Hire a demand generation manager
Demand generation managers create qualified pipeline for B2B sales teams through paid, events, content and account-based programs. Here's when you need one and how to hire well.
When to hire a demand generation manager
- Sales has capacity but not enough qualified pipeline
- Pipeline comes almost entirely from founder networks or outbound
- You're spending on paid and events but can't say what it returns
What it costs
Base salaries on full-time growth marketing posts on HeyMarketers run $206k to $217k (median $209k, from 7 posts with published pay in the last 12 months).
- Job post
- Free
- AI Talent Agent
- $399 per role
- Concierge recruiting
- $6,000 flat
Recruiting agencies typically charge 20–25% of first-year salary. On a $209k hire that's $42k–$52k.
How competitive it is
57 growth marketing roles are open on HeyMarketers right now, 37% of them remote. Companies hiring include Fivetran, OpenAI, Dovetail, Airbnb, Stripe. Good candidates have options, so move quickly and publish your pay range.
Tools other employers ask for: SQL (29%), Generative AI (27%), ChatGPT (25%), Salesforce (22%), Looker (22%).
What to look for
- Pipeline and revenue numbers they own, not lead counts
- Cost per opportunity for programs they ran
- A working relationship with sales they can describe honestly
- Comfort with your CRM and attribution
Red flags
- Success measured in MQLs alone
- Blames sales for every lead quality problem
- No view on which events are worth the money
Questions to ask
Work backward from a $10M pipeline target. What programs do you need?
Listen for: Conversion rates, deal sizes and a realistic program mix.
Sales says the leads are bad. What do you do?
Listen for: Looking at data together, agreeing definitions and fixing routing or targeting.
How do you think about attribution?
Listen for: Using several models and admitting their limits.
What's the best program you've run and its cost per opportunity?
Listen for: Specific numbers and why it worked.
See all demand generation manager interview questions · Job description template
The first 90 days
- Agreed lead and opportunity definitions with sales
- A pipeline model from the revenue target down to programs
- Two or three programs live with tracking to opportunity
Full-time, fractional or freelance?
Full-time for most B2B companies with a sales team. Fractional works to set up the model and hire the first demand gen marketer.
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a demand generation manager?
On full-time growth marketing job posts on HeyMarketers, base salaries run $206k to $217k, with a median of $209k. Hiring through HeyMarketers: posting a job is free, the AI Talent Agent is $399 per role, and Concierge recruiting is a flat $6,000 per full-time hire, compared with the 20–25% of first-year salary agencies typically charge.
Should I hire a full-time or fractional demand generation manager?
Full-time for most B2B companies with a sales team. Fractional works to set up the model and hire the first demand gen marketer.
How long does it take to hire?
With Concierge you get a shortlist of three screened candidates within 10 business days. Job posts and the AI Talent Agent depend on the role and how quickly you review candidates.
Are you a demand generation manager yourself? Read the career guide.