Director Of Global Digital Marketing & Ecommerce

Barbour; South Shields; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A heritage lifestyle brand based in South Shields is seeking a Director Of Global Digital Marketing & Ecommerce to lead and enhance their digital strategy. This leadership role focuses on driving consumer engagement and growth across various platforms, ensuring a compelling online presence. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in digital marketing and ecommerce, along with the ability to manage a high-performing team effectively. A passion for retail and strong commercial acumen are essential for success in this role.

Benefits

Discretionary Company bonus scheme

Staff discount

Healthcare cash plan

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Qualifications

• Extensive senior-level experience in global digital marketing and ecommerce.
• Proven track record of developing and executing digital strategies.
• Ability to collaborate on testing roadmaps for improving conversion.

Responsibilities

• Lead Barbour’s global digital marketing strategy.
• Oversee the ecommerce P&L and ensure brand consistency.
• Drive consumer engagement through innovative digital experiences.

Skills

Global digital marketing

Ecommerce strategy

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Performance marketing

Consumer lifecycle marketing

Leadership

Tools

Salesforce

Shopify

Job description

Company Description

Company Description:

The Barbour story began in 1894 in South Shields in the North East of England. Founder John Barbour began supplying oilskins and other garments to protect the growing community of sailors, fishermen and dockers. Still family owned and now fifth generation, Barbour HQ remains in South Shields. Under the leadership of Chairman Dame Margaret Barbour, Barbour has grown into a lifestyle brand sold in over 55 countries worldwide including Europe, the US and Asia offering a wardrobe of stylish functional clothing, footwear and accessories inspired by the unique values of the British countryside. The iconic Barbour Bedale and Barbour Beaufort wax jackets continue to be made by hand in the factory in South Shields. In 2020, Barbour launched Wax for Life, an overarching name for all of Barbour’s wax services designed to encourage customers to extend the life of their wax garments. Wax for Life includes re-waxing and repairs (first introduced in 1921) and Barbour Re-Loved an upcycling circularity initiative. Each year over 70,000 wax garments are sent back to Barbour globally to be repaired, rewaxed or altered.

Position Overview:

We are currently recruiting for a Director Of Global Digital Marketing & Ecommerce to join our Global Brand Marketing team, based at Barbour House, South Shields. The Director Of Global Digital Marketing & Ecommerce is a critical leadership role within the Global Marketing organisation, reporting directly to the Global Marketing Director (CMO). As the steward of Barbour’s digital ecosystem this role defines how our brand shows up, performs, and the ecommerce business grows across our owned and shared channels- ensuring that the richness of our heritage, craftmanship, and product superiority is translated into contemporary, compelling, data driven digital experiences.

This role’s remit spans ecommerce, performance marketing, CRM, loyalty, content, social, influencer engagement, and full-funnel digital activation. You will champion how we reach, convert, and retain consumers online, ensuring our digital presence enriches the brand while delivering measurable, scalable commercial impact across key global markets.

This role requires a proven brand and product first, digital leader with strong commercial acumen, a deep understanding of global markets, and the ability to elevate the digital maturity of the entire organisation while remaining true to the heritage, spirit, and values that define Barbour. It will oversee the strategy, execution, optimisation, and governance of all digital touchpoints.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Digital Strategy & Leadership:

• Define and lead Barbour’s global digital marketing strategy, ensuring it strengthens brand equity, deepens consumer connection, and drives sustainable commercial growth across focus global markets

Consumer Engagement & Innovation:

• Set new expectations for our consumer eco-system, leading the evolution of new channel capabilities by fostering a culture of experimentation cross-function to create a global competitive advantage

Product Superiority & Storytelling:

• Working with the Brand Marketing team, translate the core of our seasonal campaign concepts into digital-first journeys and storytelling. Romance the product truth(s), and elevate their presentation full funnel.

Retail & Trade Commercial Calendar:

• Balancing with precision the needs of the consumer(s) globally, and our internal product launch roadmap, define a trading calendar that moves at the speed of the marketplace to remain seasonally fresh and relevant

Performance Marketing & Paid Media:

• Own the global digital media strategy across paid search, social, display, programmatic, affiliate and emerging platforms. Partner with local markets to support media frameworks, KPIs and investment efficiencies

Content, Social & Influencer Strategy:

• Lead the elevation of our digital content strategy across social. Web, CRM and paid channels. Work directly with the Comms team to maximise the influencer and ambassador relationships they curate and nurture

CRM, Loyalty & Consumer Lifecycle Marketing:

• Drive the evolution, working with Salesforce, of our consumer digital strategy inc. CRM, email, segmentation and personalisation. Enhance retention, conversation and lifetime value through insight-led best practise

Digital Experience & Omnichannel Support:

• Partner with our commercial teams and retail, to ensure brand consistency and brand enhancing experience across the marketplace. Support our omnichannel initiatives that improve our consumer journeys

Analytics, Insights & Digital Performance:

• Establish robust digital KPIs across all channels and markets, ensuring clear measurement, reporting and continuous improvement. Combine with market intelligence to inform our future strategies and local plans

Global DTC Best Practises & International Expansion:

• Comfortable owning and then implementing a long term, sustainable and profitable DTC roll-out. Working with local partners where required on solutions, with awareness of cultural nuances, fulfilment differences etc

Marketing Technology & Digital Operations:

• Strong understanding of customer data platforms (CDPs), product information systems (PIMs), and marketing automation tools that support e-commerce acceleration plus the talent needed to run the operations model.

Build A Team To All Be Proud To Be A Part Of:

• Inspire, train and develop high-performing teams across the newly merged function, helping design the wider organisation to lead the digital and ecommerce strategy. Ensure this function is a master of its own destiny.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner closely with your global counterparts, and other leaders within the global business. A trusted ally who acts with integrity and always in service of the bigger picture, an embodiment of our Barbour Values.

Budget Management:

• Oversee the ecommerce P&L, while ensuring we are appropriately funded from a demand creation perspective. Form a roster of highly capable external service providers to enable our internal teams to achieve targets

Skills and Experience

• Extensive senior-level experience in global digital marketing and ecommerce with a premium heritage, lifestyle, fashion or popular culture brand. A deep appreciation and passion for retail is mandatory.
• Proven track record of developing and executing large scale digital and ecommerce strategies that drive measurable brand and business growth. From mature to emerging markets across the globe.
• Skilled knowledge of e-commerce platform capabilities e.g. Salesforce, Shopify or equivalent enterprise systems and how marketing can optimise them, leading with our DTC offer and evolution
• Ability to collaborate on testing roadmaps (A/B, multivariate, landing pages, UX flows) using insights to improve conversion and overall site performance, emphasis on the power of product merchandising.
• Exceptional digital creative judgement with a strong eye for design, photography, styling, and visual storytelling – an appreciation for craftmanship, storytelling and premium brand expression
• Deep expertise across paid media, performance marketing, social, influencer marketing, CRM, loyalty, content and digital analytics. Specific focus on DTC e-comm nuances globally e.g. local regulations
• Strong understanding of full funnel, digital consumer journeys and conversion optimisation across global platforms and markets. Demonstrate stories of success beyond EMEA and in particular APAC.
• Commercially astute, with the ability to interpret brand performance data, consumer insights, and market trends to inform strategic decision-making. An exceptional record in digital product marketing required
• Inspiring leadership and people management skills, with experience building and motivating multi-disciplinary digital and ecommerce teams. An empathetic and human-led approach to development
• Strong collaborator and communicator, able to influence and align cross-functional stakeholders — from external partners to peers from varying functional areas, a source of inspiration within Barbour leaders
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and hands-on levels, moving seamlessly between high-level vision and executional detail. You must be comfortable with ambiguity, not be scared to get into the detail
• Highly organised and results-driven, with the ability to manage multiple global projects, priorities, and budgets effectively. At the same time navigating a privately owned and managed family business.
• Culturally aware and globally minded, with sensitivity to regional markets and consumer nuances. Build a global brand but celebrate the nuances of local consumer needs and desires as and where needed.

Additional Information:

• You will be required to be at HQ at least 4 days per week
• International travel will be expected, although not regular
• Driving license essential, to travel to and from the office

Benefits:

• Discretionary Company bonus scheme
• Staff discount
• Staff shop
• Healthcare cash plan
• 25 days holiday as standard increasing with length of service plus bank holidays
• Free onsite parking
• Subsidised canteen

Note: In the event that a sufficient volume of suitable applications are received, the post may close prior to the specified closing date. Please apply as soon as possible if interested.