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Digital growth managers: What they do & how to hire one

Article originally published in February 2024 by Stuart Brameld. Most recent update in April 2024.

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Hiring a digital growth manager can be the key to growing your business online. They have the expertise to create and implement strategies that increase visibility, drive website traffic, and boost sales.

“Every modern business should have a digital growth manager because this role is vital for leveraging digital channels, technologies and strategies to grow the business’s online presence, engage with customers, and ultimately drive more sales.”


Stuart Brameld, Growth Method CEO & Growth Advisor

Growth & growth marketing on the rise

According to Google Trends, worldwide interested in growth marketing has increased substantially over the last 15 years, and continues to grow.

The LinkedIn 2023 Jobs on the Rise list examines millions of jobs started by LinkedIn members across the last 5 years. The results reveal the 25 fastest-growing job titles over the past five years, the most in-demand roles and emerging trends defining the future world of work.

Growth and growth marketing related roles were consistently placed in the top 10 fastest-growing roles worldwide, with 2 growth-related roles in the UK’s top 10 fastest-growing jobs.

What is the role of a digital growth manager

A digital growth manager plays a pivotal role within a company. They’re akin to captains steering a ship, focused on developing and implementing cutting-edge growth strategies to support the company’s overall objectives. These strategies are devised with a deep understanding of the entire customer lifecycle, delineated in the framework known as AARRR (Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, Revenue). The digital growth manager’s role also involves making data-driven decisions to maximise those different stages and promote customer engagement.

Alongside this, a digital growth manager fosters a culture of experimentation, encouraging continuous learning, adaptation and innovation in the company. They routinely conduct experiments to determine the best methods of achieving growth. This role is not just about maintaining the status quo; it’s about challenging it, pushing boundaries, and searching for new ways to accelerate company growth, always in line with the overarching growth strategy. Therefore, a digital growth manager plays a critical role in shaping a company’s future.

What makes a great growth hire?

A modern growth hire requires a wide base level of knowledge, along with deep expertise in one or two areas well-suited to your business.

The T-Shaped Marketer framework popularised by Buffer illustrates the concept well.

“The vertical bar on the T represents the depth of related skills and expertise in a single field, whereas the horizontal bar is the ability to collaborate across disciplines with experts in other areas and to apply knowledge in areas of expertise other than one’s own.”


https://buffer.com/resources/t-shaped-marketer/

Required skills for a digital growth manager

Here are some of the core traits and skills of a good digital growth manager.

Traits Description/Detail
1. Analytical Skills A great digital growth manager has the ability to analyse data and use this to drive strategy and decisions.
2. Strategic Thinking This is the ability to plan for the future, set goals, and determine actions to achieve those goals.
3. Familiarity with Digital Marketing Tools They have knowledge in using digital marketing tools and technology platforms, like Google Analytics, SEO tools, and social media platforms.
4. Innovation A great digital growth manager isn’t afraid to try new tactics, test hypotheses, and innovate to drive growth.
5. Communication Skills They’re able to effectively convey ideas, strategies, and data results to teams, stakeholders, and clients.
6. Leadership An effective digital growth manager is a strong leader who inspires their team to reach greater heights.
7. Adaptability They’re flexible and able to adapt their strategy when the market or business environment changes.
8. Understanding of SEO and SEM A solid understanding of SEO (search engine optimisation) and SEM (search engine marketing) is crucial in driving organic and paid digital growth.
9. Project Management Skills They can organise tasks, manage resources, and lead projects to successful completion on time.
10. Customer-Oriented A great digital growth manager always considers the customer’s needs and designs strategies with the end-user in mind.

Digital growth manager salary

Depending on experience and location, salaries for skilled digital growth manager’s are typically in the ranges below:

For more information you can view active job postings for growth marketing manager roles on LinkedIn here.

  • The average salary for a Digital Growth Manager in the UK is approximately £42,000 per year.
  • In the US, the average salary for a Digital Growth Manager is around $81,000 per year.

Hiring a digital growth manager

Looking to hire a digital growth manager? Here are our top 10 job boards for growth and growth marketing related roles.

About Growth Method

Growth Method is the growth platform designed for experiment-led and data-driven marketers.

Learn more at on our homepage, connect with Stuart on LinkedIn or schedule a call today.