our numbers, then I would do well, too.
Qualifications: What Background Is Required?
Think carefully about the qualifications you’re looking for. Focus on finding candidates with experience in the specific segment of marketing that aligns with your company's needs. For example, I believe the most successful marketing leaders come from a demand background as they know how to partner with sales to drive growth. As you think about the background, consider their leadership capabilities, track record of driving results, and familiarity with the strategies and tools that are critical for your business.
Success Metrics: How Will You Measure Their Impact?
This is arguably the most important question. Ambiguous success metrics are a recipe for frustration. Instead, define clear, measurable goals. For example, if you expect your marketing leader to drive $20 million in new bookings in their first year, document that. Be explicit about how you’ll evaluate their performance over time. Examples of success metrics that have worked well in my experience include revenue-driven KPIs, such as achieving a specific increase in closed-won bookings within the first year, improving pipeline by a certain percentage, or reducing customer acquisition costs by leveraging more efficient strategies. Additionally, metrics like the successful launch of a key GTM initiative, improving brand awareness as measured by surveys or market reach, or meeting specific campaign ROI targets have proven effective. These metrics should be tailored to align with your company’s strategic priorities and provide a clear roadmap for the marketing leader’s contributions.
Aligning with Your Leadership Team
Once you’ve documented the role, share it with a trusted peer for feedback. Does this align with your expectations for the position? Are there any blind spots or unrealistic assumptions?
Next, engage your GTM leadership team—including your CFO, CRO, and CCO—to ensure alignment. While you may need to keep compensation details private, it’s important that everyone understands the role’s scope, priorities, and success metrics. An aligned GTM team is critical for your marketing leader’s success.
The Long-Term Impact of Role Clarity
Thoroughly defining the role upfront requires time and effort, but it’s an investment that pays dividends. When you start with a clear understanding of what you need, you’re more likely to:
Attract top-tier candidates who are genuinely excited about the opportunity
Set realistic expectations for performance
Align your leadership team around shared goals
Create a foundation for long-term success
Hiring a new marketing leader is a pivotal moment for your organization. The time you invest in defining the role will pay off not only during the hiring process but throughout your leader’s tenure. Clarity fosters alignment, drives accountability, and sets the stage for a successful partnership—one that can unlock significant growth and propel your business forward.