Head of Marketing
Saint Felix, Southwold is co-educational independent school that has provided excellent schooling to our boarders and day pupils, from across the UK and internationally, for 125 years. Our school is set in 75 glorious acres on the Suffolk coast, just minutes from the sea.
Our facilities include science laboratories, art, photography, music and drama studios, Sixth Form Study Centre and Café, lecture and study areas, a 200-seat theatre and dance studio and Chapel. The multi-activity sports centre boasts a 25-metre heated swimming pool, squash courts, a fitness centre and sports hall. Future plans include a winter bubble and artificial sports pitches.
As part of the next stage in our development, we are seeking a talented Head of Marketing to develop and implement a high-impact marketing strategy that will drive enquiries from both our UK and international markets and improve pupil retention.
The successful candidate will be responsible for taking full ownership for promoting Saint Felix School from Nursery and Prep School, through to Senior School, Sixth Form and Boarding, via compelling and engaging internal and external communications. They will also work closely with the Director of Admissions and our Admissions Manager to optimise pupil recruitment, conversion and retention across all year groups.
Key responsibilities
Strategy / Planning
- Based on a solid understanding of parent and student needs and behaviours, devise an integrated annual communications, PR and marketing calendar
- Prepare an annual marketing budget
- Evaluate and communicate the effectiveness of all marketing campaigns and recommend improvements to team and the school’s Board
- Implement weekly and monthly KPI reporting
- Establish a plan to encourage active participation, in marketing and communications by staff, students, alumni, and parents, by contributing articles, stories of interest and testimonials
- Continue and finalise the roll-out of the school rebrand
Tactical implementation
- Support the pupil recruitment through the implementation of a compelling and coordinated marketing plan
- Conduct research to identify geographic areas to target and additional feeder schools to approach and incorporate the findings into the marketing plan
- Develop and produce relevant, high-quality marketing materials from brief stage through to writing content, proofing and production
- Take full ownership for the ongoing management and development of the school’s online presence –from website to social media channels – to drive enquiries into the school
Strengthening word of mouth
- Plan and deliver a communications plan that engages parents, their wider families and friends into the life and ethos of the school across relevant online and offline methods (e.g. events, social media campaigns etc).
- Support and promote relevant events in the School Calendar to drive attendance and help deliver the best possible experience for parents, prospective families and relevant local stakeholders
- Develop a team of student reporters to obtain content that is topical, engaging and relevant to the school’s aspirations
- Act as the voice for parents and students by working with the Senior Leadership Team to help ensure that the needs of parents and students are factored into the school’s strategic decision making
Alumni Development
- Oversee the collection and management of databases related to the school’s alumni
- Develop and implement an alumni communications strategy that showcases the school’s alumni, provides timely alumni engagement with the school community and enables alumni members to connect and engage with each other
Candidate Requirements – Experience and knowledge
- A Degree in English, journalism, PR, marketing or business would be preferred
- A post graduate diploma in a related field (pr, marketing or digital marketing, for example) would be advantageous
- A minimum of 5 years’ experience in a marketing, PR or journalist role. Experience of education is not essential, but a demonstrable interest in the world of independent education is desirable.
- Proven experience of managing and accessing the performance of a range of social platforms for organic and paid advertising (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and experience of Tik Tok would be advantageous)
- Experience of Google Adwords and PPC advertising
- Experience of managing websites
- Experience of managing events and taking responsibility for driving attendance and ensuring an excellent attendee experience
Candidate Requirements – Abilities, Skills and Attributes
- Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to build strong relationships with colleagues and effectively handle different perspectives in order to meet the school’s marketing needs
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience of copywriting and proof-reading
- An eye for great design, photo and video opportunities
- Highly creative and able to bring new ideas to the team
- Able to work collaboratively, and work as part of a small team
- A highly driven individual who can use their initiative, whilst maintaining attention to detail and a sense of humour
- Exceptional organisational and project management skills to deliver to tight deadlines
- Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
Benefits:
- Competitive salary
- A commitment to training and development
- Free staff car park
- Free staff gym and use of our facilities
- Lunch will be provided
- We enrol all our employees in the Workplace Pension Scheme
- Discount on school fees for staff children, if appropriate
We would like to hear from you if you feel you have the skills and attributes to fulfil this exciting role at Saint Felix School.
Please apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the date advertised. Interviews will take place on a rolling basis, as applications are received.
Saint Felix is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, as all new staff will be subject to enhanced DBS clearance, identity checks, qualification checks and employment checks to include an exploration of any gaps within employment, two satisfactory references and registration with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)