Associate Director - Marketing and Communications

MAIN PURPOSE

The Associate Director - Marketing & Communications is responsible for providing leadership & strategic direction for BUCS' marketing & communications in line with our strategic objectives. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Associate Director - Marketing & Communications will contribute to the collective leadership & strategic development of BUCS, whilst retaining specific delegated responsibility for the organisation's marketing & communications agenda.

As a leader in an ambitious & transforming organisation, the Associate Director - Marketing & Communications will be responsible for shaping & driving a contemporary marketing & communications approach that increases the profile, reach & reputation of BUCS, supports organisational strategy outcomes & strengthens the value we provide to students, member institutions & partners.

The Associate Director - Marketing & Communications will use professional marketing expertise to build commercial potential & support the effective servicing of commercial partners, whilst ensuring that the marketing & communications needs of members remain central to BUCS' approach. This will include developing creative & effective approaches to marketing with & to students, supporting increased entries to BUCS sport events & programmes & delegates at member events, increasing BUCS' profile in sport & in Higher Education, & ensuring that BUCS' broadcast profile supports organisational strategy outcomes.

Reporting to the CEO, the Associate Director - Marketing & Communications will provide strategic leadership for the effective development & delivery of BUCS' activity in this area, ensuring that content, campaigns, channels & platforms are aligned to organisational priorities & the needs of our audiences.

The Associate Director - Marketing & Communications will work closely with the Senior Leadership Team, Management Team, members, participants, partners & wider stakeholders to ensure that BUCS' marketing & communications activity is creative, contemporary, inclusive & impactful.

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide strategic leadership to BUCS' marketing & communications functions, ensuring activity is innovative, contemporary, dynamic & aligned to organisational strategy.
• Develop & deliver a strategic marketing & communications programme that increases the reach, reputation & influence of BUCS across higher education, sport & wider stakeholder audiences, whilst creating value for members, participants & partners.
• Work as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to collective organisational leadership, strategic decision-making & the delivery of BUCS' wider strategic priorities, with appropriate budget management & responsibilities.
• Develop creative & contemporary approaches to marketing with & to students, using insight to increase engagement, support entries to BUCS sport events & generate excitement & momentum with students for BUCS sporting offer & partner activations.
• Lead high-quality corporate & member communications, ensuring BUCS' voice is active on key issues & milestones & that members receive the information they need & drive attendance at member events.
• Drive respectful & fruitful member relationships, securing member & participant voice & ensuring marketing, communications & content reflect the diverse range of students & members we serve, including developing BUCS' platforming of students as authentic voices & creators.
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Sport & relevant colleagues to promote the BUCS sport portfolio & maximise opportunities through events, broadcast, storytelling & social media.
• Ensure that BUCS' broadcast & content profile supports organisational strategy outcomes, using key moments in the BUCS programme to extend reach, reputation & impact.
• Use research, insight & performance data to inform marketing & communications activity, evaluate impact & support key messaging, audience development, partner reporting & the BUCS annual Impact Report.
• Lead the evolution, development & application of BUCS' brand & visual identity, ensuring consistently high standards of graphic design & creative presentation organisation wide.
• Work with commercial colleagues to use marketing expertise to build BUCS' commercial potential, develop effective propositions & provide high-quality marketing & communications support to commercial partners & contributing to commercial stakeholder engagement.
• Support the effective design, development & use of BUCS' digital platforms & tools, maximising their contribution to marketing, communications & audience engagement.
• Optimise marketing & communications policies, systems & processes, overseeing relevant suppliers & resources & providing effective management information to support decision-making.

STAFF

• Ensure that BUCS has an exceptional staffing experience within the marketing & communications function by establishing cultural & management practices that enable staff to thrive.
• Drive an organisational culture within the marketing & communications function that is founded on the BUCS values of respectfulness, inclusiveness, dynamism & innovation, measuring the impact of this with colleagues & stakeholders, including the Head of Belonging.
• Lead the development of initiatives that encourage creativity, collaboration & open communication, building confidence & trust as a platform for exceptional organisational performance.
• Lead the professional development of colleagues in the team, ensuring access to appropriate training, development & professional support that enables staff & the organisation to thrive.
• Design, deliver training & support, monitor & evaluate relevant staff performance review processes ensuring that they drive a transparent, fair & equitable basis for the assessment of staff performance, enabling BUCS & its people to thrive, driving personal & organisational success.
• Provide support to colleagues as required, including one-to-one, mentoring & access to specialists.
• Ensure that team members understand the strategic priorities of BUCS & can translate these into creative, effective & measurable activity.
• Support a culture in which staff are encouraged to innovate, test new approaches, learn from activity & respond dynamically to changing audience & organisational needs.

OTHER

• Actively role model the BUCS values & integrate these into our policies & practices.
• Contribute as a member of the Senior Leadership Team to the collective leadership, strategic development & organisational performance of BUCS.
• Promote the organisation externally & represent the BUCS brand with the highest of standards.
• Act as a senior advocate for the role of marketing & communications in delivering participant value, member value & organisational health.
• Act on any other reasonable request of the CEO or Board.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

BUCS is a Disability Confident Committed & Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity & are committed to fostering an inclusive & supportive work environment. We make all employment decisions without regard to age, national origin, race, ethnicity, religion, belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Research shows that some people don't apply for a role if they feel they do not meet 100% of the person specification. We encourage you to apply for this role if you feel you meet the key skills & knowledge listed below, even if you feel you do not have all of them. We are passionate about identifying the right people to help us develop & thrive.

Essential knowledge or experience

• Senior experience with a proven ability to lead, develop & motivate others to fulfil their potential.
• Significant professional experience, with a strong understanding of current & emerging marketing practice, audience engagement & communications channels to develop & deliver marketing & communications strategies that contribute to organisational objectives.
• Development of creative & effective marketing approaches that engage students with BUCS' offer.
• Development of high-quality corporate communications programmes that build organisational profile, reputation & influence.
• Experience of developing targeted communications for members, customers & other defined audiences.
• Marketing-led support of commercial development, partner value & the creation of new opportunities, understanding the sensitivities of working in a membership organisation & with corporate partners.
• Development of holistic change programmes that drive transformation through professional development, resources & support tools.
• Leading high-level projects with significant dependencies & applying relevant risk & assurance protocols, working strategically with senior leaders & governance structures to influence organisational development & decision-making.
• Use of audience insight, data & performance measures to develop & evaluate marketing & communications activity.
• Understanding of operational & project planning protocols & knowledge of how to monitor & evaluate impact of workstreams aligned to organisational metrics.
• Understanding of the role of digital platforms, channels & user experience in high performing digital content, social media, written content, broadcast, livestream &/or PR & communications.

Essential skills & abilities

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