The Head of Marketing and Partnerships will build and lead the company's entire marketing function from the ground up - SEO, paid media, content, creative, email/CRM, and audience development.

This is a build role, not a maintenance role. The HMPO will hire and develop the marketing team, own the strategy, business development and execution behind the company's core revenue engine (qualified lead generation), and establish the systems, brand, and content foundation for a company still in its first year. This search is being conducted on a confidential basis.

Key Responsibilities

This job description does not limit management's ability to assign or adjust duties and responsibilities at any time.

Marketing Strategy & Growth
• Own the company's overall marketing strategy - SEO, SEM/paid media, content, creative, email/CRM, and audience development - with direct accountability for qualified lead volume and cost per lead.
• Build and scale the company's flagship digital platform from a content site into a destination with recurring engagement, informed by a broader consumer financial-wellness journey (financial stress 12 stabilization 12 savings 12 planning 12 wealth building).
• Set and manage the paid media budget (a significant, revenue-critical line item) with rigorous attention to acquisition cost, conversion, and ROI.
• Lead the technical/content investment needed to build organic search visibility and AI-driven search presence.

Team & Organization Building
• Hire, structure, and lead the company's marketing organization - SEO, paid media, content, creative, analytics, and marketing technology roles - as the company scales.
• Establish marketing operating rhythms, reporting, and KPIs from scratch, appropriate to an early-stage company, not inherited from a larger existing structure.
• Lead, guide and direct the Business Development function, since lead quality and volume directly drive company revenue.

Brand, Content & Partnerships
• Own the company's brand identity and voice across its digital platform.
• Build a content and publishing strategy spanning articles, video, and other formats, aimed at both search visibility and audience trust.
• Evaluate and manage third-party technology and platform partnerships (e.g., personalization/financial-wellness tools) that extend the consumer experience.

Requirements
• 15+ years of progressive marketing leadership experience, including direct ownership of paid media budgets and performance/lead-generation marketing.
• Proven experience building or scaling a marketing function, ideally in an early-stage or high-growth environment - this is a build role, and prior "maintain an existing team" experience alone is not a fit.
• Deep hands-on fluency in SEO, SEM/paid search, and conversion optimization - this role sets strategy but is expected to be technically credible, not purely delegative.
• Experience managing marketing budgets with clear ROI/CAC accountability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting to executive leadership and/or a board.

Preferred
• Experience in consumer finance, fintech, or a regulated consumer-facing industry.
• Familiarity with content publishing/media businesses in addition to pure performance marketing.
• Experience evaluating and integrating third-party marketing technology or personalization platforms.

Compensation & Structure

Competitive base salary plus bonus commensurate with experience appropriate to the leadership role. Full details to be discussed with qualified candidates.

What Success Looks Like - First 12 Months
• A fully staffed, functioning marketing team with clear roles, reporting lines, and KPIs.
• Measurable improvement in cost per qualified lead and organic search visibility relative to baseline.
• A recognizable brand identity for the company's digital platform.
• A content and engagement strategy showing early signs of repeat visitation, not just one-time traffic.

Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Nothing in this job description is intended to create a contractual obligation or to modify an employee's employment at will status.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health insurance including medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Medical and dependent Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability; Life Insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company matching
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Remote work flexibility
• Professional development and training opportunities
• Supportive team environment and mission-driven culture