I love helping strong SaaS CMOs recruit their VPs.
How should SaaS CMOs be thinking about assembling their teams in today’s landscape?
Based on my recent conversations with SaaS CMOs, here are key organizational factors to consider in 2025.
General Observations for SaaS CMOs
Newly placed CMOs need to evaluate their teams early, upgrade where necessary, and ensure roles align with business priorities, bearing in mind short-term and long-term marketing impact and the potential of AI.
Many CMOs now have more junior teams—managers instead of directors—forcing them to teach more and delegate carefully.
CMOs with tight budgets need to decide which functions to keep in-house and which to outsource. Many skilled marketing leaders are working fractionally, and CMOs who can quickly tap into contractor networks will have an edge.
Instead of hiring reactively, CMOs are testing and learning before investing in headcount. They think of talent like a portfolio—and making the right hires at the right time.
Key Focus Areas for CMOs Building Their Teams
1. Ecosystem-Led Growth
Partnerships, communities, and channel relationships have always been important, but they’re now becoming formalized growth levers—with dedicated headcount behind them.
2. Customer & Community-Led Marketing
The pressure on new customer acquisition and the shift toward community-driven models are making this a priority. CMOs are hiring leaders who can activate customer advocacy, organic demand, and referral networks.
3. Hyper-Targeted Experimentation
With more defined ICPs, limited budgets, and the ability to personalize and test with AI, marketing teams are laser-focusing on exploiting ‘pockets of demand’ and engaging micro-influencers to help. Precision marketing is at the forefront.
4. The Rise of the Chief of Staff Function in Marketing
More CMOs, especially in larger companies, now have a “COO of Marketing”—someone in a Chief of Staff function that ensures operational efficiency and provides much-needed ‘glue’ within and beyond marketing. Depending on the company size, this can be a full-time role, or the responsibility of one of the key CMO lieutenants, such the head of revenue marketing or head of marketing operations.
5. The Rise of “Slash Roles”
CMOs are getting creative with hiring—seeking candidates who can cover two roles in one.
Examples:
– A Product Marketing / Content Marketing hybrid
– A Demand Gen / Marketing Ops leader
Cross-training marketers helps lean teams to scale efficiently, and benefits both the business and the career paths of marketing team members.
Emerging Organizational Trends & ‘Wish List’ Items
1. GTM Efficiency Over Vanity Metrics
CMOs are prioritizing hires who can prove they’ve accelerated sales cycles, improved retention, and optimized sales productivity—not just run campaigns.
2. Strategic Budget Allocation Beyond Marketing
In some cases, marketing leaders are shifting budget to other departments (like Sales, Customer Success, or Product) to maximize GTM efficiency. This is an example of what I call “business-first, marketing-second” thinking.
3. Agility Amidst M&A Activity
With more PE-backed companies engaging in M&A and roll-ups, adaptability is becoming a critical skill for marketers integrating teams and marketing initiatives post-acquisition.
4. Turning up the Volume on Competitive Intelligence
So many companies are in a knife fight for market share, battling direct competitors, AI-native disruptors, and other substitutes for dollars in a buyer’s budget.
And with many companies having starved their brand budgets in recent months, they don’t have the brand recognition they may once have had. So smart competitive intelligence becomes their alternative route to differentiation.
5. The “CMOs Hiring CMOs” Trend
Many CMOs are hiring former CMOs from smaller companies into VP-level roles. These new hires often really stand out as VPs, since they know how to ‘cross the aisle’ and ensure that their work has an impact on other areas of marketing. These people understand the pressure of a CMO seat but can thrive with a narrower VP focus. They often appreciate what they perceive as the relative stability of those roles.
6. The Near-Transactional Nature of Marketing Careers
As a CMO pal said to me recently, “Aren’t all marketing leaders fractional?!” With marketing tenures averaging two years or less, CMOs recognize that every hire has a limited window of impact. Smart CMOs help team members land in their highest-value roles quickly. They aim to create the conditions for a mutually-impactful ‘tour of duty.’
7. The Shift Toward Industry-Specific Hires
I always say that executive search is about finding people with 11 out of 10 requirements. These days, most clients are favoring candidates that tick ‘all the boxes’ and have direct or very-related industry experience. Their industry knowledge can boost their ability to bring not just marketing value but market value.
8. AI Experimentation with Measurable Outcomes
Finding people who are enthusiastic experimenters and adopters of AI is a big plus — particularly when they can demonstrate specific leaps in efficiency, innovation, and growth.
9. Prioritizing Positive Culture Carriers
There’s a lot of malaise and angst in SaaS marketing these days. With high CMO turnover and challenging growth conditions, marketing teams can be beleaguered. Candidates who bring positivity and resilience — in effect, who can be strong culture carriers — are standing out. Often the strongest people here have unique life experiences within or outside of marketing that bring perspective and maturity to their leadership style.
Final Thoughts
Every company’s hiring needs will vary, depending on factors like GTM motion, stage, and growth goals.
May these thoughts provide you grist for building your team in 2025.