From Intern to CMO: What You Actually Do At Every Level of Marketing

A Guide to Marketing Levelling for Startups

Before I worked in marketing, I was a customer success manager at a legal tech startup based in a literal garage in Silicon Valley. It was 2014. ChatGPT was just a twinkle in Sam Altman’s eye and our “AI-powered invoicing technology,” which was actually just me and a spreadsheet on the Caltrain from SF to Mountain View every day.

I loved the team, hated the job. I wanted to work in marketing. Something about it felt so sexy to me as an anxious 24-year-old. But other than wanting a cooler job title, I didn’t really know what marketing actually involved.

After almost ten years in the game, I’ve realised most early-stage marketers (and the founders hiring them) still don’t. This post is for marketers wondering what their job actually means, and for founders wondering what they should expect from the person they’ve hired.

If I’ve learned anything in my time as a marketer, it’s that a misunderstanding of marketing is often the root cause of every marketer’s problems. Founders expect strategy from an associate. Marketers have inflated titles and can’t meet expectations because they’ve barely learned how to run a campaign. Chaos ensues and some poor marketer ends up crying in the corner and some CEO bangs on about how marketing is a myth.

So this post is for:

• Marketers wondering what the hell they’re supposed to be doing (show this to your boss)

• Leaders trying to figure out what to expect from marketers in their team (show this to your marketer)

This framework is partly inspired by Joanna Lord (former CMO at Classpass and all-round marketing legend), whose thinking on marketing development has helped shape mine. She’s smarter than me and has the CV to prove it so do yourself a favour and go read more of her work online.

Why This Stuff Matters

I’ve met plenty of “CMOs” who are really just Senior Marketing Managers. Being the most senior marketer in the business doesn’t automatically mean you’re the CMO. But you shouldn’t be expected to operate like one either. Title inflation can be a career killer.

Even though I’m Yonder’s first and most senior marketer, I’m still just VP of Marketing because the scope of my role doesn’t yet justify a CMO title. I haven’t yet had the chance to do the kind of long-term, market-shaping work a CMO would. Honestly, most startups don’t need a CMO until they’re well past £25M ARR.

Every level in marketing comes with its own responsibilities and expectations. Skip too many steps and you won’t develop the skills you need to lead with clarity and confidence.

So here’s your guide, part rant, part resource, to understanding what different marketing levels actually look like.

What Marketing Looks Like at Every Level

Marketing Associate

aka Marketing Coordinator, Marketing Assistant, Marketing Executive

tl:dr You handle specific tasks within a small area of marketing, with plenty of guidance and a focus on learning fast.

This is the “show me how” phase. You’re executing small, clearly scoped tasks to help the team move quicker. It could be anything. Editing social videos, sourcing swag, scheduling emails. Try do a lot of different things so you can find the one you want to go deep on.

The mindset here is: “Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it well.” You’re not expected to set strategy, think cross-functionally, or drive growth for your business. But you should be raising your hand for opportunities and asking loads of questions.

If you’re managing a Marketing Associate: Don’t expect this person to own outcomes. Expect to spend loads of time coaching and reviewing their work. If you don’t have time to train someone, don’t hire at this level. It’s not their fault if your marketing isn’t working, it’s yours.

Marketing Manager (through to Senior Manager)

aka Campaign Manager, Brand Manager, Channel Lead etc.

tl:dr You’ll own a campaign or channel from start to finish, making day-to-day decisions to drive results with growing autonomy.

You’ve found something you love and you’re getting good at it. Maybe it’s paid social, CRM, content, or product marketing. You’re not just doing tasks anymore, you’re responsible for results (but not accountable for them, that’s still your boss). You’ll run campaigns end-to-end, collaborate with others, and start to think about what’s working and what’s not.

The mindset: “I own this. Give me the goal, and let me run.” You’re still executing, but now you’re accountable for outcomes. You’ll still need a lot of support but you’ll find that over time you’re only involving your manager when you need them most.

Once you become Senior Manager, you should be able to explain not just what you did, but why it worked. At this stage, you’re a go-to person in your team for this part of the marketing strategy.

If you’re managing a Marketing Manager: They’re probably not thinking full-funnel yet, and that’s fine. Let them focus on being excellent at one part of the marketing puzzle. Breadth comes later.

Head of Marketing

aka Head of Growth (though not quite the same), Marketing Director, Marketing Lead (in smaller startups)

tl:dr You own the marketing function, build the strategy, manage the team, and connects marketing to business outcomes.

This is your first taste of full ownership. You’re setting the plan, leading a team (even if it’s small), and reporting on how marketing contributes to growth.

The mindset: “How does all of this fit together?” You’re channel-agnostic now. You need to understand how brand, paid, content, and product marketing interact. You’re expected to think in systems, not silos.

You likely still spike in one area (e.g. brand, growth, product), but you can confidently work across the whole funnel. You’re now starting to take your budget and split it across the areas you think are most impactful.

If you’re managing a Head of Marketing: Your Head of Marketing may not yet be influencing company strategy or product direction. But they should be completely owning your marketing strategy and spiking in one particular discipline. Think “speciality deep, marketing wide”. They’ll still need to be handed a budget and may need help on how to manage it.

VP of Marketing

aka VP of Growth (again, not the same)

tl:dr You connect marketing to company-wide goals, lead strategy across the business, and build the team and structure to scale.

You’re no longer just running marketing. You’re helping lead the business. That means aligning with the CEO, shaping growth strategy, influencing product, and understanding every function in the company.

The mindset: “How does marketing accelerate the company?” You’re working quarters ahead, making resourcing bets, and helping define where the company is going and how marketing will help it get there.

You’re now fluent in finance. You can read a P&L, forecast CAC and payback, and justify investment in people, tools, and campaigns. You know how every aspect of the marketing strategy fits together and you make short and long term bets and can articulate how each of them are important across the business.

If you’re managing a VP of Marketing: This role is wide. The risk is being stretched across team leadership, deep functional input, and company strategy and doing none of it well. They may need help to prioritise and expect something to just not happen at all.

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

aka Chief Brand Officer, Chief Growth Officer, Executive Director of Marketing

tl:dr You shape how the company shows up in the world from brand and narrative to product, category, and long-term growth bets.

This is an executive role, not just a marketing one. You’re the voice of the customer in the boardroom, helping define where the company goes next. You’re responsible for how the market, media, investors, and future hires see your brand.

The mindset: “Where are we going, and how do we win?” You’re thinking years ahead, not just quarters. You’re leading or heavily influencing product direction, market expansion, and even M&A. You’re likely presenting to the board regularly and by now should be leading the marketing brand of your organisation within the industry.

You still need to be a great marketer but now, you also need to inspire, influence, and operate at altitude without losing touch. It’s a really tricky balance.

If you’re managing a CMO: CMOs are the most fired execs for a reason. If they’re too removed from execution or too abstract to deliver value then they’re an expensive liability. Help them feel supported to go deep and broad in equal measure.

Final Thoughts

The title you have, or the ones you’re handing out, matter. If you’re a founder: be honest about what you need. If you’re a marketer: be honest about what you’re ready for. Your development will happen when expectations and responsibilities are aligned.

While I’ve got you…

Do you also think Marketing is Hard!?

I sure do. If you're a senior marketer at a startup, this Substack is for you. I write about what actually works in startup marketing (and when I try it and fail, what definitely doesn't) for marketers on the verge of breakdown.

About me

I’ve launched products at some of the UK’s most loved consumer brands and been the founding marketer and now VP Marketing at Yonder, a modern day rewards card. Since starting Yonder, I’ve written about all my marketing learnings along the way.

Stay in touch

You can also find me on LinkedIn congratulating my mates on their new jobs, trolling Forbes articles about billionaires, and occasionally sharing something useful when absolutely forced to.

Work with me

I do some 1:1 consulting from time to time where my speciality is helping you understand why your brilliant product isn't selling itself. Contact me on LinkedIn if you're into that sort of thing.

Who are you?

I’d love to learn more about who reads this so I can write more useful stuff. I know you ask your customers to take surveys, so one won’t hurt you. Thanks in advance.

Tell your mates

Word of mouth is the best kind of marketing, so send this to your marketer friends who are also pretending they know what they're doing. We’re in it together.