Head of Marketing

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA; London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading orchestra seeks a Head of Marketing to spearhead marketing and communication strategies, focusing on audience engagement and ticket sales. The role demands innovation in outreach through digital platforms. Applicants must have a strong background in arts marketing, team leadership, and a passion for classical music.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years’ experience in a relevant role.
• Knowledge of the full marketing mix.
• Experience with audience segmentations.

Responsibilities

• Create the annual marketing and comms strategy for each season.
• Lead, manage, and mentor the marketing team.
• Report on sales and marketing effectiveness.

Skills

Communication

Interpersonal Skills

Audience Development

Data Visualisation

Digital Marketing

Education

Marketing qualification or degree

Tools

Tessitura

CRM systems

Job description

Head of Marketing

The Philharmonia is looking to appoint an experienced and innovative Head of Marketing to lead on the day to day running of marketing and communications for all Philharmonia activity. With a proven track record of achieving high sales targets, applicants must be knowledgeable and passionate about classical music and the arts sector in general, with a keen interest in bringing the artform to wider audiences.

Centred around the annual concert season, this role will be responsible for the strategic development and execution of campaigns that drive sales and engagement for a varied programme of concerts. With a strong focus on growing audiences and increasing ticket sales and income across the season at the Royal Festival Hall, and across all regional and international residency venues and festival. Connecting to the audience development strategy, the successful candidate will have a progressive approach to marketing – reaching new audiences where they are, through innovative campaigns, which have a strong focus on digital channels, tracking and data capture.

Beyond the concert season, this role will also work to champion and celebrate Learning & Engagement activities (both formal training and informal community engagement), as well as our sector-leading work in the immersive digital space.

Combining a sharp sense for brand and copy, with comprehensive knowledge of the full marketing mix and a can-do attitude, this is a great opportunity for a senior manager to progress to the next level of leadership within the sector.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Planning:

• Create the annual marketing and comms strategy for each season at the RFH and in the residencies
• Work with the Dir. of Marketing & Comms to build on the audience development strategy – set new goals for engagement and diversification, and strategies that deliver significant audience growth
• With the marketing team, create a ticketing strategy that moves customers through their Philharmonia journey, from the very first touchpoint, to the in-person experience and beyond
• Create a brand partnership strategy – work with a minimum of ten partners to grow reach and brand awareness, from the likes of Classic FM to high street retailers
• Be the brand ambassador for the organisation – from copy and TOV to visual identity across all channels and environments

Leadership and Management:

• Lead, manage, and mentor the marketing team, fostering a high-performing and collaborative environment
• Represent marketing at senior level meetings and events – be the key liaison between Philharmonia and marketing/audience teams with key partners – Southbank Centre, ABO etc.

Key tasks:

• Create an annual season campaign planner – lead on the execution and implementation of the strategy across the full marketing mix, ensuring that campaigns are delivered to a very high standard, on time and tracked throughout
• Specific focus on digital marketing campaigns – from the creation of assets and target audience through to conversion tracking and optimisation
• Brief external partners on campaigns and requirements – PR agency, brand and design agency, ticketing partners, press contacts, copywriters, research partners…
• Write and commission copy for all concerts, events and activities – bring together copy for key publications (brochures, programmes), delivered against a comprehensive timeline
• Report on sales and marketing effectiveness across all activities and campaigns – working with other team members to ensure that data is represented succinctly in a reporting dashboard, for various different audience groups
• With the Senior Data & Audience Insight Manager, create at least five automated customer journeys and comms (email, direct mail…), maximising Tessitura functionality
• Create and implement ticketing initiatives, connected to the audience development strategy and ticketing strategy
• Overhaul the website to create a new look and feel, and user navigation for the 80th anniversary season, with an integrated SEO and Paid Search strategy (utilising the Google Grant)
• Manage the department marketing budget, ensuring activity is delivered against budget with maximum efficiency
• With the L&E team, develop and implement activities connected to the Philharmonia Social initiative, launching in the anniversary year – track and report on engagement, iterate and grow the audience
• Support the Development department with pitches and proposals for funders and applications – with a focus on creativity and innovation
• Attend conferences and events connected to the sector and arts marketing and comms
• Attend concerts at the RFH and at residencies on a rota basis

Skills and Qualifications

Essential:

• Minimum five years’ experience in a relevant role
• Knowledge of the full marketing mix
• Experience with Tessitura or similar CRM/ticketing systems
• Experience with audience segmentations and audience development strategies
• Excellent copywriting, communication, interpersonal and social skills, with a personable and approachable style
• Experience of reporting tools and data visualisation
• Knowledge of concert halls and classical music audiences
• Passion and interest for music and the arts, with an excellent understanding of orchestras and classical music repertoire
• Ability to lead, mentor and train a team
• Willingness to have a hands-on attitude
• Willingness to work unsocial hours, including evenings and weekends – must want to attend concerts

Desirable:

• A marketing qualification or degree
• Experience of creating reporting dashboards

How to ApplyClick on the 'Apply now' button below. Please upload your CV and a cover letter. The closing date for applications is Tuesday 8th July 2025.