Marketing & Community Manager

NSE; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

National Student Esports (NSE) is seeking a Marketing & Community Manager to lead NSE’s marketing, communications and community growth strategy. The role requires 3–5+ years in marketing and offers ownership and strategic responsibility.

You will design and execute activity across channels, grow the student community, support partners, and drive participation in NSE events, with remote-first work in the UK and quarterly days in Sunderland.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years in marketing, social media, communications or community roles.
• Experience developing and executing marketing strategies and campaigns.
• Strong understanding of multi-channel marketing and platform-specific content.
• Experience building and managing online communities.
• Experience using Google Analytics and performance tracking tools.
• Experience working with external partners or stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own and lead NSE's overall marketing and communications strategy.
• Develop annual and campaign-based marketing plans aligned with goals.
• Drive community growth, engagement and retention.
• Identify opportunities to attract students, universities, partners and stakeholders.
• Plan, create and oversee engaging content across channels.
• Measure performance and optimise campaigns using data insights.

Skills

Marketing strategy

Campaign planning

Multi-channel marketing

Online communities

Google Analytics

Stakeholder management

Project management

Communication skills

Tools

Google Analytics

Discord

Content scheduling tools

Job description

About National Student Esports (NSE)

National Student Esports (NSE) is the UK’s official body for university esports and are partnered with British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). Every year, 18,000 students and 2200 teams from 110+ different universities compete in our online and in-person tournaments and events.

This is an exciting time to join NSE as we enter the next stage of our growth in the UK and internationally. Our ambition is to significantly grow our community and strengthen their engagement, expand our tournaments and events, and build pathways between our community and graduate employers.

The Role

We are looking for an ambitious and creative Marketing & Community Manager to lead and deliver NSE’s marketing, communications and community growth strategy.

This role is ideal for someone with 3–5+ years’ experience, likely coming from a larger marketing team, who is ready to step into a role with full ownership, accountability, and strategic responsibility.

You will be responsible for designing, planning and executing marketing and communications activity across multiple channels, growing and engaging our student community, supporting commercial partners, and driving increased participation in NSE competitions, events and programmes.

This is not a role where you follow an existing plan—you will create and lead it.

Key Responsibilities

Marketing Strategy & Growth

• Own and lead NSE’s overall marketing and communications strategy
• Develop and deliver annual and campaign-based marketing plans aligned with organisational goals
• Drive community growth, engagement and retention
• Identify opportunities to attract new students, universities, partners and stakeholders
• Use data and insights to continuously optimise performance

Social Media & Content

• Own NSE’s multi-channel social media strategy (e.g. Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, Discord)
• Develop platform-specific content strategies tailored to audience behaviours
• Plan, create and oversee engaging content (video, graphics, written)
• Manage content calendars and campaign delivery
• Maintain a consistent and compelling brand voice across all channels

Community Engagement

• Build and nurture an active, engaged student community
• Manage community platforms (including Discord and social channels)
• Drive meaningful interaction and participation
• Gather insights and feedback to inform strategy
• Build relationships with student leaders, societies, and ambassadors

Commercial Partnerships

• Deliver marketing activity aligned to partner and sponsorship agreements
• Track, monitor and report on contractual deliverables
• Ensure high-quality execution and partner satisfaction
• Support stakeholder communication and relationship management

Events & Campaign Activation

• Support the promotion, planning and delivery of online and in-person events
• Develop campaigns to drive registrations, attendance and engagement
• Attend key UK events where required
• Capture and repurpose event content to maximise reach and impact

Analytics & Reporting

• Monitor performance using Google Analytics and social/media insights tools
• Track metrics including growth, engagement, conversion and retention
• Produce reports and actionable recommendations
• Establish a data-driven approach to decision-making

About You

Essential Experience & Skills

• 3–5+ years’ experience in marketing, social media, communications or community roles
• Experience developing and executing marketing strategies and campaigns
• Strong understanding of multi-channel marketing and platform-specific content
• Experience building and managing online communities
• Experience using Google Analytics and performance tracking tools
• Experience working with external partners or stakeholders
• Strong organisational and project management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced environment

Desirable

• Experience marketing to university students or Gen Z audiences
• Experience in event promotion or delivery
• Knowledge of esports, gaming, or digital communities
• Experience in higher education, student organisations, or youth-focused brands
• Experience delivering partnership activations or sponsorship campaigns

Ways of Working

• Remote-first, based in UK, with flexibility to work from NSE HQ in Sunderland
• Quarterly in-person team days in Sunderland
• UK travel required for events and activations

What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)

• A clear, measurable marketing and communications strategy delivered
• Growth in community size, engagement and participation
• Successful promotion of key competitions, events and programmes
• Strong delivery against commercial partnership commitments
• Robust reporting frameworks and performance insights established

Why Join NSE?

• Take ownership of a high-impact, organisation-wide function
• Play a key role in shaping the future of university esports in the UK and beyond
• Work with a passionate and rapidly growing student community
• Help connect students with career opportunities and employers
• Join a small, ambitious team with real scope to make an impact