UK

United Kingdom · Marketing · C-Suite (20+ years)

VP, Global Performance Marketing

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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  • Experience bandC-Suite (20+ years)
  • Reports toChief Executive Officer (CEO)
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) · SVP Performance Marketing · Head of Global Growth Marketing

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

Gateway Qualifications Entry Level Certificate In Vocational Studies (Entry 3) Gateway Qualifications Limited · Entry Level · covers 1 of 12 standards
Gateway Qualifications Entry Level Extended Certificate in Vocational Studies (Entry 3) Gateway Qualifications Limited · Entry Level · covers 1 of 12 standards
Gateway Qualifications Level 2 Award in Digital Marketing Gateway Qualifications Limited · Level 2 · covers 7 of 12 standards
Gateway Qualifications Level 2 Diploma in Vocational Studies Gateway Qualifications Limited · Level 2 · covers 5 of 12 standards
Gateway Qualifications Level 2 Certificate in Business Gateway Qualifications Limited · Level 2 · covers 5 of 12 standards
OCNLR Level 4 Diploma in Digital Marketing OCN London · Level 4 · covers 4 of 12 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Digital Marketing Gateway Qualifications Level 2 Award in Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing for the Digital and Creative Industries Gateway Qualifications Level 2 Diploma in Vocational Studies
Digital Analytics OCNLR Level 4 Diploma in Digital Marketing

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Frontier Fluency the next wave, beyond mainstream AI
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Your Plan Illustration

Built for VP, Global Performance Marketing

3 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Digital Marketing Gateway Qualifications Limited · covers 7 of 12 standards Level 2
  2. Digital Marketing for the Digital and Creative Industries Gateway Qualifications Limited · covers 5 of 12 standards Level 2
  3. Digital Analytics OCN London · covers 4 of 12 standards Level 4
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a VP, Global Performance Marketing?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • Ethical AI & Responsible Marketing
  • Web3 & Decentralised Marketing Principles
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your VP, Global Performance Marketing plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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3What this role really is

This role involves owning the growth engine for a business, finding and converting customers across every performance channel worldwide. It sits at executive level, shaping company strategy rather than just marketing tactics. It carries responsibility for a significant share of the company's P&L, driving revenue through measurable marketing.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Ad Platforms (Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Google Ads) Strategic

Guiding the overall platform strategy, understanding platform roadmaps, managing senior-level platform relationships, and ensuring team capabilities align with platform evolution. Not hands-on execution.

Ad Management Platforms (e.g., Smartly.io, Sprinklr) Architect

Leading the evaluation, selection, and implementation of enterprise-level ad management platforms. Ensuring platform capabilities meet long-term business goals and drive global efficiency.

Attribution & Analytics Platforms (e.g., Triple Whale, Rockerbox) Expert

Defending attribution model choices to finance and leadership. Using platform insights to argue for significant budget shifts and strategic pivots. Integrating data with broader business intelligence systems for executive reporting.

Executive Dashboards (Tableau, Power BI, Looker) Advanced

Designing and architecting marketing performance dashboards for C-level consumption. Telling compelling data stories, connecting channel metrics to P&L impact, and identifying strategic opportunities or risks.

Budget & Planning Software (e.g., Anaplan, Workday Adaptive Planning) Intermediate

Overseeing and managing the global paid social budget within corporate finance platforms. Running complex scenarios and re-forecasting based on performance, market shifts, and strategic priorities.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Global Budget Allocation (e.g., £10M+) N/A N/A N/A
New Market Entry Strategy N/A N/A N/A
Organisational Design & Senior Hires (Director level and above) N/A N/A N/A
Major Platform/Ad Tech Vendor Selection (£500K+ contracts) N/A N/A N/A

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Global Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER)
Total company revenue divided by total marketing spend across all channels.
Target · Increase MER by 15% year-on-year, maintaining a minimum of 3.0x

If total revenue is £30M and total marketing spend is £10M, MER is 3.0x. Your goal is to push this higher, perhaps to £34.5M revenue on £10M spend, hitting 3.45x.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) Reduction
The average cost to acquire a new customer, blended across all performance channels and markets.
Target · Reduce blended CAC by 10-15% annually without compromising growth volume.

If our current CAC is £50, you'll aim to bring it down to £42.50 by optimising channel mix, creative strategy, and targeting efficiency across all regions.

Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) to CAC Ratio
The ratio of the average revenue a customer generates over their lifetime to the cost of acquiring them.
Target · Maintain an LTV:CAC ratio of 4:1 or higher across all key markets.

If a customer brings in £200 over their lifetime and costs £50 to acquire, that's a 4:1 ratio. You'll ensure we're acquiring the right customers who stick around and spend more.

New Market Entry & Growth
Successful expansion into new international markets, measured by market share and revenue contribution.
Target · Successfully launch and scale performance marketing in 2-3 new Tier 1 markets annually, achieving profitability within 12 months.

Leading the successful launch into Japan and Brazil, achieving a 5% market share in each within the first year and contributing £5M+ in new revenue.

Executive & Board Confidence
The level of trust and confidence the CEO and Board have in the performance marketing strategy and its execution.
  • You're proactively sought out for strategic input on major business decisions. Your quarterly board presentations are clear, concise, and inspire confidence. There's minimal pushback on budget requests because the ROI is clear and well-articulated. You're seen as a reliable voice for growth.
Global Team Leadership & Development
The ability to build, inspire, and retain a high-performing, globally distributed performance marketing organisation.
  • High retention rates among your direct reports and their teams. Positive feedback in 360 reviews, highlighting your mentorship and strategic guidance. A clear succession plan for key roles. Your team is consistently recognised for innovation and impact.
Strategic Cross-Functional Integration
How effectively performance marketing integrates with Product, Sales, and Finance to achieve holistic business goals.
  • Product roadmaps clearly reflect insights from performance marketing data. Sales teams are well-equipped with marketing-generated leads. Finance agrees on attribution models and budget allocation. You're seen as a partner, not just a service provider, to other executive functions.
Market & Regulatory Foresight
Proactive identification and navigation of emerging market trends, competitive shifts, and regulatory changes (e.g., data privacy).
  • You present clear strategies for adapting to major platform changes (e.g., cookie deprecation, new privacy laws) before they become crises. We're always ahead of the curve, not playing catch-up. You're seen as an industry thought leader, not just a follower.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Shaping Enterprise Growth

You thrive on seeing your strategic decisions directly impact the company's P&L and market position. You're constantly thinking about the next big growth lever, whether it's a new market, a new channel, or a radical shift in our acquisition model.

Leading a strategy that results in a 20% increase in global market share within two years, directly attributable to performance marketing efforts.

Building World-Class Teams

You get immense satisfaction from recruiting, mentoring, and developing a diverse, high-performing global team. You empower your Directors, give them autonomy, and provide the strategic guardrails they need to excel. Seeing your people grow and succeed is a key driver for you.

Developing a Director-level report into a future CMO candidate, or seeing your team consistently win internal and external awards for their work.

Navigating Complexity & Ambiguity

You're energised by tackling big, hairy, undefined problems – like how to grow in a privacy-first world, or how to integrate a newly acquired company's marketing efforts. You enjoy creating clarity from chaos and building a roadmap where none existed before.

Successfully integrating the performance marketing functions of a newly acquired company into our global structure within 12 months, leading to significant synergies and growth.

What frustrates people
  • The 'Attribution Wars': Constantly having to defend the true value of performance marketing to Finance or other executives who might not grasp multi-touch attribution or incrementality.
  • Regulatory Roadblocks: Navigating new data privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.) or platform policy changes that fundamentally alter how we can target and track customers.
  • Talent Scarcity: The challenge of finding and retaining top-tier global performance marketing talent in a highly competitive market.
  • Legacy Systems: Dealing with outdated internal systems or data silos that make it harder to get a holistic view of performance and customer journeys.
  • Internal Politics: Needing to build consensus and manage expectations across various executive teams and regional leaders, which can be a slow process.
What this role does not give you
  • Daily hands-on campaign management or optimisation – your team handles that.
  • A predictable, stable environment where market conditions rarely change.
  • A role where you can avoid executive presentations or difficult conversations with the Board.
  • A 'set it and forget it' strategy; constant adaptation is the norm.

8Who you work with

This role is a primary driver of the company's top-line revenue growth and profitability. It directly influences market share, customer acquisition cost (CAC), customer lifetime value (LTV), and overall brand perception. Your decisions will shape our global expansion, product roadmap priorities, and how we compete in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Essentially, you're building the engine that fuels our commercial success.

Inside the business
  • CEO and Executive Leadership Team
  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Finance Leadership
  • Chief Product Officer (CPO) and Product Leadership
  • Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Engineering Leadership
  • Regional General Managers
Outside the business
  • Board of Directors
  • Investors and Analysts
  • Key Platform Partners (Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn)
  • Industry Bodies and Regulators
  • Major Media Agencies and Vendors

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • A minimum of 15 years of progressive leadership experience in performance marketing, with at least 5 years at a Director level or above, managing multi-million pound budgets and large global teams.
  • Proven track record of driving significant, measurable revenue growth through performance marketing channels in a complex, international business environment.
  • Demonstrable experience presenting to and influencing C-suite executives and Board members on strategic marketing initiatives and financial performance.
  • Deep expertise in advanced attribution modelling, incrementality testing, and connecting marketing performance directly to business P&L.
  • Experience with M&A integration from a marketing perspective, including due diligence and post-acquisition strategy.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Predictive Analytics & Market Simulation

Critical within 12 months. Moving beyond basic forecasting to sophisticated predictive models that simulate market scenarios, competitive responses, and the long-term impact of strategic decisions. This will enable more precise budget allocation and risk management.

Causal Inference Models · Agent-Based Modelling · Reinforcement Learning for Optimisation · Scenario Planning with AI

  • This quarter: Engage with our Data Science team to understand their current predictive capabilities and identify gaps.
  • Next quarter: Partner with a leading academic institution or consultancy on a pilot project for market simulation.
  • Month 6: Integrate advanced predictive outputs into our quarterly strategic planning and budget allocation processes.
  • Month 9: Present a case study to the Board on how predictive analytics improved a major strategic decision.

Quick win: Challenge your data teams to move beyond descriptive analytics to more predictive insights in their regular reporting. Ask 'what's next?' not just 'what happened?'

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Active participation in executive-level industry forums and associations (e.g., CMO Council, IAB Executive Leadership Board).
  • Regularly publish thought leadership articles or speak at major industry conferences on global performance marketing trends and strategies.
  • Mentoring rising talent within the marketing industry, both internally and externally.
  • Engaging in non-executive director (NED) roles for smaller companies to broaden strategic experience beyond our direct industry.
  • Continuous learning through executive education programmes focused on global economics, geopolitical shifts, and emerging technologies.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Ethical AI & Responsible Marketing

Critical within 12 months. As AI becomes more pervasive in targeting, creative generation, and optimisation, the ethical implications (bias, privacy, transparency) are becoming paramount. Regulators and consumers are increasingly scrutinising how AI is used in advertising. Ignoring this is a significant brand and legal risk.

  • AI Bias Detection & Mitigation
  • Transparency in AI Use
  • Data Governance for AI
  • AI Explainability (XAI)

Web3 & Decentralised Marketing Principles

Important within 18-24 months. While still nascent, the principles of Web3 (decentralisation, tokenomics, NFTs, metaverse) are fundamentally changing how consumers interact with brands and own digital assets. Understanding this shift will be crucial for future customer engagement and acquisition strategies.

  • DAO-based Marketing
  • NFTs for Loyalty & Engagement
  • Metaverse Advertising
  • Tokenomics in Customer Acquisition

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Global Performance Marketing Strategy
  • Attribution Modelling & Incrementality
  • Full-Funnel Customer Journey Optimisation
  • M&A Marketing Integration

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Director of Performance Marketing (Large Enterprise)

    3-5 years at Director level

    Skills to master

    • Scaling multi-channel strategies globally, managing multi-million pound budgets, building and leading large teams, presenting to C-suite.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led a major global market expansion initiative.
    • Consistently exceeded revenue and ROI targets for a significant business unit.
    • Built and retained a high-performing team of 20+ marketing professionals.
    • Regularly presented strategic recommendations to the executive leadership team.
  2. 2

    Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) / Head of Growth (Mid-sized Company)

    4-6 years as CMO/Head of Growth

    Skills to master

    • Full P&L ownership, cross-functional leadership (Product, Sales), investor relations, brand strategy integration with performance.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully scaled a company's revenue from £10M to £50M+.
    • Managed the entire marketing function, including brand, product marketing, and performance.
    • Played a key role in fundraising rounds, presenting marketing strategy to investors.
    • Demonstrated strong leadership across both creative and analytical marketing disciplines.
  3. 3

    VP / Head of Digital Marketing (Global Agency)

    5-7 years at VP/Head level

    Skills to master

    • Managing diverse client portfolios, driving agency growth, deep expertise across multiple industries and client types, thought leadership.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Managed a portfolio of £50M+ in client ad spend.
    • Led strategic accounts for Fortune 500 clients, delivering significant business impact.
    • Developed and mentored a large team of agency professionals.
    • Recognised as an industry expert, regularly speaking at events or publishing insights.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to running marketing for a large global company as chief marketing officer, or moving into general management as chief executive.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how VP, Global Performance Marketing is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

Also named as a next step, with no page in the catalogue yet:

  • Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / General Manager (Business Unit)

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Digital Marketing, worked against VP, Global Performance Marketing.

Digital Marketing Entry Level

Applied to your work in VP, Global Performance Marketing

This unit aims to provide learners with an understanding of digital marketing principles and techniques. Upon completion, learners will be able to identify and explain key aspects of digital marketing via social media, email campaigns, and online advertisements, and apply these to market a product digitally.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

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VP, Global Performance Marketing
  • Global Performance Marketing Strategy
  • Attribution Modelling & Incrementality
  • Full-Funnel Customer Journey Optimisation
  • M&A Marketing Integration
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

VP, Global Performance Marketing is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

    3-5 years

    Enterprise-wide strategic leadership

    • Market-shaping thought leadership
    • Enterprise-level M&A strategy (broader scope)
    • Global brand perception & reputation management
    • Strategic partnerships & ecosystem development

  2. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / General Manager (Business Unit)

    5-8 years

    Full P&L and operational accountability for an entire business or company

    • Full P&L management for an entire business unit or company
    • Product innovation & portfolio management
    • Sales & distribution strategy
    • Organisational culture & employee engagement
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

As a VP, your time is gold. You're not just managing campaigns; you're steering a global ship. The good news? AI isn't just for junior analysts anymore. It's a game-changer for executive decision-making, helping you cut through the noise, spot opportunities faster, and get ahead of the market.

Imagine having a super-smart co-pilot that crunches all the data, summarises complex reports, and even drafts your board presentations. That's the reality of AI in modern performance marketing leadership. It's about empowering you and your teams to focus on strategy, innovation, and high-impact growth, not getting bogged down in manual tasks or sifting through endless dashboards. We're building an AI-first culture, and you'll be at the forefront.

Strategic Market & Trend Analysis

Use AI to rapidly synthesise vast amounts of global market research, competitor intelligence, and industry trend reports. Ask it to identify emerging consumer behaviours in APAC, or predict the impact of a new platform feature. This helps you make faster, more informed strategic pivots and identify new growth avenues before your competitors do.

Executive Reporting & Board Prep

Feed raw performance data and key business updates into an AI tool and have it draft initial versions of your quarterly board presentations or investor updates. It can summarise complex results, highlight key insights, and even suggest narrative structures, saving you hours of manual synthesis and allowing you to focus on refining the strategic message.

Performance Anomaly & Opportunity Identification

Leverage AI-powered analytics to automatically detect significant performance anomalies (e.g., a sudden drop in ROAS in a specific market) across your global portfolio, and more importantly, to identify hidden growth opportunities. AI can flag patterns that human eyes might miss, giving you a proactive edge in optimising spend and mitigating risks.

Talent & Org Design Insights

Use AI to analyse talent market trends, identify skill gaps within your global team, and even model different organisational structures for optimal efficiency. AI can help you benchmark compensation, predict retention risks, and inform your long-term talent strategy, ensuring you have the right people in the right roles to execute your vision.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a VP, Global Performance Marketing?

Common routes in include Director of Performance Marketing (Large Enterprise) (3-5 years at Director level), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) / Head of Growth (Mid-sized Company) (4-6 years as CMO/Head of Growth) and VP / Head of Digital Marketing (Global Agency) (5-7 years at VP/Head level). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a VP, Global Performance Marketing progress to?

This role can lead on to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) (3-5 years) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / General Manager (Business Unit) (5-8 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a VP, Global Performance Marketing?

Increasingly, Ethical AI & Responsible Marketing and Web3 & Decentralised Marketing Principles. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

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Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in marketing

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

Skills in data-driven growth, P&L management and global team leadership carry across sectors, including e-commerce, SaaS, FinTech, EdTech and consumer goods. This experience can support marketing or general management roles in most industries that value measurable growth.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my VP, Global Performance Marketing plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.