That's partly marketing's own fault. The industry has a habit of wrapping straightforward things in complicated language, and the role itself looks quite different depending on the size and stage of the business. A marketing team at a ten-person startup looks nothing like one at a five-hundred-person scale-up.
But the core levels, the hierarchy of roles and what each one actually involves, are fairly consistent. This piece is an attempt to explain them clearly, for anyone who has ever nodded along in a marketing conversation while quietly wondering what everyone actually does.
Marketing Executive or Coordinator
This is the entry point into a marketing career, and it's the engine room of any marketing function.
A marketing executive or coordinator is primarily an executor. They manage the content calendar, write and send emails, coordinate events logistics, update the website, schedule social media posts, pull reports, and generally make sure the day-to-day work gets done. They work to briefs set by more senior team members and are responsible for accuracy, timeliness, and attention to detail.
What this role isn't: strategic. A marketing executive isn't expected to set direction or make significant decisions about where the business should focus its marketing effort. That's not a criticism. It's simply not what the role is designed for. The value at this level is in reliable, high-quality execution.
What to look for when hiring: organisation, attention to detail, willingness to learn, and the ability to manage multiple tasks without things falling through the cracks.
Marketing Manager
A step up in both ownership and independence. A marketing manager typically owns a specific channel, programme, or workstream (demand generation, content marketing, events, paid media) and is responsible for its performance.
The difference from an executive is that a manager is expected to make decisions within their area, not just execute instructions. They'll develop the plan for their channel, manage any external agencies or freelancers involved, report on performance, and increasingly start to connect their work to commercial outcomes.
Good marketing managers are developing strategic instincts, but they still need direction on the bigger picture: where the business is going, what the overall marketing strategy is, and how their workstream fits into it. Providing that direction is the job of whoever is above them.
What to look for when hiring: channel expertise, the ability to work independently, commercial curiosity, and early signs of strategic thinking.
Head of Marketing
This is where the role changes significantly in nature. A Head of Marketing owns the entire marketing function: the strategy, the team, the budget, and the results.
At this level, the job is less about doing and more about leading. A Head of Marketing sets the overall marketing strategy, translates commercial goals (usually set by the CEO or leadership team) into a marketing plan, manages and develops the team that executes it, and takes responsibility for the function's contribution to pipeline and revenue.
They sit at the leadership table, or should, and are expected to represent marketing's perspective in business decisions, not just report on campaign performance. They manage relationships with agencies and partners, make budget allocation decisions, and are accountable for the metrics that matter to the business: pipeline generated, cost per acquisition, and revenue influenced.
This is a senior operator role. It requires someone who can think strategically and execute operationally. Someone who can write a GTM plan in the morning and review a campaign brief in the afternoon.
What to look for when hiring: commercial acumen, leadership experience, the ability to set strategy and hold a team accountable for delivering it, and a track record of marketing that has generated measurable business outcomes.
CMO: Chief Marketing Officer
The CMO is the most senior marketing leader in the business, and at this level the role shifts again, this time away from running the function and towards shaping the company's commercial and strategic direction.
A CMO operates at board level. They're responsible for the long-term brand position of the business, the overall marketing strategy across all markets and segments, and increasingly the company's relationship with its market: how it's perceived, how it differentiates, and how it grows. In larger businesses, the CMO may have a Head of Marketing (or multiple Heads of Marketing) running the day-to-day function beneath them.
The CMO is less likely to be reviewing campaign briefs and more likely to be in conversations about market expansion, product positioning, pricing strategy, and investor narrative. It's a role that requires deep commercial experience, the ability to operate at the most senior level of the business, and the confidence to represent marketing as a growth driver rather than a support function.
What to look for when hiring: board-level experience, a track record of driving commercial growth, the ability to think across long time horizons, and genuine seniority, not just a senior title.
Why the levels matter
Understanding the difference between these roles isn't just useful for hiring. It's useful for managing, structuring, and getting the most out of a marketing function.
Giving strategic responsibility to someone who is still developing their strategic instincts sets them up to struggle. Hiring a CMO when what you actually need is a strong Head of Marketing is an expensive way to find out the fit isn't right. Expecting an executive to set direction they haven't been given is a reliable way to get frustrated with marketing without understanding why.
The levels exist for a reason. Getting clear on what each one involves, and what you actually need for where your business is right now, is one of the more valuable conversations a leadership team can have before they start a marketing hire.