Digital Marketing Manager

Ryan Mahoney

Ryan Mahoney

Director of Product, FirstWho

“This level is tough because you're hiring someone who has to translate between two worlds that don't naturally talk to each other. They need to explain to a CMO why a 12 percent bump in email open rates actually matters for revenue, and they need to tell a creative team why their gorgeous campaign will flop without proper segmentation. The best candidates can show you they've done this translation under real pressure, not just that they get the theory. Look for someone who can walk you through a specific time they killed a campaign because the data was clear but the politics were messy. That's the real job.”

Skip the setup

Use as-is, or remix to fit your team.

Start hiring now

Competency Questions

1 of 22

Data, Technology & Optimization Infrastructure

Marketing technology administration, CRM and audience data management, conversion rate optimization programs, and analytics infrastructure supporting data-driven decision making across the campaign lifecycle.

Content Management & Governance

Manages content workflows and publishing calendars across channels; enforces governance standards and brand consistency; optimizes content architecture for user experience and findability.

Interview round: Channel Execution & Collaboration

Describe a time when you had to establish or overhaul how content was created, approved, and published across your organization.

Positive indicators

  • Mentions specific pain points (approval delays, brand inconsistency, duplication)
  • Describes clear roles and accountability
  • Acknowledges tension between speed and quality control

Negative indicators

  • Process designed in isolation without stakeholder input
  • No metrics or feedback loops for process improvement
  • Overly rigid process that stifled necessary flexibility

Attitude Questions

1 of 15

Active Listening

The disciplined cognitive and behavioral practice of fully concentrating on, comprehending, and accurately interpreting verbal and non-verbal communication from others, followed by purposeful response that validates understanding and surfaces latent meaning. In digital marketing management, this involves suspending solution-generation, managing cognitive load from multiple information streams, detecting emotional undercurrents and unstated constraints, and synthesizing fragmented inputs into actionable intelligence without imposing premature interpretive frameworks.

Interview round: Recruiter Screen

Describe a situation where you needed to understand requirements from a team with very different priorities, like legal or finance.

Positive indicators

  • Names specific requirement understood
  • Describes creative solution proposed
  • References improved ongoing relationship

Negative indicators

  • Treated requirements as obstacles
  • Complied minimally without engagement
  • Escalated without attempting collaboration

Progression Framework

This table shows how competencies evolve across experience levels. Each cell shows competency at that level.

Data, Technology & Optimization Infrastructure

5 competencies

CompetencyJuniorMidSeniorPrincipal
Content Management & Governance

Uploads content to CMS following established templates; applies metadata, tagging, and SEO elements; follows content governance checklists for quality assurance.

Manages content workflows and publishing calendars across channels; enforces governance standards and brand consistency; optimizes content architecture for user experience and findability.

Develops comprehensive content governance frameworks and taxonomy structures; architects CMS implementations and headless content strategies; leads content strategy integration across marketing channels.

Establishes enterprise content operations models and governance at scale; innovates in headless and composable CMS architectures; defines global content strategy and localization frameworks.

Conversion Rate Optimization

Implements A/B test variations using visual editors; collects and documents test results; reports on basic conversion metrics and anomalies.

Manages CRO programs including test prioritization frameworks; designs and executes A/B and multivariate tests; analyzes conversion funnels and recommends specific optimizations.

Develops CRO strategies and experimentation frameworks at scale; architects personalization programs; leads UX optimization initiatives and cross-functional testing teams.

Establishes enterprise experimentation culture and testing standards; innovates in predictive optimization and AI-driven personalization; defines optimization methodologies and center of excellence models.

CRM & Data Platform Management

Maintains customer data hygiene and record updates; creates basic audience segments using standard criteria; runs standard reports and exports.

Manages CRM operations and CDP implementations; develops advanced segmentation strategies; ensures data quality, compliance, and synchronization across systems.

Architects CDP and CRM strategies including data models; designs customer data flows and identity resolution frameworks; leads cross-functional data integration initiatives.

Establishes enterprise customer data strategy and governance; innovates in privacy-preserving data architectures and zero-party data strategies; defines industry standards for customer data management.

Marketing Analytics & Attribution Modeling

Pulls standard reports from analytics platforms; validates data accuracy and troubleshoots tracking issues; creates basic dashboards for stakeholders.

Develops marketing analytics and attribution models including multi-touch attribution; analyzes campaign performance across channels; provides actionable insights and recommendations.

Architects attribution frameworks and custom analytics solutions; designs data collection strategies; leads data-driven decision-making processes and analytics governance.

Establishes enterprise marketing measurement standards and data strategy; innovates in incrementality testing and AI-driven analytics; defines industry analytics best practices and data literacy programs.

Marketing Technology Infrastructure

Configures basic tool settings and user permissions; troubleshoots common technical issues and escalates complex problems; maintains technology inventory documentation.

Administers marketing technology platforms including tag management; manages basic integrations between tools using pre-built connectors; evaluates new technology solutions for specific use cases.

Architects marketing technology stack and integration patterns; leads platform selection and implementation projects; establishes technology governance and data flow standards.

Defines enterprise martech architecture and digital transformation roadmaps; establishes innovation labs for emerging technology evaluation; creates scalable infrastructure for global operations.

Digital Marketing Channel Operations

4 competencies

CompetencyJuniorMidSeniorPrincipal
Email & Mobile Marketing Operations

Executes email campaigns using pre-built templates; manages subscriber list hygiene and segmentation; performs basic A/B testing of subject lines and send times.

Manages end-to-end email and SMS campaign operations including automation workflows; develops audience segmentation strategies; optimizes deliverability and engagement metrics.

Develops comprehensive email and mobile channel strategies; architects complex automation and personalization workflows; integrates messaging across full customer journey maps.

Innovates messaging channel strategies and emerging platform adoption; establishes enterprise-wide email governance and deliverability standards; drives adoption of AI-driven personalization at scale.

Influencer & Partnership Marketing

Researches potential influencers and partnership opportunities; tracks deliverable timelines and content approvals; maintains partnership contact databases.

Manages influencer relationships and campaign execution end-to-end; negotiates partnership terms and usage rights; measures and reports on partnership ROI and engagement metrics.

Develops influencer strategy and partnership frameworks; builds ambassador and affiliate programs; integrates partnerships into broader marketing mix and brand strategy.

Creates enterprise partnership ecosystems and co-creation models; establishes influencer governance and ethics frameworks; innovates in brand collaboration and community partnership strategies.

Search Engine Marketing & Optimization

Performs keyword research using standard tools; implements on-page SEO changes in CMS; manages PPC bid adjustments and budget pacing under supervision.

Manages SEO and SEM campaigns independently including technical audits; optimizes landing pages for quality score; analyzes search performance data and adjusts keyword strategies.

Develops comprehensive search marketing strategies; architects technical SEO frameworks and site structures; manages large-scale PPC budgets and agency relationships.

Establishes enterprise search strategy and search intelligence capabilities; innovates in voice search and AI-driven search optimization; defines industry best practices for search visibility.

Social Media & Community Engagement

Schedules social media content and monitors engagement metrics; responds to standard community inquiries; supports setup of peer-to-peer fundraising campaign pages.

Manages social content calendars and community engagement strategies; executes influencer outreach campaigns; analyzes social performance and adjusts tactics accordingly.

Develops comprehensive social media and community strategies; builds governance models for user-generated content; leads influencer partnership programs and peer-to-peer fundraising initiatives.

Shapes enterprise social media vision and community-led growth models; establishes social commerce and decentralized community structures; innovates in platform-specific content strategies.

Strategy, Governance & Organizational Development

4 competencies

CompetencyJuniorMidSeniorPrincipal
Compliance & Contract Governance

Reviews contracts for completeness and standard clause inclusion; maintains compliance checklists and data privacy documentation; tracks regulatory update notifications.

Manages contract review workflows and approval routing; ensures campaign compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and privacy regulations; maintains organized vendor contract repositories.

Develops comprehensive compliance frameworks for digital marketing operations; architects data privacy governance structures; leads contract negotiation strategies for complex agreements.

Establishes enterprise legal and compliance standards for digital operations; shapes industry privacy practices and policy; advises executive team on regulatory risk and governance strategy.

Crisis Management & Team Development

Monitors digital channels for emerging issues; documents crisis response protocols and contact trees; supports training program logistics and materials preparation.

Executes established crisis communication plans across digital channels; manages peer-to-peer fundraising toolkit deployment; mentors junior staff on response procedures and best practices.

Develops comprehensive crisis response frameworks and escalation procedures; designs formal mentoring and capability development programs; leads cross-functional crisis response teams.

Establishes organizational resilience standards and enterprise crisis management capabilities; builds industry-leading team development frameworks; coaches senior leadership on reputation risk management.

Strategic Planning & Roadmapping

Assists in documenting roadmap milestones and timelines; supports data collection for strategic planning cycles under direct supervision; maintains planning documentation repositories.

Develops annual digital roadmaps for assigned channels or business units; aligns tactical activities with organizational strategy; manages execution timelines and milestone tracking.

Architects multi-year organizational digital strategies; establishes prioritization frameworks and governance models for roadmap decisions; leads annual strategic planning cycles.

Defines enterprise-wide digital transformation vision and architecture; establishes industry-leading strategic planning methodologies; mentors executive leadership on digital opportunity assessment.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

Coordinates vendor communications and maintains contact databases; assists with contract filing and meeting logistics; tracks deliverable status.

Manages day-to-day vendor relationships and performance tracking; negotiates standard service agreements; evaluates vendor deliverables against SLAs and scope documents.

Develops vendor selection criteria and evaluation frameworks; leads complex contract negotiations; builds strategic partnerships with key technology and service providers.

Establishes enterprise vendor ecosystem strategies and governance models; creates organizational capabilities for vendor risk management; drives innovation through strategic alliances and partnership architectures.