Senior Marketing Manager - Marketing Agency Job at Pastel Creative in Phoenix

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 industries—blending 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-negotiable—if 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. You’ll 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 it—catching 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: You’ve managed at least 3-4 people and know how to get quality work from different personality types.

Executive communication skills: You’ve 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 Jedi’s own marketing calendar is mapped out.

Month 3: Clients email you directly; your team knows what's expected; quality issues drop; the Jedi’s 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 don’t care how many hours you’re online—we care that clients are happy, projects ship on time, and quality stays high.

Red Flags

• Your only agency experience was an internship
• You’ve never managed people directly
• You describe yourself as "more of an ideas person"
• You need constant validation or feedback
• You’ve job-hopped every 12 months
• You can’t point to campaigns you’ve owned end-to-end

Why You Might Actually Want This Job

• Direct mentorship from a fractional CMO and other serial entrepreneurs
• Actual ownership—your 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?
• What’s the most complex marketing campaign you’ve 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 don’t have agency experience
• You can’t 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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