Head of Marketing

Brighton College; Brighton; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Brighton College Prep School is seeking a Head of Marketing to provide strategic leadership of the school’s marketing and communications across the whole school. Reporting to the Head Master, the role leads the branding, external relations and pupil recruitment to strengthen the school’s profile locally and internationally.

The successful candidate will work with the Prep School and College teams, foster engagement with families and alumni, and drive best-in-class marketing practices across all

Qualifications

• Experience leading school or educational marketing initiatives.
• Strong understanding of branding across multiple channels.
• Proven ability to develop and implement a strategic marketing plan.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of a comprehensive marketing strategy aligned with school aims and values.
• Drive pupil recruitment regionally and internationally, building the school’s profile.
• Oversee multi-channel marketing and external relations to enhance reputation.
• Manage budget and report to SMT and Governing Body.
• Collaborate with Admissions to attract families and prospective pupils.
• Analyse data to inform strategic opportunities and risks.

Skills

Strategic marketing

Brand management

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Pupil recruitment

Job description

Brighton College Prep School is seeking to appoint a Head of Marketing to start as soon as possible.

Reporting directly to the Head Master, and a member of the Senior Management Team, the Head of Marketing will provide inspiring and strategic leadership of the school’s marketing and communications activities across the whole school.

As United Kingdom School of the Decade, Brighton College Prep School is embarking on an exciting new development. This role will be central to showcasing our evolving vision and ensuring its impact is communicated effectively.

This role has a significant strategic element as Brighton College Prep School seeks to differentiate itself within a competitive landscape. The Head of Marketing is a key public face and will have primary responsibility for marketing the Brighton College brand to a wide range of audiences, to build its profile and to drive pupils’ recruitment by ensuring that the School is well known within its local, regional and international marketplace.

As United Kingdom School of the Decade, this role will be central to showcasing our evolving vision and ensuring its impact is communicated effectively. It is of most importance to us that we recruit families who will give something of themselves back to enrich the community here.

The postholder will work closely with colleagues across both the Prep School and the College, whilst also maintaining and developing the relationships with the Brighton College Family of Schools.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an experienced marketing professional to join a committed and vibrant senior team and to play their part in continuously delivering best in class marketing practice and procedures within the school.

Person Specification

The Head of Marketing will be a key public face of Brighton College Prep School, they will have a high profile within the School and will carry significant responsibility. The post will likely attract an experienced professional with a track record of success in strategic marketing and communications.

Alternatively, the role might suit an exceptional individual with commercial experience gained outside of the sector but who can demonstrate an understanding of, and empathy with, education and the School’s ethos and values, and the right transferable skills to undertake and make a success of this crucial role.

The successful candidate will be an articulate, persuasive, and credible ambassador for Brighton College Prep School, able to work effectively with a wide range of people and cultures, to lead and manage change and to work collaboratively with other departments.

The ability to apply sound marketing and communications principles to drive the School’s pupil recruitment strategy, by thoroughly understanding both target audiences and the dynamics of the highly competitive Prep School marketplace will be essential.

Primary Purpose Of The Role

• As a member of SMT, to contribute to whole-School strategic leadership and promote the 3 - 11 nature of Brighton College Prep School and the reputation of The College as a senior destination.
• To develop and implement a comprehensive marketing strategy, aligned with the school’s key aims, vision and values.
• To lead and drive all pupil recruitment, marketing and external relations activities, both strategic and tactical and act as a key public face of the School, promoting its brand and ethos.
• To develop and implement both local and international pupil recruitment strategies, differentiating the school and attracting pupils who will thrive at Brighton College Prep School and contribute to its community.
• To identify, build and sustain effective relationships with key stake holders including current parents and alumni.
• To identify, commission, analyse and use data to build and share a strategic picture of marketing opportunities and risks.
• To provide timely advice and appropriate information to the Head and the Senior Management team and also to the Governing Body to enable all to fulfil their duties and responsibilities to the School.

Main Duties

Key Responsibilities

• To promote, protect and develop the identity and brand of the School and its position locally, regionally and internationally.
• In collaboration with the Head of Admissions, recruit pupils nationally and internationally and to meet agreed pupil recruitment targets.
• Leadership and Management Responsibilities
• Lead, inspire and develop the school team.
• Set and deliver marketing departmental objectives and targets.
• Work in mutually beneficial collaboration with The College and the Family of Schools. Where appropriate share resources and best practice.
• To have a thorough understanding of the local and national independent school market.
• Monitor, report on and assess the effectiveness of the school’s marketing and communication strategies, developing interventions as appropriate to meet agreed targets.
• Keep abreast of educational developments and to have a thorough understanding of next destinations and the school’s route to achieve this.
• Overall responsibility for the marketing budget.
• Report regularly to Governance.

Marketing and Communications

• To create a comprehensive, multi-channel, marketing operational plan aligned with school objectives and budget that creates significant return on investment.
• To use earned and owned media opportunities to enhance the reputation of both Brighton College Prep School and The College as a senior destination.
• Work with academic staff to raise the profile of the school’s academic and co-curricular activities
• Capture the pupil experience by showcasing the journey from ages 3 - 18.
• Provide overall brand leadership and maintain its consistency and quality including providing overall editorial and design control across all communication and advertising media.
• Have overall responsibility for developing the profile of the school through effective public relations.
• Attend and host admissions events both locally and further afield to attract families.
• Regularly analyse data and market trends to ensure the school builds a strong market share.
• Further develop and implement an effective, high quality content driven digital and social media strategy.
• Oversee the Brighton College Prep School website so that it truly reflects the essence and excellence of the School.
• Direct and advise on the organisation and promotion of marketing, admissions and development events to ensure they are delivered to the high standards of the School and enhance its reputation.
• To, alongside the Admissions Department, plan and lead all aspects of prospective parents events, including Open Days, Taster Days and School Events.
• Oversee the development and production of high-quality marketing materials that reflect the brand, this includes the production of materials for current parents, including newsletters etc.
• Advise and support the Head and SMT with external communications.
• With SMT, ensure that relations with current parents and other stakeholders are of the highest standard
• Contribute to building and maintaining relationships with alumni and former parents.
• Monitor the results of alumni and former parent engagement.
• Nurture and develop relationships with publications such as Tatler, The Good Schools Guide and others that can enhance and share the reputation of the School.

Experience And Skills

To meet the high standards expected of a leading professional in our School, the successful candidate will understand and believe in the aims and ethos of a Prep School education and a Brighton College education, in particular.

They should also have an instinctive feel for the prep school market, understand the driving motivations of parents and have a demonstrable understanding of the principles of marketing and pupil recruitment within prep school education.