Marketing manager

What does a marketing manager do?

A marketing manager plans, directs and coordinates marketing in an organisation.

You set direction for campaigns, brands, programmes and communication plans. You also work out the cost and resources each plan needs.

The role usually sits in a marketing team, reporting to a head of marketing or marketing director. In smaller Singapore firms, you may report to the general manager or the founder.

You work with sales, product, finance, designers and external agencies. You also analyse results to see which activities raise awareness and bring in customers.

What the work involves

• Review campaign results against targets and decide what to change.
• Plan the marketing budget and track spending by channel.
• Brief agencies and in-house designers, and check their work against brand guidelines.
• Study customer data, competitors and market trends to adjust the marketing plan.
• Meet sales and product teams to agree launch plans and lead targets.
• Report results and recommendations to senior management.

Pay in Singapore

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Skills a marketing manager needs

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Marketing manager job description

We are hiring a marketing manager to plan and run marketing for our Singapore business.

You will own the marketing budget, guide a small team and agencies, and report results to senior management. You will work with sales and product teams to raise awareness and bring in customers.

Responsibilities

• Develop marketing strategies and plans, with costs and resources set out.
• Set campaign themes and targets for new products, promotions and brand programmes.
• Manage the marketing budget and report on return on spend.
• Brief and manage agencies and freelancers on campaign materials.
• Oversee marketing channels, including email, social media, paid media, events and e-commerce.
• Measure campaign results using analytics tools and recommend improvements.
• Keep the brand consistent across all channels and train internal teams on brand guidelines.
• Carry out market research on customers, competitors and trends.
• Work with sales, product and finance on pricing, launches and lead targets.
• Coach marketing executives and review their work.

Requirements

• A degree in marketing, business, communications or a related field is common.
• Typically 5 to 8 years of marketing experience, including campaign and budget ownership.
• Working knowledge of Google Analytics (GA4), Excel and a reporting tool such as Looker Studio.
• Experience with a marketing automation platform such as HubSpot, Marketo or Salesforce Marketing Cloud.
• Clear writing and presentation skills, and comfort working with agencies and senior managers.

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Marketing manager career path

Most marketing managers start in coordinator or executive roles and take on more campaigns, budget and people over time.

Senior steps move from running marketing to setting direction for it.

1. Marketing coordinator

   Entry · SkillsFuture title

   You support campaigns by preparing materials, updating channels and tracking simple results.

2. Marketing executive

   Mid · SkillsFuture title

   You run campaigns and digital channels, work with agencies and analyse performance data.

3. Marketing manager

   Senior · SkillsFuture title

   You plan marketing strategy, own the budget, manage a team and report results to leadership.

4. Marketing director

   Lead · SkillsFuture title

   You lead several marketing teams and tie marketing plans to business goals.

5. Head of marketing

   Head · SkillsFuture title

   You own marketing for the whole organisation and sit with senior leadership on business strategy.

Steps marked "SkillsFuture title" follow the career pathway in the SkillsFuture Skills Framework. The others are titles commonly used in Singapore.

Related jobs and their pay

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Marketing manager interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. How do you build a marketing plan for a new financial year?

   What a good answer covers

   • Starts from business goals and last year's results
   • Uses customer and competitor research to pick target segments
   • Sets channel mix, targets and a budget split
   • Names risks and a review schedule
   • Gets sales and finance to agree the numbers

2. How do you decide how to split a fixed marketing budget across channels?

   What a good answer covers

   • Looks at past cost per lead and conversion by channel
   • Keeps a share for testing new channels
   • Matches spend to funnel stage and campaign goals
   • Sets rules for moving budget during the year

3. How would you measure the return on a campaign that mixes paid ads, email and events?

   What a good answer covers

   • Defines the goal and a single main metric first
   • Uses tracking links, UTM tags and CRM source fields
   • Explains the limits of last-click and uses multi-touch or assisted views
   • Allows for offline influence from events
   • States what decision the result will inform

4. Which metrics do you check in Google Analytics (GA4) each week, and why?

   What a good answer covers

   • Names sessions by source, engaged sessions and key events
   • Links each metric to a campaign goal
   • Checks conversion paths and landing page results
   • Explains how to spot tracking errors

5. What would you put in a monthly Looker Studio report for senior management?

   What a good answer covers

   • Keeps to a few metrics tied to business goals
   • Shows results against target and prior period
   • Adds short notes on what changed and what happens next
   • Uses clear charts and an agreed data source

6. How would you set up a lead nurture programme in a marketing automation platform?

   What a good answer covers

   • Defines lead stages and scoring with sales
   • Segments by behaviour and profile
   • Plans email steps and triggers
   • Sets the point where leads pass to sales
   • Tracks conversion and unsubscribe rates

7. How do you write a go-to-market plan for a new product?

   What a good answer covers

   • Defines target customers and the problem solved
   • Sets positioning, pricing input and key messages
   • Chooses channels and launch phases
   • Agrees roles with sales and product
   • Sets launch targets and review points

8. How do you keep a brand consistent when several agencies and teams create content?

   What a good answer covers

   • Maintains clear brand guidelines and templates
   • Trains internal teams and briefs agencies on them
   • Sets an approval step for public materials
   • Audits live channels and fixes gaps

9. How would you use ChatGPT in your team's marketing work, and where would you avoid it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Names tasks such as first drafts, ideas and summaries
   • Requires human review for accuracy and tone
   • Keeps customer personal data and confidential plans out of it
   • Sets team rules for use and disclosure

1. A campaign is halfway through and cost per lead is well above target. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Checks tracking first to confirm the data is right
   • Breaks results down by channel, audience and creative
   • Pauses or shifts spend from weak areas
   • Tests a change and sets a date to review
   • Tells stakeholders early with a plan

2. Sales says your leads are poor quality, while your reports show targets met. How do you handle it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Meets sales to look at real lead examples
   • Agrees a shared definition of a qualified lead
   • Adjusts targeting, forms or scoring
   • Tracks lead outcomes through the CRM
   • Sets up a regular review with sales

3. Your agency delivers campaign materials late, two weeks before launch. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Finds out the cause and the real delivery date
   • Decides what can be cut or done in-house
   • Keeps senior stakeholders informed
   • Fixes the process with clearer briefs and milestones afterwards

1. Tell us about a campaign you led that missed its target. What did you change?

   What a good answer covers

   • Describes the goal and the gap plainly
   • Explains how you found the cause
   • States the action you took and the result
   • Shares what you now do differently

2. Describe a time you had to persuade a senior leader to change a marketing plan.

   What a good answer covers

   • Brings data and a clear recommendation
   • Understands the leader's concerns
   • Offers a small test or phased approach
   • Describes the outcome honestly

1. Your team wants to send promotional SMS and emails to a customer list. What do you check under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)?

   What a good answer covers

   • Confirms consent was obtained and for which purposes
   • Checks the Do Not Call Registry for calls and text messages
   • Includes a clear opt-out and acts on it promptly
   • Limits data use to the stated purpose
   • Involves the data protection officer where unsure

Common questions about a marketing manager job

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