Pastel Creative is hiring : Senior Marketing Manager - Marketing Agency in Phoeni

Overview Pastel Creative is a full-service creative and marketing agency helping founders and organizations grow bigger and operate better. We build complete marketing ecosystems for clients across industriesblending strategy, systems, storytelling, and design into data-driven growth.

The Dual Reality of This Role You'll own marketing for 4-5 client accounts (70% of your time) AND Pastel's own marketing (30% of your time). This dual responsibility is non-negotiableif you can't balance both, this isn't the role for you.

Who You Really Are You're the person who sees something broken and fixes it without being asked. When handed a vague directive, you figure it out. You deliver quality work on time, and you raise the flag early with solutions when needed.

The Actual Job You'll be the right hand to our fractional CMO, managing 4 team members while overseeing multiple client accounts. Youll be in the weeds ensuring excellence while maintaining strategic perspective.

Your weekly reality will include :

Taking strategy documents and turning them into quarterly execution plans with real KPIs

Being the client's main point of contact (70% of your time), translating their anxiety into action items

Reviewing every deliverable before clients see itcatching typos, broken links, and off-brand messages

Stepping in when your copywriter is unavailable, your designer misses the mark, or the client requests changes

Managing multiple client accounts simultaneously without dropping balls or mixing brand voices

Non-Negotiable Requirements Agency experience (REQUIRED) : You've worked in a marketing agency environment for at least 7 years managing multiple clients simultaneously. In-house marketing alone won't suffice.

Technical fluency across :

SEO (technical SEO, site architecture, content strategy)

Paid advertising (Google, Meta, LinkedIn)

Analytics (Google Analytics, social insights, conversion tracking)

Web development basics (read code well enough to evaluate work)

Email marketing platforms and automation

Social media management at scale

Proven management experience : Youve managed at least 3-4 people and know how to get quality work from different personality types.

Executive communication skills : Youve presented to C-suite executives and translate marketing metrics into business impact.

What Success Looks Like Month 1 : Audit current processes, meet all clients, identify fires, and map a plan to address them. The Jedis own marketing calendar is mapped out.

Month 3 : Clients email you directly; your team knows what's expected; quality issues drop; the Jedis lead pipeline grows by 25%.

Month 6 : Propose new service offerings based on patterns; systemize at least three processes; you own client results and growth metrics.

Year 1 : The CMO can take a two-week vacation without checking email. You run client strategy sessions. The team looks to you first.

The Culture Test We value ownership over activity. We dont care how many hours youre onlinewe care that clients are happy, projects ship on time, and quality stays high.

Red Flags Your only agency experience was an internship

Youve never managed people directly

You describe yourself as "more of an ideas person"

You need constant validation or feedback

Youve job-hopped every 12 months

You cant point to campaigns youve owned end-to-end

Why You Might Actually Want This Job Direct mentorship from a fractional CMO and other serial entrepreneurs

Actual ownershipyour wins are visible and your impact undeniable

Exposure to diverse industries and business models

Clear growth path (role could evolve significantly)

Remote-first with a team that respects boundaries but pushes for excellence

To Apply Send your resume and answer these three questions (keep it under 500 words total) :

Describe a time when you inherited a mess at an agency and fixed it while keeping the client happy. What did you do?

Whats the most complex marketing campaign youve managed from strategy through execution? Include actual metrics.

Tell us about your favorite TV show or movie character and why they resonate with you.

Do not apply if :

You dont have agency experience

You cant start within 30 days

You're looking for a 9-to-5 clock-in / clock-out position

Pastel is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team.

Seniority level Mid-Senior level

Employment type Full-time

Job function Marketing and Sales

Industries : Marketing Services

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