Marketing Director

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Marketing Director job description

This page details everything you need to know about the Marketing Director job title. From key responsibilities through to salary information.

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What does a Marketing Director do?

The Marketing Director is a senior business leader responsible for developing and implementing a company's marketing plan.

Their main objective is to increase brand awareness and drive sales through the creation of industry leading marketing campaigns.

Key responsibilities

Although the role can look different in each business, the core responsibilities of a Marketing Director are:

  • Develop the marketing strategy: Create a cross-channel strategy that will increase sales of the business' products or services. This can include out-of-home marketing, social media, digital marketing, creative and content.
  • Support marketing activities: Oversee and support with the execution of the marketing strategy.
  • Manage the marketing budget: Ensure the marketing department have the budget required to execute successful campaigns.
  • Project management: Ensure that the marketing team are prioritising campaigns.
  • Report on marketing efforts: Monitor, analyse and communicate the results of campaigns to the leadership team.
  • Build internal and external relationships: Build relationships with departments, such as the finance, tech and sales teams to ensure alignment. Plus, the Director will be responsible for identifying opportunities for external partnerships to build brand awareness.
  • Stay up to date with trends: Always be on the look out for new approaches. The Director should stay up to date with the latest industry and marketing trends and technologies.
  • Create, manage and develop the marketing team: Build the marketing department required to execute marketing campaigns. The Director is also responsible for the upskilling of Marketing Managers.


Skills and requirements

The requirements for the role will vary based on the Marketing Director's responsibilities and the company's industry. Nevertheless, here are the average requirements for being a Director of Marketing:

  • Minimum of 10 years of experience in delivering successful marketing campaigns
  • Demonstratable experience in delivering innovative marketing campaigns that deliver a positive return on investment (ROI)
  • A self-starter with strong organisational skills and an excellent attention to detail
  • A problem solver who knows how to ask the right questions and leverage data to make informed recommendations
  • Strong leader, who can challenge and motivate a team

How much is a Marketing Director paid?

The average compensation for a permanent Marketing Director is £90,000 - £150,000. Meanwhile a contractor can expert a day rate between £500 - £1,000.

It's important to be aware that pay ranges vary depending on the industry, business size and experience needed. For more information on marketing salaries, download our full guide below.

Salary guides
Bar charts comparing salary and day rate for a marketing director, showing a salary up to £150K and a day rate up to £1K.

Career path & progression

The UK Marketing Director route typically takes 10-15 years from entry-level marketing roles. However, some specialists in B2B SaaS or FinTech can reach the title in 8-10 years where revenue accountability accelerates promotions.

The first marketing role is Executive or Coordinator. Here, you are responsible for campaign execution under supervision.

As a Manager, you take ownership of campaigns. This might mean specific ownership of a channel or campaign portfolio. You're also usually first line management for junior employees.

Marketing Manager role

As a Senior Manager, you might be managing Marketing Managers. This is where you'll also gain exposure to a P&L of a function (for example, brand, digital, demand gen).

As a Head of Marketing, you take ownership of cross-functional marketing leadership. Sitting below board level, you're responsible for influencing the marketing strategy.

Head of Marketing role

As a Marketing Director, you take more ownership of reporting, translating marketing activity and successes to the board. With cross-functional commercial accountability, you own the marketing P&L. In some smaller organisations, you might have a board seat.

A Group Marketing Director has multi-business-unit oversight, M&A exposure, and often an international remit.

The next promotion within marketing tends to be the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) role. Part of the C-suite, this role takes on a board-level role, where marketers will represent the marketing voice to senior leaders.

CMO role

Live marketing roles

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Ready to hire a Marketing Director? Get in touch to see how we can help!

Liz Hopkins Senior Director

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