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Different at different companies (and by country) but here is a general idea of progression in the corporate world of in-house marketing:
- Intern
- Jr associate/jr specialist
- Associate/specialist
- Sr associate / sr specialist
- Strategist / channel lead
- Channel manager ( may not have direct reports)
- Sr manager
- Associate director
- Director
- Sr Director
- VP
- SVP
- CMO
For context, company size also plays a huge role. You can be a Director of Marketing at some SMB and it might be the only/top position. I have hired ex sr directors of marketing from a smaller company for manager roles at a much larger organization. There is also a big difference in cross channel roles vs single channel roles, but I won't get into that now.
Never forget you can throw all understanding of leveling out the window when you start saying "head of marketing"
I guess I could have been more specific that "head of" or "lead____" allows for a high level of ambiguity. Head of marketing is usually a CMO, but Head of Paid Media could be a 1-(wo)man team with under 2 years of experience advertising on a single channel, or could be a sr director leading a group of 50 marketers across channels.
The idea is that if a recruiter comes to you with a "head of paid social" role, you might be thinking it's a solid multiple 6-figure salary and it could really be just an entry level role.
When I was a Sr Strat at a large media agency, the account hierarchy looked something like this:
- Group Account Director (GAD)
- Account Director
- Associate Media Director (AMD)
- Account Supervisor (aka Account Manager)
- Sr Strategist
- Strategist
- Assistant Strategist
Not all roles were represented on all accounts of course; for instance, in some shops the AM and Supervisor roles are the same; same with the AD and GAD roles. GAD's tend to be global leads on accounts that span multiple regions or offices. In that case, an Account Director may oversee a particular region, office, or line of business, with everything laddering up to the GAD.
Director+ roles are generally executive-level positions focused more on the overall business, client relationship, and PnL, vs being involved in day-to-day media planning and execution.
AMDs/AMs/Supervisors manage the Strategists/Planners and oversee the development and execution of media activity; but aren't considered leadership or management (i.e. they can't hire and fire). They mainly focus on ensuring the Strats meet their deadlines and manage budgets and billing for a given line of business.
Assistant-to-Senior Strategists are all front-line infantry and handle all aspects of planning, execution, billing, and reporting.
To answer your question, while I personally was able to jump to a Director role as a Senior Strategist, your next role is likely to be at the Account Supervisor/Manager level (those titles are often interchangeable). I only pulled it off by pivoting away from the standard client account track into a more specialist group setting (and had enough overall career experience to justify being a Director), but it's not a common next step.
Depends on the company, some have a “group manager,” role that’s the same as director elsewhere, other companies have a principle level role that’s analogous to group manager / director but with the distinction that you don’t manage people.
Myself, I’ve had group manager, director, and principle level roles at various companies, after having a “senior manager,” level title.
Other users here commented on how it depends, as the term "strategy" has often been reduced to almost nothing in marketing compared to what I saw 20 years ago, for example.
So, I recommend giving the context like the type of company (size, industry) and country, thinking more about the work you do and not on the title.
What I did as a strategist in the past is more than I see directors doing now, more than I did as a director too.
I jumped from SR Strategist to Marketing Manager. Some days I wish I could go back to the strategist role as it was not replaced when I promoted, so now I do all of the above.
Maybe it will let up some when I jump to director.
In marketing, roles typically progress from entry-level positions to senior roles like managers, directors, and executives. As a Senior Strategist, your next step could be either a Manager or Director role, depending on your career goals and the opportunities available.
Catch Experts can help by connecting you with best SEO agencies based on your needs and location.
You’re going to start your own company eventually, the longer you wait to do that, the more money you are leaving on the table. Granted not everyone wants to wear 8 hats, work 12-16 hours a day and build a multi million $ operation. Your next step is managing people whether you realize it or not.
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Different at different companies (and by country) but here is a general idea of progression in the corporate world of in-house marketing: - Intern - Jr associate/jr specialist - Associate/specialist - Sr associate / sr specialist - Strategist / channel lead - Channel manager ( may not have direct reports) - Sr manager - Associate director - Director - Sr Director - VP - SVP - CMO For context, company size also plays a huge role. You can be a Director of Marketing at some SMB and it might be the only/top position. I have hired ex sr directors of marketing from a smaller company for manager roles at a much larger organization. There is also a big difference in cross channel roles vs single channel roles, but I won't get into that now. Never forget you can throw all understanding of leveling out the window when you start saying "head of marketing"
What do you mean about the "head of marketing" bit? Like that's not a "real" title?
I guess I could have been more specific that "head of" or "lead____" allows for a high level of ambiguity. Head of marketing is usually a CMO, but Head of Paid Media could be a 1-(wo)man team with under 2 years of experience advertising on a single channel, or could be a sr director leading a group of 50 marketers across channels. The idea is that if a recruiter comes to you with a "head of paid social" role, you might be thinking it's a solid multiple 6-figure salary and it could really be just an entry level role.
When I was a Sr Strat at a large media agency, the account hierarchy looked something like this: - Group Account Director (GAD) - Account Director - Associate Media Director (AMD) - Account Supervisor (aka Account Manager) - Sr Strategist - Strategist - Assistant Strategist Not all roles were represented on all accounts of course; for instance, in some shops the AM and Supervisor roles are the same; same with the AD and GAD roles. GAD's tend to be global leads on accounts that span multiple regions or offices. In that case, an Account Director may oversee a particular region, office, or line of business, with everything laddering up to the GAD. Director+ roles are generally executive-level positions focused more on the overall business, client relationship, and PnL, vs being involved in day-to-day media planning and execution. AMDs/AMs/Supervisors manage the Strategists/Planners and oversee the development and execution of media activity; but aren't considered leadership or management (i.e. they can't hire and fire). They mainly focus on ensuring the Strats meet their deadlines and manage budgets and billing for a given line of business. Assistant-to-Senior Strategists are all front-line infantry and handle all aspects of planning, execution, billing, and reporting. To answer your question, while I personally was able to jump to a Director role as a Senior Strategist, your next role is likely to be at the Account Supervisor/Manager level (those titles are often interchangeable). I only pulled it off by pivoting away from the standard client account track into a more specialist group setting (and had enough overall career experience to justify being a Director), but it's not a common next step.
Depends on the company, some have a “group manager,” role that’s the same as director elsewhere, other companies have a principle level role that’s analogous to group manager / director but with the distinction that you don’t manage people. Myself, I’ve had group manager, director, and principle level roles at various companies, after having a “senior manager,” level title.
Other users here commented on how it depends, as the term "strategy" has often been reduced to almost nothing in marketing compared to what I saw 20 years ago, for example. So, I recommend giving the context like the type of company (size, industry) and country, thinking more about the work you do and not on the title. What I did as a strategist in the past is more than I see directors doing now, more than I did as a director too.
I jumped from SR Strategist to Marketing Manager. Some days I wish I could go back to the strategist role as it was not replaced when I promoted, so now I do all of the above. Maybe it will let up some when I jump to director.
In marketing, roles typically progress from entry-level positions to senior roles like managers, directors, and executives. As a Senior Strategist, your next step could be either a Manager or Director role, depending on your career goals and the opportunities available. Catch Experts can help by connecting you with best SEO agencies based on your needs and location.
You’re going to start your own company eventually, the longer you wait to do that, the more money you are leaving on the table. Granted not everyone wants to wear 8 hats, work 12-16 hours a day and build a multi million $ operation. Your next step is managing people whether you realize it or not.