Hiring a VP of Marketing or Head of Marketing is one of the highest-leverage decisions a startup founder can make. And right now, hiring the right marketing leader, with great judgement and taste, who can run & scale a lean team, is more competitive than it’s ever been. Most recruiters with work across all GTM functions and dabble in marketing if you bring them the right opportunity. You want a VP of Marketing Recruiter who lives and breathes this every day. At WithAgility, we’ve placed Head of Marketing leaders at companies like Datadog and Vercel and are excited to help you do the same.
The Challenge With This Hire
Most VP of Marketing searches fail for the same reasons: Companies go for the shiny pedigree, there is misalignment on stage fit, or there isn’t clarity on what success actually looks like in the next 12-18 months.
We’ve spent the last decade+ working with high-growth B2B SaaS companies. We sat in on product trainings, took demo certifications, learned every job in the marketing org. That’s what separates WithAgility from a generalist recruiter: we can pressure-test a candidate’s pipeline thinking, positioning instincts, and ability to build an effective GTM or Growth engine.
What We Do Differently
We build a talent map of every qualified VP Marketing in your target space — the ones who aren’t looking, but would make the move for the right opportunity.
We know the difference between a $5M and a $50M ARR marketing leader. The skills that work at one stage often don’t transfer to the next. We brief you on where candidates are in their career arc, not just their resume.
We move fast without cutting corners. Our retained model means we’re fully committed to your search. Typical time to shortlist: 3–4 weeks.
Our Process
| 1 | Introduction/research call 30 minutes to understand your product, ICP, go-to-market motion, the gap this hire will solve, and why candidates will want to work for your company. |
| 2 | Kickoff call 45 minutes to understand your ideal profile, benchmark potential candidates, and understand the hiring & qualification process. We challenge the brief if something doesn’t fit your stage. |
| 3 | Talent mapping We build a market map of qualified PMMs in your space. We archetype potential profiles and make recommendations based on what we are seeing in the market. |
| 4 | Qualification screening Every candidate screened on: full stack product marketing experience, cross-functional working style, impact of key launches, and stage fit. We send summaries with our take — not just resumes. |
| 5 | Shortlist delivery A vetted slate of 3–5 candidates with our recommendation on fit. Typically delivered 1-3 weeks from kickoff. |
| 6 | Close support Active through interviews, offer, and notice period. |
Who We Work Best With
WithAgility does its best work with:
- Seed to Series C startups — typically 20–300 employees
- Technical B2B products — developer tools, security, AI, SaaS infrastructure
- Founder-led companies making their first or second senior marketing hire
- Revenue between $3M–$75M ARR
If you’re a founder hiring your first VP Marketing or Head of Marketing, or a scaling company replacing an early-stage leader with someone who can build a real org — this is where we can win together.
Our Search Models
Retained Executive Search
Full-commitment search. We build the talent map, manage the process end-to-end, and deliver a vetted shortlist. Best for VP and above.
Partial Retainer + Success Fee
A hybrid model that balances commitment with flexibility. Good for first/solo marketing hires, as well as Director-level or Head of marketing hires.
What Our Clients Say
| “Keith single-handedly managed most of the hiring for our product marketing team. Very professional, thorough, and methodical. An asset to any company looking to hire top SaaS talent.”— VP of Talent Acquisition, B2B SaaS |
| “Keith was our recruiting partner at Datadog — always strong at creating pipeline for PMM hires. His work ethic, creativity, and long-term strategic view made him an invaluable resource.”— Marketing Leader, Datadog |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a VP of Marketing recruiter do differently than a general recruiter?
A specialist VP of Marketing Recruiter has sourced, screened, and placed the exact role you’re hiring for — and is consistently focused on building out relationships with your ideal candidates. We know which candidates look good on paper but underperform, which profiles can scale alongside your growth, and what separates a strong PMM-background VP from a demand gen-background VP. That context matters.
How long does a VP of Marketing search typically take?
With a retained search, we typically deliver a shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates within 2–4 weeks of kickoff. Full search to offer letter usually runs 6–10 weeks depending on the size of talent pool, speed of feedback and interviewer availability.
Do you only work with San Francisco and New York companies?
We do most of our work with companies in SF, NYC, but we work with fully distributed teams & startups in other markets regularly. Where you’re headquartered matters less than the stage and product type.
What’s your fee structure?
Executive Search is Retained search that’s priced as a percentage of first-year total compensation, with a portion paid upfront. We also offer partial retainer and fractional models. Get in touch and we’ll walk through what makes sense for your situation.
What if the hire doesn’t work out?
We stand behind our placements with a guarantee period. If the hire doesn’t work out within the guarantee window, we re-run the search at no additional retainer.
| Ready to find your VP of Marketing? Talk to Keith. 30 minutes to align on your stage, your brief, and our path to success together. Book a call |
Also hiring a PMM? → See our Product Marketing Recruiter for B2B & AI SaaS Startups