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

Remote (US Time Zones Preferred) | Full-Time | Start Within 30 Days

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.

You'll own marketing for 4-5 client accounts (70% of your time) AND Pastel's own marketing (30% of your time). Most agencies let their own marketing die while serving clients. We refuse to be the cobbler with barefoot children. You'll ensure both thrive. This dual responsibility is non-negotiable—if you can't balance both, this isn't the role for you.

You're the person who sees something broken and fixes it without being asked. When handed a vague directive, you figure it out. You've worked in agencies long enough to know that "making it work" isn't sustainable—you need systems, frameworks, and repeatable processes. You're technically fluent enough to call BS on vendors, catch developer mistakes, and know when design isn't just pretty but actually functional.

Most importantly: you deliver. Not eventually. Not with excuses. You deliver quality work on time, and when you can't, you raise the flag early with solutions already in mind.

You'll be the right hand to our fractional CMO, managing 4 team members while overseeing multiple client accounts. This isn't a "manage up and delegate down" role—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 the typo, the broken link, the off-brand message
• Stepping in when your copywriter calls in sick, your designer misses the mark, or the client adds "just one small request"
• Managing multiple client accounts simultaneously without dropping balls or mixing up brand voices

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

Technical fluency across:

• SEO (beyond just keywords—technical SEO, site architecture, content strategy)
• Paid advertising (Google, Meta, LinkedIn—you can spot when campaigns are bleeding money)
• Analytics (Google Analytics, social insights, conversion tracking—you build dashboards that actually matter)
• Web development basics (you can't code, but you can read it well enough to know when someone's BSing you)
• 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 know how to translate marketing metrics into business impact.

Month 1: You've audited our current processes, met all clients, identified the fires, and have a plan to put them out. The Jedi's own marketing calendar is mapped out.

Month 3: Clients are emailing you directly instead of the CMO. Your team knows what's expected. Quality issues have dropped significantly. The Jedi's lead pipeline has increased by 25%.

Month 6: You're proposing new service offerings based on patterns you've noticed. You've systemized at least three processes that were previously "figure it out as we go." You own both client results AND The Jedi's growth metrics.

Year 1: The CMO can take a two-week vacation without checking email. You're running client strategy sessions. The team looks to you first, not up. The Jedi's marketing is a case study for what we do for clients.

We need someone who gets things done without hand-holding. If you're the type who needs detailed instructions for every task, this won't work. If you see ambiguity as an opportunity to define the solution, we should talk.

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.

• 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 specific campaigns you've owned end-to-end

• Direct mentorship from a fractional CMO and other serial entrepreneurs
• Actual ownership—your wins are visible, your impact undeniable
• Exposure to diverse industries and business models
• Clear growth path (we're scaling—this role could evolve significantly)
• Remote-first with a team that respects boundaries but pushes for excellence
  

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

1. Describe a time when you inherited a mess at an agency and had to fix it while keeping the client happy. What did you do?
2. What's the most complex marketing campaign you've managed from strategy through execution? Include actual metrics.
3. Tell us about your favorite TV show or movie character and why they resonate with you. (Yes, this matters to us.)

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 situation

Applications without answers to all three questions will be automatically rejected.

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