Marketing Leader: Decoded analyzes what companies actually want when they hire Heads of Marketing, Marketing Directors, and VPs.
We analyze real job listings to spot patterns, translate corporate speak, and identify the skills that separate candidates. Each episode breaks down 2-3 job descriptions around a theme — what they say, what they mean, and how to develop the capabilities they're really testing for.
No guru promises. No generic advice. Just grounded insights from someone who's read hundreds of job listings and knows how to spot the signal in the noise.
For marketers who want to lead teams, not just run campaigns.
"Data-driven" appears in almost nine out of ten senior marketing job listings. But ask those same listings which tools the role requires, and the number collapses. Google Analytics shows up in fewer than 10%. A/B testing in 10%. Attribution in 26.7%.
This episode pulls apart what's actually happening when employers write "data-driven" into a job description — and what the gap means for anyone on either side of the hiring table.
12 Mar 2026
The Squeeze
What changes in marketing leadership job listings in just three months? More than you'd think. In this episode, I compare 300 listings from November 2025 with 150 from February 2026. The biggest finding: roles combining "strategic," "hands-on," and "revenue" language grew from roughly one in ten to one in four — in both the US and UK. But the two markets are diverging fast. US listings are accelerating toward AI, pipeline accountability, and growth marketing. UK listings are broadening into sustainability, SEO, and brand stewardship. The squeeze is getting tighter. This episode breaks down what moved, where, and what it means for your next application.
25 Feb 2026
Stakeholder management - the secret skill
You'd expect KPIs and analytics to top the list of skills companies want from marketing leaders. They do. But the #3 skill — ahead of brand strategy, team leadership, and digital marketing — is stakeholder management. Over half of all listings ask for it. In the US, that jumps to 83%.
This episode breaks down what "stakeholder management" actually means in job listings (hint: it's not "good at meetings"), why it trips up otherwise talented marketers making the jump to leadership, and four concrete ways to start building this skill — even if no one's taught you how.
9 Feb 2026
The Atlantic Divide in Marketing Leadership
Same title, different job. I analyzed dozens of Head of Marketing roles across the US and Europe to uncover what companies really want—and the differences are stark. American listings optimize for velocity and individual impact. European listings prioritize structure and stakeholder alignment. Even the office presence expectations tell different stories about trust and leadership. If you're targeting roles internationally, this episode shows you exactly how to adjust your positioning for each market.
21 Jan 2026
When Job Listings Warn You About the Job
Most people skip over the phrases about "managing ambiguity" and "thriving in dynamic environments" in job listings. But these aren't throwaway corporate speak—they're honest warnings about what you're walking into. In this episode, we decode the language of organizational chaos.
You'll learn what "self-starter who can drive focus through ambiguity" really means, why "varying pace" is code for reactive culture, and how to tell the difference between strategic agility and dysfunction in your next interview. Because job listings tell you what companies want. But sometimes—if you read carefully—they also tell you what they are.
26 Dec 2025
Show your work
Every marketing leadership job posting asks for "documented success," but most marketers freeze when asked to prove their impact. After analyzing hundreds of job listings, it's clear companies aren't asking for one type of proof—they want three: revenue metrics for performance roles, campaign portfolios for creative roles, and team evidence for leadership positions. The problem? Most marketers try to reconstruct their success after the fact, when they've already lost access to dashboards and forgotten the details.
This episode breaks down what "documented" actually means, how to build a simple capture system before you need it, and how to present your work when you don't have perfect metrics. Plus, six practical templates to start documenting your wins this week—because the marketers who advance fastest aren't doing better work, they're just better at showing it.
12 Dec 2025
Are you a Strategic Storyteller or a Performance Marketer?
Job listings say they want "creative visionaries who craft compelling narratives AND drive revenue through CAC, ROAS, and conversion optimization." Translation: They want Shakespeare who also runs a spreadsheet empire.
Marketing leadership roles that used to be two separate positions have collapsed into one. Companies now expect you to lead creative reviews and defend campaign ROI in the same day.
24 Nov 2025
The Operating System Matters More Than the Office
Why do two identical marketing leadership roles ask for completely different things? One wants ”strategic planning with tactical execution.” The other wants ”executive presence and stakeholder influence.” Same job, same pay. One difference: hybrid versus onsite. Companies aren’t asking for different skills—they’re asking for different operating styles.
24 Nov 2025
WHY THIS PODCAST EXISTS (AND WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY GET FROM IT)
After seven years as Head of Marketing and a decade in various marketing roles, I thought he knew how to read a job listing. This episode introduces Marketing Leader, Decoded—a podcast that systematically analyzes real marketing leadership job listings to uncover what companies actually want versus what they say. An honest analysis of the patterns, tensions, signals hiding in job descriptions for Head of Marketing and similar
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