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What is a marketing operations director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Ella Andreasen,
Richard Tate

Marketing operations directors monitor and analyze the effectiveness of marketing initiatives and programs. They primarily manage marketing operations departments as well as any teams that are closely aligned with the marketing and sales departments. They analyze workflow within marketing departments to guarantee the achievement of the department's goals. Marketing operations directors earn a median sum of $133,000 annually or $64 per hour.

A director of marketing operations is a high-ranking official of a company leading a team that ensures effective strategy, efficient investment, and accountability across the departments of a company. They lead process development, budget administration, and marketing analytics. They also define the marketing operations vision and strategy that enables intelligent decisions through precise analysis.

In terms of academic qualifications, marketing operations directors usually hold a master's degree in a business-related field such as business administration, marketing, computer science, or many more. They are expected to have an ample amount of experience in marketing. They are also required to demonstrate knowledge of marketing best practices and multiple marketing channel execution.

What general advice would you give to a marketing operations director?

Ella AndreasenElla Andreasen LinkedIn profile

Marketing Coordinator, Hiniker

Marketing is a dream job for me, and I'm thrilled with my decision. I recommend tailoring your classes to what you view you may need, not just taking standard, required courses. For example, I was not required to take Graphic Design, but I thought it would help me be more well-rounded, and it has helped me quite a bit. I'd also recommend trying out different internships, with companies of various sizes, to gauge if you enjoy being a big part of a little company or a small part of a big company.
ScoreMarketing Operations DirectorUS Average
Salary
8.1

Avg. Salary $119,422

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 47.79%

male 52.21%

Age - 38
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Marketing operations director career paths

Key steps to become a marketing operations director

  1. Explore marketing operations director education requirements

    Most common marketing operations director degrees

    Bachelor's

    77.5 %

    Master's

    12.8 %

    Associate

    6.4 %
  2. Start to develop specific marketing operations director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Digital Marketing10.07%
    Lead Management7.74%
    Project Management7.35%
    CRM7.11%
    Email Campaigns5.50%
  3. Complete relevant marketing operations director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New marketing operations directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a marketing operations director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real marketing operations director resumes.
  4. Research marketing operations director duties and responsibilities

    • Initiate and manage social media accounts on Facebook and LinkedIn.
    • Manage website strategy and content, including analysis of search engine optimization (SEO) and website metrics.
    • Create and maintain reports and dashboards for measuring global leads, opportunities and tracking ROI for marketing events and programs.
    • Manage medical billing and serve as liaison between patient and insurance including Medicaid and Medicare as required.
  5. Get marketing operations director experience

    Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a marketing operations director. The most common roles before becoming a marketing operations director include marketing director, marketing manager team lead and account executive.
  6. Prepare your marketing operations director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your marketing operations director resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a marketing operations director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable marketing operations director resume templates

    Build a professional marketing operations director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your marketing operations director resume.
    Marketing Operations Director Resume
    Marketing Operations Director Resume
    Marketing Operations Director Resume
    Marketing Operations Director Resume
    Marketing Operations Director Resume
    Marketing Operations Director Resume
    Marketing Operations Director Resume
    Marketing Operations Director Resume
    Marketing Operations Director Resume
  7. Apply for marketing operations director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a marketing operations director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first marketing operations director job

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Average marketing operations director salary

The average marketing operations director salary in the United States is $119,422 per year or $57 per hour. Marketing operations director salaries range between $80,000 and $176,000 per year.

Average marketing operations director salary
$119,422 Yearly
$57.41 hourly

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Marketing operations director reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros

Overseeing printing For direct mail. Packaging design Developing hot mail list.

Cons

Unreasonable deadlines.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

Autonomy, relationship biolding

Cons

Meetings needs of all parties can be difficult but good negotiation helps!


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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