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.

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.

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