Director of Marketing

Wachtel Tree Science currently uses an external organization for all marketing.  Our new Director of Marketing would be responsible for creating and developing the internal marketing program.   We are looking for a self-starter who wants a big challenge!

Position Overview

The Director of Marketing provides strategic and hands-on leadership of the marketing function for Wachtel Tree Science. This position is responsible for developing and executing an integrated marketing strategy that strengthens the Wachtel Tree Science brand, generates qualified opportunities, supports client retention, and aligns marketing resources with the company's long-term growth and profitability objectives.

The Director serves as both strategist and practitioner. The successful individual will be capable of establishing the company's marketing direction while personally leading and executing significant portions of the work. This position owns the marketing function rather than primarily coordinating an external marketing company, utilizing specialized vendors or contractors only where they provide strategic or technical value.

Work Arrangement: The Director of Marketing is expected to spend significant time onsite during the initial employment and integration period. Effective marketing of Wachtel Tree Science requires more than learning its services; it requires understanding the company's people, history, clients, culture, operational capabilities, arboricultural expertise, and the “Wachtel Way”.  After becoming fully integrated into the organization and demonstrating the ability to effectively lead the marketing function, a hybrid work arrangement may be considered based on business needs, performance, collaboration requirements, and the responsibilities of the position.

Essential Functions – Responsibilities may be delegated but the Director of Marketing is accountable to ensure the tasks are being completed in a professional, timely, productive manner.  Tasks that are the primary responsibility of another team member may still require involvement and oversight from the Director of Marketing. 

Marketing Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and own a comprehensive annual marketing strategy aligned with Wachtel Tree Science's business objectives.
• Translate annual strategy into quarterly and seasonal marketing priorities, campaigns, and measurable objectives.
• Align marketing activity with service lines, seasonal opportunities, geographic territories, capacity, profitability, and recurring client needs.
• Identify the client segments and markets with the greatest strategic potential and focus marketing resources accordingly.
• Serve as the company's internal marketing authority and advisor to leadership.
• Develop the structure, systems, processes, and resources necessary to support a professional internal marketing function.
• Participate as an active member of the Leadership Team and help establish company direction and strategic initiatives.
• Evaluate and manage specialized vendors and contractors when outside expertise is beneficial.

Sales & Marketing Alignment

• Establish a strong working relationship between Marketing and Sales.
• Develop processes for evaluating lead quality, response time, follow-up, conversion, and marketing-to-sales handoffs.
• Meet regularly with Sales leadership to review pipeline needs, campaign performance, lead quality, market opportunities, and seasonal priorities.
• Develop marketing programs that support both existing client relationships and new client acquisition.
• Use sales feedback and business results to continuously improve targeting and marketing strategy.

Market & Client Strategy

• Identify and prioritize high-value client segments, services, geographic areas, and recurring-revenue opportunities.
• Develop client profiles and targeting strategies based on Wachtel's strongest opportunities.
• Conduct market, competitive, and client research to identify changing needs and opportunities.
• Develop strategies supporting client retention, repeat business, recurring programs, and long-term relationships.
• Balance brand-building initiatives with measurable demand-generation activities.

Demand Generation & Digital Marketing

• Develop and oversee an integrated mix of organic search, paid search, social advertising, retargeting, email, direct marketing, local advertising, and other appropriate channels.
• Optimize campaigns toward qualified consultation requests, appointments, and ultimately revenue where reliable attribution is available.
• Develop rapid-response marketing strategies for significant weather events, pest or disease outbreaks, seasonal opportunities, and other emerging client needs.
• Continuously evaluate channel effectiveness and reallocate resources based on results.
• Identify new marketing opportunities and test promising strategies in a disciplined manner.

CRM, Marketing Data & Attribution

• Evaluate the company's CRM, website forms, lead routing, tracking systems, analytics, and marketing data.
• Establish consistent processes for capturing lead source, campaign, service line, territory, response activity, appointments, and outcomes.
• Improve the company's ability to understand where qualified opportunities originate and what happens to them after they enter the organization.
• Establish appropriate marketing performance measures based on the reliability of available data.
• Develop revenue attribution progressively as systems and data quality allow rather than relying on unsupported assumptions.
• Collaborate with Sales and administrative teams to improve data quality and reporting.

Website, SEO & Client Experience

• Own the marketing strategy and effectiveness of the company website.
• Continuously improve search visibility, content quality, navigation, conversion opportunities, and the overall client experience.
• Develop strategies for local SEO, service-area visibility, and geographic market expansion.
• Ensure digital platforms clearly communicate Wachtel Tree Science's expertise, credentials, history, professionalism, safety, and value.
• Evaluate and improve the path from initial client interest through consultation request and follow-up.

Brand, Content & Thought Leadership

• Protect and strengthen the Wachtel Tree Science brand across all channels.
• Develop a strategic content calendar aligned with client interests, high-value services, seasonal needs, and search opportunities.
• Leverage Wachtel Tree Science's ISA Certified Arborists, Board Certified Master Arborists, technical specialists, company history, and other expertise to create authoritative educational content.
• Develop video, article, email, social media, newsletter, and other content that differentiates Wachtel as a knowledgeable and trusted tree care resource.
• Ensure marketing communicates technical expertise in language that is useful and understandable to clients.
• Maintain consistency in brand voice, appearance, messaging, and client experience.

Client Retention, Reputation & Community

• Develop programs that strengthen client relationships and encourage appropriate recurring tree care.
• Lead review-generation and reputation-management strategies.
• Develop seasonal education and client communication programs.
• Identify partnerships, sponsorships, events, and community relationships that strengthen the Wachtel brand.
• Evaluate opportunities based on both community value and strategic marketing relevance.

Marketing Analytics & Performance

• Establish meaningful marketing KPIs and reporting systems.
• Monitor qualified leads, consultation requests, appointment-setting rates, website conversion, advertising performance, client engagement, lead response, and other relevant indicators.
• Progressively develop reporting on cost per opportunity, cost per booked job, marketing-influenced revenue, recurring-program participation, and repeat business as reliable data becomes available.
• Provide leadership with regular reporting that explains results, trends, challenges, and recommended next steps.
• Use data to determine where marketing resources should be increased, changed, tested, or discontinued.

Budget & Resource Management

• Develop and manage the annual marketing budget.
• Regularly forecast and adjust marketing spending based on business priorities and performance.
• Direct resources toward the channels and initiatives producing the strongest strategic results.
• Evaluate technology, vendors, contractors, advertising partners, and other marketing investments.
• Negotiate and manage outside marketing relationships as necessary.
• Build recommendations for future internal marketing resources as company needs evolve.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, or related discipline preferred; equivalent significant professional experience will be considered.
• Seven or more years of progressive marketing experience preferred, including demonstrated responsibility for marketing strategy and execution.
• Demonstrated success developing marketing strategies that contribute to measurable business growth.
• Strong experience with digital marketing, SEO/SEM, paid media, email marketing, content strategy, CRM systems, website strategy, analytics, and lead generation.
• Experience developing marketing measurement and attribution systems.
• Experience managing marketing budgets and allocating resources based on performance.
• Strong background in content development, brand management, and integrated marketing.
• Experience working closely with sales teams and connecting marketing activity with sales outcomes.
• Experience in professional services, home services, environmental services, or another relationship-driven service business is beneficial.
• Leadership experience with employees, contractors, agencies, or vendors preferred.