Hire Head of Marketing — full ownership of the marketing function
A Head of Marketing is the person who owns the entire marketing function day to day — strategy and execution in one seat. They set priorities across channels, lead a small team or a mix of in-house and agency, manage the budget hands-on, and answer for results. This is usually a company’s first dedicated marketing leader: the moment marketing stops being everyone’s side job.
I'm Omer Muneer Qazi, a Dubai-based Fractional CTO & Solutions Architect with 15+ years of experience and 100+ projects delivered across 6 countries. I place marketing leaders who can both set direction and get their hands dirty, and I make sure the measurement underneath them is honest. If the scope is digital channels specifically, consider a head of digital marketing instead.
One owner for all of marketing
Function-wide strategy
A single coherent plan across brand, content, paid, organic, and lifecycle — so channels stop competing for budget and start compounding. Priorities set quarterly, reviewed weekly.
Hands-on channel leadership
A leader who can still open the ad account, read the analytics, and rewrite the landing page. Player-coach energy: credible with the team because they can do the work.
Small-team management
Day-to-day leadership of your marketers: priorities, 1:1s, hiring, and performance. Plus management of agencies and freelancers where outsourcing still makes sense.
Budget management
Ownership of the marketing budget at the working level: monthly allocation, invoice approvals, and spend pacing against targets. No surprises at quarter end.
Campaign & launch execution
Launches run as programs, not scrambles: timelines, owners, assets, and measurement defined before anything ships. Product launches, seasonal pushes, and always-on campaigns all get the same discipline.
Founder-ready reporting
A simple, regular report that tells you what marketing earned and what it cost. Built for a CEO who wants the truth in ten minutes, not a 40-slide deck.
From first leader to functioning team
A structured engagement with no surprises — you’ll always know what’s happening and what’s next.
Current-state review
We look at what marketing exists today: who does what, what it costs, what it produces. The gaps become the head’s first priorities.
90-day plan
Quick wins in month one — usually fixing measurement and reallocating obvious waste — then the structural work: strategy, roles, and cadence.
Team leadership begins
The head takes over the team and agency relationships, sets the weekly rhythm, and starts hiring against the gaps that matter most.
Steady-state growth
Monthly reporting against targets, quarterly planning, and a team that knows its priorities without being told daily.
Why hire a head of marketing through a Fractional CTO
The classic failure mode of a first marketing leader is hiring a brilliant strategist who cannot execute, or a brilliant executor who cannot prioritize. I screen for both: candidates must show me a plan they wrote and results they personally drove. And because I understand the technical substrate — tracking, CRM, automation — I check that their plans are buildable, not just presentable.
I stay close through the transition so the handoff from founder-led marketing actually sticks. To discuss what your first marketing leader should look like, contact me.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Head of Marketing cost, fractional vs full-time?
Full-time runs roughly $120k–$180k plus equity in most markets. Fractional gives you senior leadership two to three days a week at a fraction of that — often the smarter move until marketing spend justifies a full-time seat.
What team will they manage?
Typically one to five marketers, plus agencies or freelancers. A good head audits the current setup first, then decides what to keep, what to cut, and what to hire.
What should happen in the first 90 days?
Fix measurement, stop obvious waste, set the channel strategy, establish a weekly cadence, and start the most urgent hire. You should feel the difference in how decisions get made within weeks.
How do we know if it is working?
Clearer priorities, faster decisions, and reporting that connects spend to pipeline. Within a quarter, CAC trends and lead quality should both be moving the right way.
Head of Marketing vs Marketing Director: what is the difference?
A head usually owns the whole function and is often the most senior marketer in the building. A director typically runs a specific area or a smaller scope. If marketing has no single owner today, you want the head.
Give marketing one owner
Describe your current marketing setup — team, spend, channels — and I will tell you what kind of head your stage actually needs.