Great marketing talent is hard to find — not because it doesn’t exist in Northeast Ohio, but because the best marketers are already employed, delivering results for someone else, and not browsing job boards. Patrice & Associates of Cleveland, led by Chuck and Sharon Helden, recruits marketing professionals proactively — reaching the candidates who aren’t on the market through direct outreach, industry relationships, and a North American network built over 35+ years. Whether you need a creative director to anchor a brand refresh, a digital marketing manager to own your paid and organic channels, or a CMO to lead your entire go-to-market function, our Cleveland recruiting team finds the right fit across skill set, culture, and long-term trajectory.
Cleveland’s marketing talent market is more robust than most organizations outside the region expect. The Greater Cleveland area is home to a significant concentration of regional and national brand headquarters, agency holding companies, healthcare marketing operations, and hospitality and food service brands — all competing for experienced marketing professionals. Cleveland Heights and the inner-ring communities, Beachwood, Mayfield Heights, and Independence each have active marketing employer bases. Our footprint extends to Akron, Sandusky, and Erie, PA — giving our Cleveland team the regional coverage to find the right candidate regardless of where in Northeast Ohio or Western Pennsylvania they’re currently working.
Our Cleveland team places marketing professionals across the full functional spectrum — from brand and creative leadership to digital, data, and communications roles. For VP and C-suite marketing searches requiring full confidentiality, our executive search practice manages the engagement end to end. Reach out to Patrice & Associates of Cleveland, Ohio to discuss your specific hiring need.
Marketing talent needs span every industry — and our Cleveland recruiting team places marketing professionals across all of them. Key sectors we serve include:
Marketing is one of the hardest disciplines to recruit for precisely because culture fit matters so much. A brilliant strategist who doesn’t align with your brand’s voice, values, or pace will underperform regardless of their credentials. Our Cleveland team learns your organization first — your brand, your team dynamics, your competitive positioning, and the specific outcomes this hire must drive — before we ever reach out to a candidate. That discovery process is what allows us to present candidates who are genuinely the right fit, not just the right resume. Combined with our North American database of over 700,000 candidates and proactive direct outreach to currently employed marketing professionals, we consistently surface talent that job boards simply can’t.
Our Cleveland recruiting office places marketing talent throughout the region, including:
One call to our Cleveland office covers the full regional footprint — no territory restrictions, no multiple agency relationships, no handoffs.
Marketing employers and organizations across Northeast Ohio trust Chuck and Sharon Helden to find the right creative and strategic talent.
We recruit across the full marketing function — brand strategy, digital marketing, content, social media, SEO, email, PR, market research, product marketing, and creative leadership. We place both individual contributors and senior leaders, from Social Media Managers and Digital Marketing Managers up through Directors of Marketing, VPs of Marketing, and Chief Marketing Officers.
We recruit marketing talent across all industries. While our roots are in hospitality and food service, our Cleveland team places marketers in healthcare, technology, manufacturing, consumer products, professional services, retail, and more. If your organization needs a strong marketing hire in Northeast Ohio or Western Pennsylvania, we can help regardless of your industry.
We start with a deep discovery conversation about your brand, your team, your marketing philosophy, and what success looks and feels like in your organization. We then assess candidates not just on technical skills and experience but on creative sensibility, communication style, leadership approach, and alignment with your brand’s voice and values. Culture fit in marketing isn’t subjective — it’s something we build a framework around for every search.
Yes. We recruit for both in-house marketing teams at brands and corporations and for agency-side roles at marketing, creative, and communications agencies. The candidate profiles differ significantly, and our team knows how to identify and attract talent from each environment.
Most marketing searches in the Greater Cleveland and Akron markets result in a qualified candidate presentation within a few weeks of engagement. CMO and VP-level searches may take somewhat longer given the smaller candidate pool at those levels and the additional depth of our vetting process for senior roles.
Every placement made by Patrice & Associates is backed by a replacement guarantee. If a placed candidate doesn’t work out within the guarantee period, we restart the search at no additional charge. Contact our Cleveland office for specific guarantee terms.
Tell us about your brand, the role, and what a great hire looks like for your team. Chuck and Sharon Helden will take it from there — handling direct outreach, vetting, and candidate presentation so you spend your time making a great decision, not sorting through resumes. Contact our Cleveland recruiting office today to get started.
Laura T. says that Chuck Helden went about and beyond!Working with Chuck Helden was an absolute game-changer in my career. From the day he reached out to me, he took the time to truly understand my goals, skills, and what I was looking for in my next role. His insight into the industry, personalized guidance, and constant support throughout the process were unmatched.
Thanks to his efforts, I landed my dream job, a role that not only aligns perfectly with my aspirations but also challenges and excites me every day. Chuck went above and beyond, advocating for me at every step and ensuring I was fully prepared for interviews and negotiations.
I can’t thank him enough for his dedication, professionalism, and belief in my potential. If you’re looking for someone who genuinely cares about your career success, I wholeheartedly recommend Chuck Helden.
Thank you, Laura T.
Remzi Yilmaz“Patricia’s approach to searching for candidates allows her to find top notch prospects each and every time. She has the ability to know exactly what qualifications we are looking for when a vacancy becomes available. I appreciate Patricia’s enthusiasm, tailored approach, consistent communication and follow up when recruiting for our company. She is truly a wonderful partner!”
