Chief Marketing Officer
Chief Marketing Officer
Location: Cleveland, OH
Position Summary
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services is seeking a strategic, innovative and growth-oriented Chief Marketing Officer to serve as a member of the senior leadership team and lead the company's enterprise marketing organization.
As the nation's largest independent, family-owned real estate services companies, Howard Hanna operates across multiple states, markets and business lines. The Chief Marketing Officer will be responsible for translating the company's business strategy into an integrated marketing strategy that strengthens the Howard Hanna brand, drives profitable growth, increases consumer engagement, supports agent productivity and recruiting, and creates a consistent, differentiated experience across the enterprise.
This executive will lead an evolving marketing organization built around five core capabilities: Communications; Brand; Enterprise Creative; Digital Marketing & Product; and Data Analysis & Insights, supported by a field marketing structure that connects enterprise strategy to local market execution.
The CMO will work closely with the CEO, Chief of Staff, SVP of Brokerage Operations, senior leadership, Market Presidents, technology leadership and the heads of Howard Hanna's essential services businesses to ensure marketing operates as an enterprise growth function, not simply a service or production organization.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Marketing Strategy & Growth
In conjunction with the VP of Brand Marketing, develop and lead an enterprise marketing strategy aligned with Howard Hanna's business objectives, growth priorities and market opportunities. Translate company strategy into measurable marketing priorities that support brokerage growth, agent recruiting and retention, listing acquisition, consumer engagement, essential services adoption and market-share expansion.
Establish clear objectives, performance measures and accountability across marketing investments, with an emphasis on business impact, adoption and ROI.
Brand Strategy & Stewardship
Own the Howard Hanna brand strategy and ensure consistent positioning, messaging and visual identity across markets, business lines and consumer touchpoints.
Lead the continued evolution and activation of the Howard Hanna brand across advertising, offices, signage, digital platforms, recruiting, events, sponsorships and agent-facing marketing.
Balance the strength and consistency of an enterprise brand with the local relevance required across Howard Hanna's diverse markets.
Communications, Content & Reputation
In conjunction with the VP of Communications and PR, provide executive leadership for internal and external communications, public relations, executive communications, content strategy and reputation management.
Develop an integrated storytelling strategy that strengthens Howard Hanna's position with consumers, agents, employees, industry partners and the communities it serves.
Ensure communications support enterprise priorities, growth initiatives, acquisitions, market expansions, organizational change and executive visibility.
Digital Marketing, Product & Consumer Experience
Working alongside the VP of Digital Marketing, lead the intersection of marketing, technology and consumer experience, partnering closely with technology and business leaders to strengthen Howard Hanna's digital ecosystem.
Drive strategy for web, digital marketing, CRM and consumer engagement platforms, lead generation, marketing automation, social media and emerging digital products.
Champion the responsible use of AI, automation, first-party data and emerging technology to improve personalization, marketing effectiveness, agent productivity and the consumer experience.
Ensure marketing technology and digital investments are evaluated not simply as tools, but as components of an integrated consumer and agent journey.
Data Analysis & Insights
Build marketing decision-making around data, consumer intelligence and measurable business outcomes.
Lead the development of marketing analytics and insights capabilities that use enterprise and market data to identify consumer opportunities, improve segmentation and targeting, evaluate campaign performance and inform business strategy.
Partner with brokerage operations, technology and business leadership to leverage Howard Hanna's data assets to create differentiated consumer and agent experiences.
Enterprise Creative & Content
Lead an enterprise creative organization responsible for the development of scalable, high-quality brand and marketing assets.
Establish systems, standards and processes that allow creative resources to focus on high-value enterprise work while giving markets and agents access to effective tools, templates and platforms for localized execution.
Oversee creative direction, advertising, content, video, photography and production while ensuring brand consistency and operational efficiency.
Field Marketing & Sales Enablement
Build and lead a field marketing model that connects enterprise strategy with market-level execution.
Partner with Market Presidents, managers and agents to identify local opportunities and translate enterprise programs into actionable market strategies.
Ensure field marketing resources operate as strategic advisors and coaches, helping agents leverage company programs, marketing technology, content and consumer insights to grow their businesses rather than functioning primarily as production resources.
Develop scalable programs that strengthen listing presentations, sphere engagement, agent content, local market positioning and recruiting.
Integrated Real Estate Services Marketing
Partner closely with leaders across Mortgage, Title, Insurance, Relocation, Property Management and other business lines to create an integrated approach to the consumer relationship.
Develop marketing strategies that demonstrate the value of Howard Hanna's broader real estate services ecosystem and create a simpler, more connected consumer experience while supporting appropriate cross-business growth.
M&A, Market Expansion & Integration
Serve as the senior marketing leader supporting acquisitions, partnerships and market expansion.
Develop brand transition, communications and go-to-market strategies that protect local equity while successfully integrating acquired organizations into the Howard Hanna enterprise.
Partner with senior leadership on market positioning, change management, stakeholder communications and brand migration.
Marketing Organization & Talent
Lead, develop and continuously evolve the balance between an enterprise-supported and geographically-distributed marketing organization.
Establish clear roles, decision rights and accountability across enterprise and field marketing teams. Build a culture that prioritizes strategic thinking, collaboration, speed, innovation and measurable outcomes.
Develop the talent and performance of the marketing team to ensure the organization has the capabilities required for the present and future growth.
Budget, Operations & Partnerships
Own enterprise marketing planning and budgeting and establish disciplined processes for prioritizing investments based on strategic importance and measurable return.
Evaluate agency, media, technology and vendor relationships to ensure Howard Hanna is receiving appropriate value, capabilities and scale.
Create greater visibility into marketing investment and performance across markets and business lines.
Leadership Expectations
The successful CMO will be both an enterprise strategist and an operator. This individual must be comfortable setting long-term direction while remaining close enough to the business to ensure strategy translates into execution.
The CMO should be able to operate effectively within a family-owned, entrepreneurial organization; influence across a highly matrixed enterprise; build alignment among senior leaders; and understand the needs of a large, geographically dispersed sales organization.
This leader should bring both a consumer- and agent-centric perspective, recognizing Howard Hanna’s clients and agents as the brand’s two most critical audiences and ensuring marketing strategies create meaningful value and engagement for both.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, communications or related discipline required; advanced degree preferred.
- 15+ years of progressive marketing leadership experience, including significant senior-level responsibility.
- Demonstrated experience leading a complex, multi-market or multi-brand marketing organization.
- Proven ability to connect marketing strategy to revenue growth, market share, customer acquisition and business performance.
- Significant experience supporting a distributed sales organization, franchise, brokerage, financial services, consumer services or similarly complex business model.
- Strong expertise in brand strategy, digital marketing, communications, consumer experience and marketing technology.
- Demonstrated understanding of CRM, first-party data, analytics, AI and emerging marketing technologies.
- Experience building and transforming marketing organizations, including developing senior talent and leading geographically dispersed teams.
*This role is based in our Cleveland Home Office in Mayfield Heights. Quarterly travel to other Howard Hanna markets is required.
Hanna Holdings, Inc. affiliates and assigns are committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of such factors as race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran's status or disability. The Company abides by all local, state and federal laws and regulations affecting the hiring of employees.