Download job purpose - The Manchester Growth Company

Manchester Growth Company
Role Profile
Job Title: MGC Head of Marketing (Business)
Date: July 2015
Reporting Line: MGC Services Marketing Director
Business Area: Marketing
JOB PURPOSE
The Manchester Growth Company Head of Marketing (Business) will work with the MGC Services
Marketing Director to develop promotion strategies for the Manchester Growth Company (MGC)
services to the diverse and important audiences of businesses. The role will lead the implementation
and evaluation of delivery plans for multiple brands across business units, covering a broad range of
business services, target markets, geographies, and prioritise regular demands to ensure delivery of
contractual requirements.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Working with the MCG Services Marketing Director to develop MGC’s marketing and promotional
strategies to target businesses and entrepreneurs to maximise business growth, cross-selling
across the MGC, uptake to programmes, training etc, and support to ensure that financial and
contractual obligations are met.

Lead delivery of the marketing requirements that support the priorities set out by the MGC
Strategy and MGC Services Marketing Director to enablement growth, job creation and improved
lives within the city region and wider north. Demonstrate how the strategy translates into effective
marketing plans; measure and evaluate success; and learn from lessons or issues to ensure a
continuous improvement culture.

Provide strategic customer insights and analysis across the business to inform, shape and
validate strategy and go-to-market tactics across all channels and geographies.

Monitoring, evaluation and reporting of targets and the ability to manage resources (people and
budgets) to meet challenging and demanding goals across multiple clients’ needs. Targets have
to be hit to meet contractual arrangements and conversion of leads into new clients together with
the retention of clients is essential. Representing MGC in national marketing groups for key
services e.g. Business Growth Service (Manufacturing), UKTI, etc..

Develop mechanisms to maintain and build relationships with existing clients to encourage the
take up of additional services.

Leading on the Business Growth Hub’s digital strategy, ensuring site maintenance and continuous
improvement and setting and measuring KPI across all digital channels including social media and
ensure a first class customer experience and that the Hub is positioned as a go-to place on line for
business support.

To support MGC’s SMT in the development of an MGC front door approach to a portfolio of
business services that externally promote and talk to the audiences it serves, attracting leads that
meet/exceed targets.

Consulting with business areas to provide customer insight to shape both marketing and internal
processes, to ensure marketing leads are converted, and the brand/product/service is marketable
to meet the needs of the customer.

Seek new investment options, manage the budget ring-fenced to marketing, and where possible
exceed the expected outputs that support the business priorities of the MGC within those budgets.
Supporting cross-selling within the group alongside attracting new leads and converting ‘warm’
prospects.

Measuring activity and inputting to performance indicators. Meet or exceed Service Level
Agreements to ensure marketing supports the MGC services. Ensure that end to end processes
work to maximum best value for every £1 spent on marketing activity, demonstrating healthy ROI,
fully utilising resources and networks available to garner best value and hit contractual targets.

Continually review internal capabilities and supplier frameworks to support the marketing
operation, so value and quality standards are met for current and future needs. Manage supplier
networks and get best value and quality from commissioning.

Demonstrate excellent creative thinking, strategic planning, budget management, leadership,
brand guardianship and talent management to produce industry leading/award winning and
ultimately highly effective marketing campaigns and materials. Beautiful and effective – hitting
contractual measures is imperative.

Due to many and often changing demands, multiple stakeholders/clients and variable audiences,
it will be imperative to manage the team and resources available to be efficient, focused and fleet
of foot to achieve success.

Based on the diversity of services, breadth of audiences and variable geographic catchment there
is a need for strong creativity and a deep understanding of best channels to reach target groups.

Good influencing and interpersonal communications skills will be essential to engage partners,
customers, funders/clients and agencies. Flexibility to meet the requirements of a contractor or
fund manager means that stakeholder engagement of national networks and delivery partners is
essential to ensure funders are happy.

To support the MGC Services Marketing Director, Managing Director of Marketing Manchester
and MGC Group CEO in the implementation of an organisational strategy that maximises
marketing resources across the business, in order to increase efficiency and deliver excellent
support services, keeping ahead of industry trends and providing a marketing function that is
current and adapting to the future.

To develop and nurture key stakeholder relationships locally, regionally and nationally to ensure
that MGC’s strategic approach to marketing adheres to industry or government guidelines /
contractual demands and is supported both politically and financially.

Support the MGC Services Marketing Director in retaining and winning contracts. Be successful
at proactively bidding for investment, adhering to government frameworks and working with
colleagues both in external agencies, Government Departments, and the private sector, to
manage finance and processes. Work with MGC business areas to ensure that all activities are
complimentary and performance reporting is accurate.

Support the MGC Services Marketing Director on reporting to MGC and relevant boards,
stakeholders and partners on all areas of the MGC’s marketing delivery and performance.

Provide advice and guidance to external organisations on the development of marketing and
communications strategies that engage businesses and individuals for the benefit of Greater
Manchester and at times a wider geographic catchment.
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DIMENSIONS

Provide leadership with regard to strategy creation but also a strong focus on delivery to ensure
expert execution, on time and to budget to meet key peaks. Strong application of customer
insight to ensure ‘best fit’ promotion of business and skills services to a dynamic audience
followed up with robust measurement and analysis.

The breadth of this role requires expertise and experience of leading marketing across a very
broad range of markets and services and audiences.

Support the Managing Director of Marketing Manchester in identifying strategic needs and
opportunities that meet current and potential future objectives.

Line management responsibility for marketing and communications staff, including the remit to
re-align and co-ordinate activities. Immediate line management of ten staff, with this figure to
increase to approximately 23, following ongoing centralisation of marketing.

Coordination and direction of any additional staff with marketing responsibilities across MGC
business areas, including external agencies where appropriate and support to non-marketing
staff reliant on marketing to deliver their targets

Budget responsibilities for all marketing spend and accountability for key contractual factors
interdependent on marketing e.g. licenses, sales targets etc and responsible for maintaining
and bidding for contracts. Responsible for the marketing budgets within all business units other
than Marketing Manchester, with an approximate value of £1m.

Member of Marketing Manchester SMT, liaising with colleagues to provide advice and strategic
guidance.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Essential Skills:
 Inspiring leadership skills and influencer of people.

Excellent interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with a wide variety of people.

Ability to develop and maintain networks and influence stakeholders positively to achieve
results that are in the best interest of the organisation, Greater Manchester, and the North.

Financially competent with research and analytical skills.

Strong creative thinking and an aptitude for developing innovative solutions.

Ability to use the latest digital technologies to target and engage with target clients.
Key skills:
 Ability to work effectively and influence within political and commercial environments.

Ability to project the vision of Manchester Growth Company, Greater Manchester, and the
North, and to see the ‘big picture’ in order to identify broader opportunities, cross fertilise
objectives and goals, and the potential for operating flexibly and in different ways to achieve the
desired results.

Analytics / data modelling / familiar with core analytics tool sets
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Experience:
 Proven track record of successful delivery, with significant previous experience leading multidisciplinary marketing teams.

Extensive experience of creating innovative marketing and communications strategies and
solutions.

Extensive experience in B2B marketing and marketing to entrepreneurs, ideally with a track
record in promoting business services (growth programmes, finance, innovation, digital,
resource efficiency etc) to businesses.

Experience of simultaneously leading multiple and diverse marketing campaigns across
different markets and services and audiences over a large geographical base.

A demonstrable evidence-based approach to evaluation.

Experience of winning contracts and successful pitching as well as retaining clients.

Experience of building insights and analytics capability in a corporate environment.
Knowledge:
 Excellent marketing and communications knowledge supported by a professional qualification
in marketing / communications at degree level or above.

Understanding of the Greater Manchester and North West business make up and political and
governance landscape.

Knowledge and understanding of the work of Manchester Growth Company.

An understanding of working within the public sector as well through private sector initiatives.
Personal Style:
 Confident, professional and resourceful, an open and responsive individual with the credibility
to garner respect.

Tenacious, resilient and flexible, leads by example and can ‘do’ as well as ‘guide’.

A strong networker, influencer and excellent stakeholder manager.
CONTEXT
The Manchester Growth Company (MGC is a unique multi-service delivery provider with a
responsibility for delivering growth and prosperity for the city-region and beyond. MGC is commercial
in its ambitions, yet not-for-profit. The variety of audiences will mean the marketing function will have
to deploy innovative youth marketing to attract talent into training and skills solutions; effective b2B
activity to influence blue chip decision makers; alongside influencing partners including national
government departments and ultimately providing real purpose in a challenging and target
performance environment.
Subject to funding this post is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the
NW Programme 2007 – 2013. This is a permanent post.
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