Customer Growth Marketing Manager

Saga Group; Folkestone; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Marketing Manager focused on Customer Growth for River Cruises. This exciting role involves orchestrating multi-channel marketing campaigns, managing budgets, and collaborating with various teams to ensure exceptional customer experiences. You'll be at the forefront of innovative marketing strategies, driving success in a dynamic environment. If you're a creative self-starter with a passion for travel and marketing, this is the perfect opportunity to make an impact and grow your career in a supportive and inclusive workplace.

Benefits

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Option to purchase additional leave

Pension scheme matched up to 10%

Company performance-related annual bonus

Colleague discounts on cruises

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Access to Saga Academy for learning

Income protection

Grandparents leave

Qualifications

• Experience managing marketing budgets and campaigns.
• Strong communication and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage marketing campaigns for River Cruise effectively.
• Collaborate with teams to design seamless customer journeys.

Skills

Project Management

Marketing Strategy

Communication Skills

Creative Problem Solving

Budget Management

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Marketing or related field

Experience in B2C marketing

Tools

CRM Software

Media Planning Tools

Job description

Marketing Manager – Customer Growth – River Cruise

Salary £45,000 to £55,000 depending on experience

Permanent

Hybrid / Home and Folkestone

The Saga River Cruise Marketing team are seeking a new Marketing Manager to own the Customer Growth Strategy for all things River Cruise. You will play a pivotal role in driving the success of all marketing comms for Rivers across a multi-channel function.

You will be joining a high performing team, reporting directly to the Head of Cruise Marketing and working closely with our CMO, Head of Digital and Head of CRM.

As the Customer Growth Marketing Manager you will facilitate and orchestrate the marketing campaigns. Planning delivery in line with the season cruise calendar. Creating marketing plans to deliver our River Cruise targets for Gross Pax and Gross Revenue. Collaborating across all relevant Marketing teams and stakeholders. Planning and executing ATL media plans, including briefing the media agency, managing plans and budgets. Also managing PR – and the relationship with our PR consultant.

It's truly a non-stop exciting Marketing opportunity! Where you can be your natural creative self, bringing fresh ideas and travel inspiration to the River Cruise Campaigns.

We work in a hybrid way at Saga both at home and in the office. You will be required to work from Folkestone 3 days a week.

Role Responsibility

• Manages the campaigns for Saga Rivers – delivering the best-in-class marketing communications in an organised, timely and effective manner.
• The marketing plans need to deliver and achieve business targets.
• Leading the coordination of relevant stakeholders across Marketing, CRM and Digital teams, including chairing marketing planning and delivery meetings to provide ongoing clarity on roles, actions, timelines and dependencies.
• Orchestrating cross-channel planning of activity across PR, email, DM, website and paid media channels.
• Proactively collaborating with CRM and Digital teams to design and create seamless customer journeys and content throughout campaigns to ensure customers have the best experience.
• Supporting the CRM and Digital teams with continued and extended Test & Learn application across all activity, adopting best practice and improving CPA.
• Working with the CRM, Digital and external Media teams to ensure all activity is tracked, reported on and collated into a single view of the Campaign results, chairing the monthly performance meetings.
• Work with the insight team to test creative and messaging to different customer cohorts to keep communications fresh and relevant.
• Brief and execute ATL media plan, working closely with our Media agency and working to budget.
• Reporting on the performance of ATL channels, identifying trends and opportunities and feeding this data and insight to key stakeholders.
• Work with Media agency to review competitor activity to ensure our product is portrayed in the best possible and most cost-effective way across all channels.
• Explore new media partnership opportunities and manage the relationship, sharing content across all channels and managing the promotional plans of the onboard activities or unique itineraries on Rivers.
• Work with the Media agency to explore new opportunities in the ATL space, testing new platforms e.g. Podcasts and Radio partnerships.
• Project manage content creation, from sourcing and briefing suitable agencies to orchestrating shoots onboard and ashore.
• Supporting Head of Marketing, Marketing Director with preparation of marketing documents and supporting in general marketing activities and requests.

The Ideal Candidate

You will have already worked as a Marketing Manager, ideally in an omni-channel function, B2C business. Ideally, you will have some prior knowledge of travel and cruises. Especially focussed on the European Waterways. You will also need to demonstrate;

• Experience of managing 6 figure marketing budgets.
• Be a project manager and strong communicator – able to bring teams together to meet goals, and report on performance confidently to key stakeholders.
• Be able to work in matrix teams, building solid working relationships across the marketing team and with external agencies/partners – collaboration is paramount!
• You will be a self-starter who is able to create solutions and not wait for a brief- with a natural creative flair!
• Knowledge of the industry’s latest trends with proven experience in applying insights to improve business performance.
• Previous experience in a large consumer-facing organisation, ideally in the travel sector.
• Strong growth and performance mentality, innovating and exploring new opportunities beyond the default approach.

Saga Values: Make it Happen, Do the Right Thing, Customer First, Excellence Every Day, Our People Make Us Special

Package Description

Everyday our colleagues deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. We believe exceptional work deserves even more exceptional rewards, that's why we have put together an amazing benefits package for all colleagues.

BENEFITS AVAILABLE TO ALL COLLEAGUES:

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Option to purchase additional leave up to 5 extra days
• Pension scheme matched up to 10%
• Company performance related annual bonus - Up to 5%
• Colleague discounts including family discounts on cruises and holidays
• Range of reductions and offers from leading retailers, travel groups and entertainment companies
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Grandparents leave
• Income protection
• Access to Saga Academy, our bespoke learning platform

About the Company

Over the past 70 years we have become the UK's specialist provider of products and services to people aged over 50 in the UK. We’re one of the most recognised and trusted brands amongst UK consumers in this demographic, recognised for its high-quality products and exceptional standards of service. Our product portfolio includes cruises, holidays, insurance, personal finance products and our Saga Magazine.

We aim to be the most-trusted brand for older people in the UK. Our focus on delivering exceptional products and service empowers our colleagues to create moments that are personal and special for our customers and for each other. Our values underpin our approach and help guide us to deliver our purpose.

We’re committed to making sure that colleagues can be their best, be themselves and make a difference – more than anywhere else. We do this by creating a truly inclusive culture, where all colleagues can bring their full and authentic selves to work and be treated with dignityand respect in an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment.

Thanks to our people, Saga has been ranked 6th in the UK’s Best Employers 2025 by the Financial Times and Statista. This recognition, based on the voices of 20,000 employees across the UK, is a testament to the great culture we’ve built together. This award belongs to all our colleagues who collectively make Saga a fantastic place to work.

We are champions of age inclusivity and signatories of the Age-Friendly Employer Pledge, we are proud of our multigenerational teams we have in place. We’re also a committed Disability Confident employer and ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible.

Your application will have fair consideration, and you’ll receive personal communication throughout your applicant journey when you apply to join Saga.

For more information on our DEI policies, colleague stories and other opportunities across the business, please visit Jobs and careers with Saga

Saga does not accept agency CVs unless specifically engaged on the role by the Talent Acquisition Team. Please do not forward CVs to our recruiters, employees or any other company location. Saga will not be responsible for any fees related to CVs received in this unsolicited manner.

Salary from £45000 to £55000 depending on experience