| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Marketing |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Chief Marketing Officer |
| Direct reports | AVP Marketing, Head of Brand, Head of Digital Marketing, Head of Growth |
| Experience | 15 to 20 years of marketing experience, including 5 or more years leading several marketing teams |
Vice President Marketing job description template
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Job title: Vice President Marketing
Department: Marketing
Reports to: Chief Marketing Officer
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Vice President Marketing leads the marketing function for a company or a large business unit and sits in or close to the senior leadership team. The VP decides marketing strategy, the size and split of the marketing budget, brand and portfolio priorities, and the structure of the marketing team, and makes marketing accountable for revenue. AVPs and the heads of brand, digital and growth report to them. The title is common in Indian conglomerates, IT and BFSI companies, and new-age consumer businesses.
Key responsibilities
- Set the marketing strategy for the business, linking target segments, brand priorities and demand goals to the company's revenue plan.
- Decide the total marketing budget request and its split between brand building, demand generation, retention and research.
- Agree revenue contribution targets with sales and business heads, and hold joint reviews of the funnel from lead to revenue.
- Approve the agency roster, large media commitments and multi-year contracts such as sponsorships and celebrity endorsements.
- Shape the marketing organization, deciding which teams are central, which sit in business units and which work goes to agencies.
- Review marketing return on investment by business and channel each quarter, and move money from low-return areas to high-return ones.
- Represent marketing in leadership and board discussions on pricing, new markets, acquisitions and brand architecture.
- Own brand reputation during a crisis together with corporate communications and legal, including any public statements.
- Set goals for the AVPs and function heads, develop them, and plan a successor for each of them.
- Lay down rules for customer data, consent and marketing technology spending across the business.
Requirements
- MBA or PGDM from a leading institute
- Graduate degree in engineering, commerce, economics or humanities
- An executive leadership program is an advantage
- 15 to 20 years of marketing experience, including 5 or more years leading several marketing teams
KRAs and KPIs for a Vice President Marketing
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Revenue contribution | Marketing-influenced revenue at or above the share agreed with the CEO for the year |
| Marketing return | Return on marketing investment for each business line at or above the annual plan |
| Brand strength | Brand consideration in the annual tracker ahead of the two nearest competitors |
| Budget governance | Annual marketing spend within 3 percent of the approved budget, with quarterly reallocation decisions recorded |
| Leadership bench | A ready successor named for every AVP and head reporting to the VP |
| Data governance | No customer data or consent breach traced to marketing systems or agencies during the year |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Marketing mix and ROI models, CRM and revenue dashboards, Brand tracker reports, Power BI or Tableau, MS Excel and PowerPoint.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Chief Marketing Officer, Senior Vice President, Business Head
Interview questions for a Vice President Marketing
- How would you show the board what marketing contributed to revenue last year?
- The CEO asks you to cut the marketing budget by a fifth. What goes first, and why?
- How do you decide which marketing teams sit centrally and which sit inside business units?
- Describe a time you changed the company's positioning. How did you bring sales and product along?
- How would you evaluate a proposal for a multi-year sports sponsorship?
- Tell us about a leader you developed who now runs a marketing function.
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What does a VP Marketing do?
A VP Marketing leads marketing strategy for a company or large business unit. They decide the marketing budget and its split, set brand and portfolio priorities, agree revenue contribution with sales, approve agencies and big media deals, and lead the AVPs and heads of brand, digital and growth.
Who does a VP Marketing report to?
A VP Marketing usually reports to the Chief Marketing Officer in large groups, or directly to the CEO or Managing Director where there is no CMO. In some conglomerates the VP reports to the business head of a division and works alongside a group marketing team.
What is the difference between a VP Marketing and a CMO?
A CMO holds a C-suite role that often covers marketing across all businesses and may include customer experience or product. A VP Marketing usually leads marketing for one company or business unit. In mid-size companies the VP Marketing is often the top marketing role and does the CMO's job.