Chief Marketing Officer (San Francisco)

Human Intelligence® - Bay Area or Pacific Northwest preferred · Remote/hybrid · Equity only

About Human Intelligence®

Human Intelligence® is an early‑stage startup betting that human creativity matters more — not less — in the age of AI. We're building for the artists, writers, musicians, designers, and creators, and for the fans who still want to feel something made by a genuine human. We have world‑changing ambitions, a small excellent team, and a powerful sense of urgency.

The role

You'll own marketing end to end. Not own it in the sense of hiring a team to do it for you — own it in the sense of writing the newsletter on Tuesday, recording the podcast on Wednesday, briefing the brand designer on Thursday, and pitching the keynote vision on Friday. We need a leader who has done this at scale at a major brand and is hungry to do it again from zero, hands on the keyboard.

You'll report to the CEO and partner closely with product, engineering, and biz dev team.

The Work

• Build the brand — voice, positioning, visual identity, story
• Write and ship: newsletter, blog, social, podcast, launch copy, brand collateral
• Plan and execute campaigns that punch above an early‑stage budget
• Conceive and produce a flagship podcast or content platform (host, edit, distribute — or recruit and direct talent who can)
• Build community with creators, publishers, and the cultural press
• Own the funnel: awareness → signup → engagement → advocacy
• Hire your first one or two reports once we have product‑market fit and runway

Who you are

• 10+ years in marketing, with significant time inside a large consumer or creator brand (Adobe, Apple, Spotify, Ableton, Figma, Patreon, Substack, etc.)
• A builder who left that big brand because you missed making things yourself
• Strong writer. Not executive bullet points strong — I wrote the launch email and it converted strong
• Comfortable with audio/video production or willing to learn fast
• Have shipped a podcast, newsletter, or content series that mattered (yours or your employer's)
• Strategic enough to set a five‑year brand vision; tactical enough to A/B test a subject line
• Bonus: you understand current AI tools and can speak credibly to creators about them. Not required — we'll teach you what you don't know.

Compensation

Equity only at this stage. Meaningful equity, not symbolic. Cash compensation kicks in at the next funding round; founders are aligned with you on that timeline. If equity‑only is a non‑starter, this isn't the right role yet.

Location

Bay Area or Pacific Northwest preferred so we can work in person when it matters. Remote/hybrid otherwise.

IMPORTANT - YOUR LINKEDIN APPLICATION WILL BE IGNORED WITHOUT THIS

How to apply

Send a note to View email address on apply.placed-app.com with three things:

1. A piece of marketing work you actually made (not managed) that you're proud of. Doesn't have to be for work - if you've created something for your own amusement, even better.
2. One sentence on why human creativity matters in the AI era
3. Your LinkedIn

• No cover letters required. We'd rather see your actual human work.