Chief Marketing Officer

Ayr Wellness

6d•Remote

About The Position

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) will lead Ayr Wellness’s marketing strategy and organization, building customer preference and loyalty in a complex, highly regulated cannabis market where many traditional paid-media channels are restricted. The role will use brand education, in-store experiences, organic search, SEO, local outreach, customer insight, retail and CPG brand positioning, and appropriate use of AI to drive measurable commercial results. The CMO will build and lead a national marketing organization serving both medical patients and adult-use consumers across eight state markets, more than 90 dispensaries, and multiple wholesale channels. The organization is structured around Creative, Digital, and Marketing Operations and covers brand, education, CRM, loyalty, local execution, and measurement. The CMO is a member of the executive leadership team, leads approximately 20 marketing professionals, and manages an annual budget of approximately $6 million. The role partners with Retail, Wholesale, Commercial, Operations, Technology, Finance, People Operations, Legal, and Compliance. The CMO will monitor regulatory developments and potential access to major advertising platforms, and prepare to use newly available channels when permitted. The role is primarily remote-based, with frequent site visits and travel of up to 50% across Ayr’s markets, including overnight travel. Flexible scheduling is required, including occasional evenings and weekends, sometimes with little notice.

Requirements

At least 15 years of progressive marketing leadership, including C-suite responsibility.
Demonstrated success driving profitable growth through brand development, digital marketing, CRM, loyalty, and local execution.
Experience managing budgets, agencies, and multidisciplinary teams.
Financial fluency and analytical rigor, including command of marketing attribution, incrementality testing, media-mix analysis, and investment cases linking spend to profitable growth.
Experience partnering with Technology on ecommerce, customer data, marketing platforms, and measurement.
Proficiency with CRM, compliant email/SMS, digital menus, SEO infrastructure, analytics, and permitted advertising channels.
Ability to adapt quickly to regulatory change, competitive pressure, and price compression, and to operate effectively in a complex, evolving environment with competing priorities.
Executive communication skills and experience presenting to leadership teams and Boards.
Must be at least 21 and able to satisfy state cannabis regulatory requirements, including background checks and registration or badging in Ayr’s markets.
Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Able to work flexible days and times, including occasional evenings and weekends, sometimes with little notice.
Able to travel up to 50% across Ayr’s markets, including overnight travel.

Nice To Haves

Three or more years of direct legal-cannabis experience preferred.
Experience in CPG, alcohol, tobacco, or regulated retail.
Experience in other highly regulated consumer industries, including managing advertising restrictions, product claims, and market-specific approval processes.
Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a national marketing strategy aligned with company, financial, and market priorities, translating it into operating plans, investment priorities, campaigns, and measurable outcomes.
Partner with Retail, Brand, and Wholesale leaders to grow customer acquisition, retention, visit frequency, average transaction value, and profitable sales.
Establish clear ownership for market-specific marketing strategy and execution.
Support new store openings, market expansion, acquisitions, and brand integration.
Set corporate, retail, and product brand positioning, architecture, and customer value propositions.
Build brand awareness, trust, differentiation, and consideration in each market using customer insight, storytelling, and permitted channels.
Own consumer research, competitive intelligence, segmentation, and customer insight development.
Collaborate with Product Development, Cultivation, Manufacturing, and Commercial to identify market gaps and launch products across flower, edibles, concentrates, and vapes, with compliant packaging, merchandising, and wholesale marketing.
Set consistent creative standards, messaging, and brand guidelines across customer touchpoints, and develop digital and in-store activations for CPG brands around seasonal moments.
Lead accurate, audience- and market-specific education for adult-use consumers and medical patients, including product formats, cannabinoid profiles, dosing, onset and duration, consumption methods, and responsible use, subject to expert and Legal and Compliance review.
Provide dispensary teams with approved educational materials that support informed product selection and consistent customer conversations; ensure content avoids unsupported health claims and aligns with approved product information and applicable requirements.
Own marketing across the customer journey, including CRM, email/SMS lifecycle marketing, personalization, and loyalty programs, with appropriate consent, eligibility, and compliance controls.
Use segmentation, campaign testing, control groups, and incremental-results measurement to improve customer retention and value.
Partner with Finance and Commercial leadership on loyalty engagement, promotional effectiveness, margins, and rewards liability; work with Retail and customer service teams on feedback, reviews, and service recovery.
Own website and ecommerce strategy, including SEO, local and answer-engine optimization, listings management, and digital content; improve the path from discovery to menu browsing, ordering, and in-store purchase.
Partner with Retail and Technology to optimize digital menus and merchandising, including Dutchie, for discovery, conversion, and basket size.
Direct paid, owned, and earned media investments across permitted channels and partner with Technology on marketing requirements, platform roadmaps, customer data quality, integrations, and analytics.
Ensure digital campaigns and customer experiences meet accessibility, privacy, brand, and compliance requirements; build an omnichannel strategy connecting dispensaries, ecommerce, loyalty, communications, local listings, and events.
Partner with the Chief Revenue Officer to monetize the ecommerce site, including paid placements for third-party brands.
Own campaign planning, production workflows, calendars, and coordination across national and local teams; establish processes for creative intake, prioritization, approvals, asset management, and distribution.
Oversee marketing tools in partnership with Technology, including architecture, integrations, security, and support; manage agency delivery, vendors, budget tracking, and campaign reporting while improving speed and efficiency.
Build local market plans informed by customer behavior, competitive conditions, store performance, and local opportunities; equip field teams with campaign calendars, merchandising guidance, launch materials, and execution standards.
Lead community engagement, partnerships, events, reputation management, PR, earned media, brand ambassador programs, and budtender education; coordinate crisis communications with leadership and Legal and Compliance.
Coordinate promotional strategy with Retail, Commercial, and Finance to support profitable growth.
Own the marketing budget, agency relationships, vendor performance, and resource allocation; establish a common marketing scorecard and report business impact to leadership and the Board.
Evaluate results using customer acquisition cost, retention, lifetime value, conversion, incremental sales, and contribution margin.
Partner with Legal and Compliance on state-specific review and approval of advertising, packaging, labeling, product claims, promotions, events, age restrictions, consent, and customer communications.
Maintain standards aligned with cannabis advertising requirements and channel policies; verify permitted activities before campaigns launch and ensure approved assets, documented approvals, staff training, and timely updates when requirements change.
Use AI and automation to improve productivity with appropriate data protection, human review, and accountability.
Build and lead Creative, Digital, and Marketing Operations, clarifying ownership, developing talent, and fostering accountability, collaboration, and disciplined experimentation.
Align internal teams and external partners around shared priorities and measurable results, and serve as the executive voice for the customer in company decisions.