Senior Marketing Manager

The Senior Marketing Manager is a new role in Ark’s Communications team, reporting to the Head of Communications. It presents an exciting opportunity for an experienced marketing professional to build a new brand, develop strategies to grow EdCity’s audience and reach, and to work across the organisation in support of Ark’s wider strategic objectives.

The Senior Marketing Manager will work closely with other members of the communications team, as well as colleagues in events, public affairs, projects, ventures and fundraising.

While this role will focus on EdCity marketing initially, it has the potential to broaden out over time, in support of other projects and initiatives at Ark.

The role includes line management of a Communications Administrator, who will be appointed at a similar time and will be responsible for marketing and event administration. 

The Senior Marketing Manager will report into Head of Communications. This role is currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office on a permanent basis working full time.

First-round interviews will take place virtually on Monday 28th April and Tuesday 29th April and second round interviews will take place in person on Wednesday 7th May.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establish and grow an engaged audience for EdCity
• Develop strategies to attract and retain target audiences across various channels
• Effectively promote events and work with the Head of Public Affairs to support efforts to drive up membership
• Lead the design and delivery of comprehensive marketing plans, including effective use of email campaigns and social media
• Analyse and evaluate campaigns – adapting and refining plans to achieve conversion and engagement targets
• Develop a value proposition and key messages for each audience group
• Ensure all communications adhere to brand guidelines, are produced to a high standard, align with key messages, and are consistent in tone
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to coordinate and amplify external communications

Key Requirements:

• Right to work in the UK
• Bachelor's degree in marketing and communications, or a related field
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in marketing, with a focus on the education sector
• Proven track record for developing and implementing successful marketing strategies
• Proven ability to build a successful brand from scratch
• Proficiency in using digital marketing tools and platforms to plan, implement and analyse marketing strategies
• Excellent writing ability and adept at tailoring messages effectively for different audiences and mediums
• Strong analytical and data-handling skills
• Strong project management skills
• Good understanding of and previous experience in the education sector (required)
• Confidence to build and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of people from inside and outside the organisation
• A proactive and results-driven mindset, with a hands-on approach to getting tasks done effectively

• Our hybrid working model aims to offer the best of both worlds, striking the right balance between in-person collaboration and remote working. You will work a minimum of two days per week in our state-of-the-art office in West London allowing you to connect with colleagues, with the flexibility to work remotely, or in the office over the remaining days
• In addition to our current hybrid working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

Ark is an education charity that exists to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Our network of 39 schools reaches traditionally underserved communities in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. We educate 30,000 pupils and have nearly 3,000 teaching staff across our network. We also incubate and scale innovative ventures, which we roll out beyond our network of schools for the benefit of teachers, pupils and the education system as a whole. Current Ventures include Ark Curriculum Plus, which equips teachers with the subject expertise needed to ensure students succeed, and Ark Start, a growing chain of nurseries offering affordable, high-quality early years education.

Recently, Ark moved to new offices at EdCity – a unique not-for-profit development in West London, in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham council. EdCity is designed to bring mission-aligned organisations together to focus on improving the lives of children, especially through education. It offers leased offices, a range of venues for training and events, and an innovation hub for the education sector to connect, collaborate and learn together.