ConstantHire Publication
Finding the Right Leader for Your Ecommerce Team

Ecommerce Marketing Managers: What They Do and How to Hire One

Learn what an ecommerce marketing manager does, how to hire one, and what skills to prioritize. Discover expert hiring insights from Constant Hire.
Connor Gross
Connor Gross
November 12, 2025
Ecommerce Marketing Managers: What They Do and How to Hire One
Reading time:
5
min.
Table of Content

Every ecommerce brand reaches that point where campaigns are running, sales are steady, and growth feels within reach but coordination starts to slip. Creative, paid, and retention teams all work in silos, and nobody’s fully owning performance. That’s when you know it’s time to hire an Ecommerce Marketing Manager.

Before jumping into job ads or recruiters, it helps to understand what this role really does and how it fits within your brand’s structure. Many businesses work with an experienced ecommerce recruitment agency to make this process easier, especially when they need someone who can bridge strategy and execution without a long onboarding curve.

Below, we’ll break down what makes a great ecommerce marketing manager, how to assess candidates, and where to find people who can actually drive measurable growth.

Essential Takeaways

  • Ecommerce marketing managers connect creative, paid, and lifecycle efforts into one performance-driven strategy.

  • Look for data fluency, cross-channel understanding, and leadership experience, not just platform expertise.

  • Hiring through specialized recruiters shortens time-to-hire and improves fit.

  • Align the role around your current growth stage and existing team setup.

The Role: More Than Just Campaign Management

Ecommerce marketing managers are often the quiet power behind sustained revenue growth. They sit between leadership and marketing execution, translating brand goals into structured plans.

Day to day, that means managing:

  • Paid and organic acquisition channels
  • Conversion rate and site merchandising strategy
  • Email, SMS, and retention programs
  • Cross-functional campaign calendars

They’re not just managing ads or email flows, they’re connecting performance across the funnel. The strongest candidates combine analytics, creative direction, and people management in one role.

For smaller teams, this person might also double as an Ecommerce Manager, handling both site performance and marketing direction. You can learn more about how that structure works in our ecommerce manager recruitment guide.

Key Skills to Prioritize

When hiring, focus on integration over specialization. A great ecommerce marketing manager won’t just know how Meta or Google Ads work, they’ll understand how each channel complements the others.

Here’s what to look for:

  • Analytical confidence: They should be comfortable interpreting data from GA4, Shopify, or Looker Studio.

  • Lifecycle awareness: Understanding how acquisition feeds retention and vice versa.

  • Leadership and collaboration: Managing creative freelancers, agencies, or internal specialists.

  • Testing mindset: A willingness to experiment with landing pages, ad variations, and new channels.

You can train tools, but you can’t teach instinct. The best hires are commercially curious. They want to know why something worked, not just that it did.

When to Hire Full-Time vs. Fractional

For startups or DTC brands under $5M annual revenue, hiring a full-time ecommerce marketing manager might stretch the budget too soon. In those cases, consider a fractional or contract model.

Fractional managers bring big-brand experience on flexible terms. They can:

  • Audit your performance setup

  • Build short-term testing frameworks

  • Mentor junior marketers

Once you reach consistent monthly revenue, you can transition to full-time leadership without disrupting performance. This staged approach also helps clarify what kind of person you actually need before committing long-term.

Avoiding the “Hybrid Confusion” Trap

A common hiring mistake? Expecting one person to handle paid ads, SEO, creative, and CRO all at once. That kind of hybrid role often burns people out and leads to mediocre performance across every channel.

Instead, clarify whether you need a marketing manager (focused on traffic, conversion, and performance) or a brand manager (focused on storytelling and positioning). Overlap is fine but your job description should make the primary focus clear.

If you’re unsure how to structure responsibilities, partnering with a recruiter who understands ecommerce roles helps you benchmark correctly and avoid mismatched expectations.

Where to Find the Right Candidates

Good ecommerce marketing managers rarely apply cold through job boards. They’re usually discovered through referrals, recruiter outreach, or niche industry communities.

Here’s where to look:

  • LinkedIn and niche Slack groups for DTC and ecommerce professionals
  • Referrals from freelancers or agencies you already work with
  • Recruiters who specialize in ecommerce or digital marketing roles

Working with a targeted recruiter means you get pre-vetted talent who already know the tools, platforms, and growth challenges you’re facing. They can filter out the noise so you only spend time on serious candidates.

Interview Questions That Reveal True Skill

Skip the generic “What’s your biggest strength?” questions. Instead, use real-scenario questions that show how they think:

  • How would you increase retention if paid ads stopped performing tomorrow?

  • What’s the last test you ran that didn’t work and what did you learn from it?

  • How do you balance creative intuition with data-led decision making?

Look for depth, not rehearsed answers. Strong candidates will be transparent about mistakes and curious about what drives results.

So, How Do You Hire the Right One?

Hiring an ecommerce marketing manager isn’t about chasing the flashiest resume, it’s about finding someone who can connect dots across your business and build momentum that lasts.

Start by defining the key outcomes you want from the role. Use documentation and clear KPIs. Then, lean on a trusted ecommerce recruitment agency to handle outreach, screening, and negotiation.

Whether you hire full-time or fractional, the right manager will help you scale faster, streamline your performance, and build a structure for sustainable growth.

Constant Hire works with ecommerce brands worldwide to recruit specialists who can move the needle without the complexity of traditional hiring.

Connor Gross

Connor Gross helps fast-growing DTC brands and agencies hire top talent across marketing, creative, ops, and sales. From E‑com Managers to TikTok Creators and Heads of Growth, he knows what great looks like — and how to recruit it.

Updated:
November 12, 2025

See If ConstantHire Can Save You 20+ Hours & Find Better Talent

Top talent on your calendar in under 5 days.