Marketing Jobs Over $200K

This week, the U.S. marketing job market is holding steady, with 34,518 in-house roles currently open, a slight move northward from 34,079 two weeks ago. Compared to this time last year, it’s more or less flat, up just 0.1%. Not exactly fireworks, but not a downturn either.

Senior roles (Director level and up) are faring better, on the other hand. There are 4,478 of those on offer right now, marking a 6% increase year-over-year.

Just over half of all marketing job listings (53.1%) now include salary info, which is a welcome trend. The median salary across all marketing roles sits at $84,999. Step into a senior position, and that figure jumps to $152,506.

Here’s how the pay stacks up by title:

• Chief Marketing Officer: $202,498

• SVP/Head of Marketing: $195,000

• VP/Director of Marketing: $165,006

• Marketing Manager: $119,174

• Marketing Specialist: $70,366

Geographically, Austin continues to punch above its weight with a median salary of $175,001 for senior roles, though salary transparency there remains patchy. Roles we previously highlighted at Culture Amp, Weedmaps, and Orbis are still up for grabs. Meanwhile, new listings from Gong, Zendesk, Outlast, and Abbott suggest demand is holding strong.

San Francisco continues to lead the pack at $188,999, followed by New York, LA, Atlanta, and Seattle.

Here’s a snapshot of the top cities hiring for senior-level marketing roles:

This week is about earning repeat attention. Five very different seats share the same test:

At Lands’ End, that means giving shoppers clear reasons to come back across the year. At Seattle Symphony and The Brooklyn Academy of Music, it means treating seats like a perishable product and making weeknights feel worth the trip. Navy Pier lives or dies on locals choosing it again next month, not just in July. PopSockets has to grow past a single hero product by building simple rituals around drops and collabs.

The common approach required (and all our hiring mandates this year have featured) is calm, consistent execution. Less campaign noise, more weekly rhythm. The marketing leaders who win here set a short list of programs, measure what moves, and prove it in short order.

Based in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Lands’ End Inc. is a leading digital retailer of solution-based apparel, swimwear, outerwear, accessories, uniforms, footwear, and home products. The company sells products through its e-commerce website and third-party distribution channels, licensing partnerships, and retail stores. They also have an Outfitters distribution channel through which they offer customized products to businesses and schools.

What’s it like working there? Glassdoor sits in the mid-3s with a modest recommend rate, which reads to me like change fatigue rather than chaos. I reckon that’s going to be okay if you’re a planful operator.

It's a tough time for retail but some outlets are still powering forward. As I see it, people who want simple, good-value basics head to Uniqlo. If they want that cozy, outdoorsy vibe, they choose L.L.Bean. Patagonia still feels like the “do the right thing” option. That leaves Lands’ End in the middle, they might not be first pick for price, style, or principle.

Financials look optimistic but a bit wobbly - net revenue down 7.3% to $294.1M, but gross margin up 90 bps. If you get this role, you’ll have to keep margins firm while you fix demand.

The job itself is pretty straightforward. Have one plan that covers email, the website, the stores, and the marketplaces. Swap the old catalog rhythm for a steady flow that feels connected. Get CRM tidy so they can check LTV and CAC in a quick weekly glance. Put most of the effort into a few big programs that actually get people to visit, like outerwear, swim, and uniforms. Then keep a simple loyalty calendar that builds habit and avoids the itch to run constant promos.

If Taligence had this recruiting assignment, we’d target senior marketers from value-led apparel and outdoor brands that defend full price and build habit. A contrary pick would be a revenue leader from a major airline.

Tips from us if you are considering applying – find connection or a referral point with board advisor Alicia Parker, whose time at Ralph Lauren, Peninsula Hotels, and Casper signals a top team that cares about polish and clear story. I’m connected to her via 29 top marketers - how about you?

You want a really detailed brief on Lands End? I found this recent and insanely detailed equity research PDF, fill your cup.

Navy Pier is Chicago’s lakefront nonprofit destination, and it’s super impressive. I recently passed by while stopping off at Ad Age Business of Brands, so I’m very glad to be featuring it here, just a week or two later. It’s a mix of attractions, events, and public space with weather-driven demand. The CEO calls the new Navy Pier Marina “the culmination of 10 years of tireless work and tens of thousands of ‘people power’ hours”. That Chicago grit is certainly evident from the recent pushback against the militarization of the City.

Glassdoor sits near the low-3s with strong notes on benefits and diversity, plus calls for tighter management rhythm. Digital and media leaders are in seat, so the CMXO can focus on calendar, packaging, and repeat local visits.

As I see it, the job is simple. Make sure what you promise in ads matches what guests get on site. Plan for busy weekends and slow Tuesdays. Create a few go-to things locals love. Price and package so you still make money, and families feel it is fair. Listen to feedback fast and fix small stuff in a timely fashion.

If Taligence had this recruiting assignment, we’d favor operators from Chicago’s museums and large venues who have managed seasonality and capacity.

I have a wild idea if you want this job. Run a 72-hour “mystery shopper” sprint. Visit role-playing as a parent at noon Saturday, as a tourist at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and as a date-night local at 7 p.m. Friday. Log what you promised vs what you got, queue times, bathrooms, signage, stroller flow, and food wait. Turn it into a one-page “Promise vs Experience” scorecard with five fixes that cost under $5,000 and can be done next week. Hand it in with your resume.

Seattle Symphony’s leadership has some fun twists right now. The CEO seat is in transition, with longtime president and CEO Krishna Thiagarajan set to step down, and chief fundraiser Maria K. Yang serving as acting CEO while still leading a team that brings in more than $25 million a year.

The orchestra also named Xian Zhang as its next Music Director, a first for the ensemble. The board elected Susan MacGregor Coughlin as chair, a leader with an aviation safety background, not the usual arts-world resume. Perhaps there’s hope for music industry aspirants for this role, too? 

Glassdoor reviews average in the mid-3s, the comments suggesting high creative energy with some operational friction. The marketing team bench has muscle in subscription and community work, so the CMO inherits the capability for habit building rather than a blank slate.

The seat is P&L-adjacent. Own brand, comms, digital, and pricing influence for a large earned-revenue plan. Your job here is to turn big event spikes into steady attendance, then lift yield without burning price. That means zone-level targets, targeted packs, and a membership-type loop that builds frequency.

If Taligence had this recruiting assignment, we’d prioritize marketers from top orchestras and performing arts centers who have grown midweek houses, plus sports ticketing leaders who live dynamic pricing. The outlier is a cruise or airline revenue pro who understands shoulder-period fill and segmentation by seat.

Tips from us if you are in the interview loop, bring a seating-zone thesis, name two segments you will grow without discount drag, and show how payback will be measured by channel. I’m also guessing that working with legacy systems and possibly disconnected data sources, and adapting them, will be helpful here.

PopSockets built an icon and now wants a platform. Glassdoor reads tough, low-2s on recommend and CEO approval, which hints at creative energy with turnover and process churn. There is a VP of Creative in place. If you get this job, you must set simple brand codes, then run a paced engine across collabs, creators, retail, and DTC without getting dragged down and bewildered in execution.

The job as I see it. Own global brand, integrated campaigns, licensing, and creator programs. Link brand work to sell-through and repeat, not just top-line spikes. Keep two or three non-negotiable codes and a 12-week drop cadence that ladders from core grips to new formats.

If Taligence had this recruiting assignment, we’d pull from a short list of collab-savvy footwear and accessories brands like Crocs or HeyDude. The outlier would be a senior from a leading K-pop company’s global business, a place that industrialized drops, fandom ritual, and merch ecosystems at scale.

Want this job? Distinguish yourself as a candidate by scraping public reviews to tag the top 5 returns or complaints. Tie each to a fix, like clearer copy, a short GIF, or a packaging tweak. Send a one-pager to VP, Operations, Chris Poland.

Actions have consequences. For venue leaders like BAM, the big two impacts of the Trump Admin are pretty clear. First, federal arts money is less certain. The White House has again floated cutting the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and some grants have already been pulled. That makes it harder to plan festivals and commissions. Second, bringing in overseas artists now costs more and takes longer. Fees went up and processing slowed for the main artist visas (O and P), so international bookings need more lead time and bigger backup budgets.

BAM is a multi-venue cultural platform with a global reputation and local soul.  It’s the oldest continuously operating performing arts center.

What’s it like to work there? Glassdoor trends around mid-3s with mission pride and some communication gaps, typical of houses where production outruns process. The org includes experienced directors across marketing, creative, ticketing, and comms, which supports a steady operating cadence from day one.

The mandate here involves turning choice into clarity. Build a simple audience architecture by seat band and cadence, then run integrated campaigns that raise the floor on midweek without cheapening the brand. Keep dynamic pricing honest. Connect membership and giving to ticket revenue so they compound rather than compete.

Feels like a great place to be a part of at this moment in time. “At BAM, we believe in the power of the stage to challenge, to provoke, to connect” – a 2025 quote from the Artistic Director, Amy Cassello.

If Taligence had this hiring assignment, we’d look at New York institutions like MOMA that run complex slates and have proven habit programs. The outlier would be a senior from a members-led hospitality brand who has built ritual and yield.

If you end up in an interview sequence for this role at BAM. define three recurring formats, and include a week-six stop rule for weak experiments.

Here are a few standout roles we think are well worth your attention:

THE NAUGHTY STEP

As we dig through listings and prep our Q3 report on in-house marketing roles, there’s one recurring frustration: too many jobs are lingering far too long on the market. It slows the hiring tempo, muddies the data, and makes it harder to get a clean read on what’s actually happening out there.

Are these roles quietly filled but never taken down? Victims of internal miscommunication or plain old recruitment sloppiness? Or are they smoke signals posted for PR optics or to quietly build a talent bench without any real intention to hire?

Whatever the reason, the result is the same: it distorts the market and wastes everyone’s time. And frankly, it’s a habit the industry needs to kick.

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