Roles we hunt
Head of Digital Recruitment
A Head of Digital runs what customers use online: the website, apps, ecommerce, digital channels and the data behind them. AI now sits inside most of those channels, in search, personalisation, content and service chat, and this is the person who decides which tools earn their place.
How is AI changing the Head of Digital role?
A big part of the job is now deciding what AI does across the channels: which interactions get automated, what data the tools can use, and who checks output before a customer sees it. Get it wrong and you end up with a chatbot giving customers wrong answers. If you’re also weighing up a dedicated AI leader, read how to hire a Chief AI Officer first.
What skills does a Head of Digital need?
Good people speak marketing and technology. The ones worth hiring can:
- Put a commercial result against their digital work.
- Explain which AI tools they put into production, what they cost, and which they switched off.
- Say how customer data is handled in AI tools, and who signs off.
When is a Head of Digital worth headhunting?
If the role is well defined and the pay is at market, an ad can work. Headhunt when you need a specific mix, say ecommerce plus data plus hands-on AI, and the people who have it are employed and doing well. We headhunt rather than recruit, with no keyword screening. See how it works, or compare a CMO or Head of Growth hire.
How does Headhuntly run a Head of Digital search?
Like every Headhuntly executive search, it’s exclusive: one client, one role, complete focus. Before we approach anyone, we define three profiles, your company, the role and the person. If the brief isn’t settled yet, we help you set the KPIs and a 30, 60, 90 day framework first.
Then we go after people who aren’t looking. Based on the Gold Coast, hunting Australia-wide. Overseas too, when the right person is there. A typical search takes 3 to 6 weeks.
We charge 15% of the placed candidate's base salary plus super, plus an engagement fee, the placement fee on signed employment contract, the engagement fee upfront, which we walk you through on the first call. If the placement doesn’t work out during probation, we start the hunt again. The detail is on how it works.
Hiring across marketing more broadly? Our marketing recruitment agency page covers every marketing and digital role we hunt.
Related roles
Questions, answered
Is a Head of Digital the same as a CMO?
No. A CMO owns the whole marketing function and the brand. A Head of Digital owns the digital channels, platforms and data, including the AI tools in them, and often reports to the CMO or CEO. In smaller businesses one person can cover both.
How do you test whether a Head of Digital is genuinely AI-fluent?
Ask which AI tools they've put into production and what each one did to a number the business cares about. Then ask what went wrong. People who have done it answer with specifics. Tool names without a result attached usually mean they haven't.
How long does it take to hire a Head of Digital?
Allow 3 to 6 weeks for a typical search. Agree what the role owns, who it reports to and what success looks like in the first 90 days, and it moves faster.
What does Headhuntly charge?
15% of the base salary plus super, paid on signed employment contract, plus an engagement fee upfront, which we walk you through on the first call. If the placement doesn't work out during probation, we run the search again.
Hiring a Head of Digital?
Tell us about the role. We’ll tell you straight whether it needs a headhunt, and what the search would look like.