Chief Marketing Officer
About the role
This is a Direct Hire position, 100% on site in Newport Beach, CA. Base salary is market rate, + annual bonus.
Key Responsibilities
Executive Leadership & Strategic Growth
Develop and execute a comprehensive multi-year marketing strategy aligned with the firm's growth objectives.
Serve as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, contributing to overall business strategy and organizational growth initiatives.
Build a scalable marketing organization capable of supporting revenue growth from $200M+ to $400M+ and beyond.
Partner closely with the CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, and operational leaders to align marketing investments with business objectives.
Establish KPIs and accountability systems to measure marketing effectiveness and ROI.
Brand Leadership
Elevate and protect the firm's national brand positioning and market reputation.
Lead brand architecture, messaging, creative strategy, and customer experience initiatives.
Ensure consistency across all consumer touchpoints, including advertising, digital channels, intake experiences, community engagement, and public relations.
Identify opportunities for market expansion and increased brand awareness in existing and emerging markets.
Customer Acquisition & Performance Marketing
Oversee all paid and organic acquisition channels including: Television, Digital advertising, Search engine marketing (SEM), Search engine optimization (SEO), Social media marketing, Programmatic advertising, Outdoor advertising, Radio, Affiliate marketing, Sponsorships, Emerging media platforms.
Optimize customer acquisition costs (CAC), conversion rates, and marketing-generated revenue.
Develop sophisticated attribution models to evaluate marketing performance across channels.
Drive continuous improvement through testing, analytics, and data-driven decision making.
Digital Transformation & Marketing Technology
Lead marketing technology strategy, including CRM integration, marketing automation, customer data platforms, analytics tools, and AI-enabled marketing initiatives.
Partner with technology teams to enhance lead generation, intake conversion, and customer engagement capabilities.
Utilize advanced analytics to improve forecasting, targeting, segmentation, and campaign performance.
Media Buying & Agency Management
Manage substantial annual advertising and media budgets.
Negotiate and oversee relationships with external agencies, media partners, vendors, and consultants.
Evaluate media investments to maximize efficiency, reach, and return on investment.
Ensure accountability and performance standards across all agency partnerships.
Market Intelligence & Competitive Strategy
Conduct ongoing market analysis, customer research, and competitive intelligence.
Identify emerging consumer trends and opportunities for market differentiation.
Develop strategies to increase market share in highly competitive legal markets.
Team Leadership & Organizational Development
Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing marketing organization.
Lead teams across: Brand Marketing, Digital Marketing, Creative Services, Media Buying, Public Relations, Marketing Analytics, Content Strategy, Customer Experience.
Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Develop succession plans and leadership pipelines within the marketing function.
Qualifications
Required:
Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, or related field.
15+ years of progressive marketing leadership experience.
Minimum 7+ years in executive-level marketing leadership roles (VP Marketing, SVP Marketing, CMO, or equivalent).
Proven success managing marketing budgets exceeding $60 million annually.
Demonstrated experience leading large, multi-disciplinary marketing organizations.
Track record of scaling organizations through periods of rapid growth.
Strong expertise in performance marketing, customer acquisition, brand development, and analytics.
Experience building and managing sophisticated marketing technology ecosystems.
Exceptional executive presence and communication skills.
Strong financial acumen and ability to connect marketing investments to business outcomes.
Preferred:
MBA from a top-tier institution.
Experience with national consumer brands, large service organizations, insurance, financial services, healthcare, legal services, or other highly regulated industries.
Experience leading marketing efforts for organizations with $200M+ in annual revenue.
Familiarity with lead generation and customer acquisition models.
Experience supporting multi-state or national market expansion strategies.
Experience leveraging AI and advanced analytics to drive marketing performance.