JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE                                          Marketing Executive
DEPARTMENT/DIVISION                  Student Recruitment  & Engagement
LOCATION                                         West Dean College (some travel to London Campus is required)
REPORTING TO                                  Senior Marketing Officer     
SALARY                                               £22,000 - £26,000 (dependent on experience)
HOURS                                               Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week (hybrid options)

The Organisation

West Dean College is internationally recognised as a centre of excellence for art, design, craft, and conservation education.  The work of staff and students, frequently rooted in traditional skills, is both innovative and world leading.

We are making bold and ambitious moves as an organisation with the expansion of our portfolio, the redevelopment of our estate and our strategic push on diversity and sustainability. 

Our programmes are delivered across two sites in the UK - West Dean, the idyllic Grade II listed rural campus in the stunning South Downs near Chichester (West Sussex), and our prestigious Chelsea Harbour site in the heart of London.  These inspiring locations provide the ideal environment in which students can work across disciplines and forge exciting new collaborations. 

MAIN PURPOSE OF ROLE

Our schools of arts, design and conservation offer a broad range of world-leading courses. At the heart of all we do, is our belief that 'making' makes our lives better. We celebrate the value of work that has been hand-made by artists and artisans, and challenge the assumption that mass-produced must be the only way because, across the world, the maker movement is growing.

As a Marketing Executive at West Dean, you will play a pivotal role in crafting engaging marketing campaigns to build our brand and meet student recruitment objectives. You will assist the marketing team in developing and executing marketing strategies from captivating website content to innovative digital campaigns. You will have the opportunity to work across two incredible campuses located in Sussex and Bloomsbury London, collaborating with a talented team and embracing the latest marketing trends.          

GENERAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Marketing Strategy Development

• Assist the Marketing Manager to develop impactful marketing campaigns for student recruitment, aligning with enrolment targets and branding guidelines.
• Support the implementation of departmental student recruitment strategies.
• Be confident in suggesting and implementing new ideas

Content creation (design and web content)

• Working with the Marketing Manager develop a comprehensive content strategy covering social media, web, email and relevant press content.
• Identify, collect, and distribute content from across West Dean across West Dean that bring our brand to life and inspire, educate and entertain our community.
• Craft compelling copy for various channels including websites, newsletters, and social media.
• Update website content and optimize SEO to ensure maximum visibility.
• Work with the team to produce printed materials. Collecting images, design briefs and amends for the external graphic designer.

Social Media

• Work with the Marketing Manager and Senior Marketing Executives develop the social media strategy and content. Help us connect with our community of followers, students and alumni, and support the student recruitment objectives.
• Collaborate with internal teams to source content. Visit the studios, workshops and historic archives across both campuses to identify unique, exciting and engaging stories that our audiences will love.
• Use your creativity to produce high-quality, visually appealing content for multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok; ensuring brand consistency across all channels. Develop multimedia content such as videos, graphics, and GIFs to engage audiences and tell compelling stories.
• Manage social media channels, including responding to comments, messages, and inquiries in a timely and professional manner.
• Monitor social media trends and conversations, proactively engaging with relevant topics and discussions.
• Track and analyse key social media performance, including key metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversion rates.
• Generate regular reports to measure the effectiveness of social media campaigns to enable continuous improvement and inform strategic decision-making.

Email Marketing

• You will create and deliver customer email campaigns to segmented audiences, ensuring our prospective students receive relevant and engaging content for the degrees and diplomas.
• Co-ordinate and send out promotional mass mails (pre course) and follow-up emails (post course)
• You will develop automated customer journey emails and mailings to enhance the user experience with our brand.
• Working with the Marketing Manager and marketing team to develop a strategy for increasing newsletter subscribers.

PR

• Work with the marketing team to identify and share stories from across West Dean, writing press releases and researching relevant press, publications and organisations to share content with. By staying ahead of the curve, you will help elevate our brand's presence and reach
• Respond to press requests in a timely manner, ensuring they provide high quality images and copy.
• Research and contact influencers in the arts and craft world, building relationships for marketing purposes

Events

• Participate in events, workshops, and fairs to promote the short courses and engage with potential students and the arts and craft community.
• Support the event planning and delivery of key recruitment events including Open Days and Open Evenings, Applicant Days and Graduation.

Market research

• Be aware of the key competitors, conduct regular competitor reviews and make recommendations to the team.
• Using social insights to regularly and proactively spot content and campaign opportunities

Relationship Management

• Cultivate positive relationships with current and past students, encouraging word-of-mouth referrals and testimonials to enhance the college's reputation

Administration

• Finance administration as required e.g. purchase orders, invoicing and expenses.
• Ordering of printed material, leaflets and flyers when required, ensuring content is relevant and current.
• Update the department’s log and press board, as required.
• Coordinate and manage the West Dean image library (including any requests).
• Create event and customer satisfaction surveys, as required.

London

• This role will require you to visit West Dean’s London campus at least once a week.

About You:

To excel in this role, you should be a creative, innovative, and proactive individual, you will enjoy managing multiple projects, possess organisational skills, and be responsive to change.

• Positive energy and enthusiasm
• Excellent command of English, spelling, and grammar
• Confidence to suggest and present new ideas and marketing innovations
• Ability to deliver high-quality work to tight deadlines across multiple projects
• Keen interest in new marketing trends
• Clear communication skills and stakeholder management experience to aid working with different teams and agencies.
• Experience working with analytics and reporting to key stakeholders
• Experience managing social media and creating social media content in a professional capacity.
• Detail-oriented with a keen eye for visual storytelling and a commitment to quality and excellence.

Desirable

• Experience in videography and video editing

The Benefits

In recognition for all your hard work and dedication, we can offer you:

• 33 days holiday per year
• Pension (we will match you up to 7.5%)
• Life Assurance
• Company Sick Pay
• Employee Assistance Programme
• 25% off retail and restaurant
• 50% off short courses
• Salary sacrifice schemes
• Free on-site parking