Download job purpose - The Manchester Growth Company

Manchester Growth Company
Role Profile
Job Title: Head of Sector Marketing
Date: June 2015
Reporting Line: Destination Director
Business Area: Marketing Manchester
JOB PURPOSE
To work with the Destination Director, MGC Services Marketing Director and Business Support Directors
to strategically lead, develop, deliver and evaluate effective business sector focused marketing plans
that promote Manchester as a place that excels at doing business in the priority sectors (including
digital/tech/creative and media, Science and Advanced Manufacturing) within key international markets
(Europe, America, China and India). Delivering the priorities set out by the directors and the Greater
Manchester Strategy (MGS).
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Work with the directors in marketing and the Manchester Growth Company (MGC) as well as leaders
in the private sector and partners in the public sector organisations to design, develop and lead
sector promotional strategies on behalf of the city-region that creatively delivers against the priorities
set out by the MGC Internationalisation & Marketing Advisory Board and the MGS.

Write and lead the strategic plans with collective buy in from all relevant parties, then proactively
deliver sector marketing campaigns, oversee and implement the activity and evaluate and feedback
the effectiveness of the marketing and events plans, particularly but not limited to science (including
health and bio-tech), digital/tech and advanced engineering and manufacturing sectors to ensure that
the marketing, communications and promotional activity delivers on time and to budget for the
organisation and our stakeholders.

Identify and seek opportunities to build strong relationships with partners and stakeholders, liaising
with key contacts to secure relevant input, investment and approval of marketing collateral as well as
support for driving maximum value from marketing expenditure.

Be proactive and influential within industry networks, ensuring the strategic priorities of Marketing
Manchester and the MGC are effectively communicated, where possible adopted by others and
ensure relevant industries are engaged to provide both feedback and insight and content that adds
value to the messaging. Continually ensuring strong and the most up to date knowledge of the sector
strengths, sector landscape and key influencers across GM as well as the international channels to
disperse the messages.

Due to the competitive nature of promoting sectors on an international stage, the challenge of raising
perception and profile of Manchester credentials in key business areas as well as attracting inbound
business investment and developing export opportunities – there is a need for a highly creative
thinker who can provide innovative solutions to marketing internationally that reflects the brand
identity of the city region.

Be successful at finding new investment, proactively bidding for investment, adhering to government
frameworks and working with colleagues both in external agencies and Government Departments
and in the private Sector to manage finance and processes. Also required to work with MGC
business areas (support functions including finance, design, digital etc as well as joining-up other
parts of MGC) to ensure that all activities are complimentary, delivered on time and within budget,
performance reporting is accurate and at all times demonstrating best value. The environment is
challenging and fast paced and expects highly effective marketing campaigns that leads if not
exceeds industry best practice.

Ensure effective listening and customer insight as well as monitoring and reporting methods for each
campaign and all team members are focused on evaluation so that internal and external
stakeholders are briefed on the success of marketing activity, monitoring KPI’s, adherence to SLA’s,
ROI measures etc.) and lessons are learnt to ensure a continuous improvement culture.

Managing a varied marketing team (some direct reports but also influencing marketers across
stakeholder groups and delivery agencies) to maintain product knowledge, improve marketing
collateral and activity and develop intelligence in relation to industry trends, best practice, competitor
analysis and current marketing concepts and that best value is achieved from the partnerships and
supplier frameworks.

Take the lead in ensuring that marketing activity delivered by both Marketing Manchester and our
partners follows the Manchester brand values and activity meets quality standards undertaking brand
guardianship where applicable. Managing the narrative and responsibility for updating sector
specific marketing materials as well as policing the use and driving consistency will form part of the
role’s responsibilities.
DIMENSIONS

Engage and influence all stakeholders and staff, delivering a collaborative leadership role that
provides opportunities for input into marketing planning to achieve mutual and shared benefits.
Engendering respect to deliver the vision on behalf of the city and ensuring it is understood/
interpreted correctly globally and heard. Both marketing messages and the approaches are
coordinated and complementary to the overarching work of Marketing Manchester as a city to
invest, do business, visit, study and live. Ultimately, support the MGC wider objectives and values
to enable growth, create jobs and improve lives.

Lead and ensure that members of the team take responsibility for sector specific marketing
activity, shaping the development and implementation of creative marketing action plans which
achieve specific objectives whilst coordinating with the overall marketing strategy and hitting
budgets and delivering the outcomes required.

Develop effective measures and reporting mechanisms to enable MGC senior management team
to update key stakeholders. And adhere to funding conditions e.g. ERDF.

Lead and line manage a number of direct reports within the marketing team, including marketing
managers, executives and assistants, and be an active member of the Marketing Manchester
SMT as well as able to direct marketers and stakeholders within sectors. And supporting other
marketing initiatives lead by other directors.

Ensure that the marketing budget is optimised, correctly managed and demonstrates strong return
on investment, ensuring that regular review meetings with the finance team are held and where
applicable updates given to board members.
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KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Essential Skills:
 Leadership of the wider ‘team Manchester’ to maintain networks and influence stakeholders to
achieve results for GM
 Strong interpersonal and communication skills with good awareness of global and cultural
nuances
 Excellent planning and organisational skills and strong writer and editor
 Marketing leader and creative thinker with a design eye
 Innovative especially at problem solving
 Commercial –able to attract and deliver best value from investment
Key Skills:
 Innovative and multidiscipline marketer
 Strategic leader
 Financially competent
 Research, analytical and good reporting and presentational skills
 Project management skills
Experience:
 A minimum of 10 years’ experience working within a B2B marketing and communications
environment, ideally experienced in all but at least one of the priority sectors - digital, tech and
media; and/or science; and/or advanced manufacturing
 Creative delivery of international and innovative marketing campaigns relevant to sector
promotion
 Line management experience and project and budget management skills
 A demonstrable evidence-based approach to evaluation.
Knowledge:
 Excellent marketing & communications knowledge supported by a professional qualification in
Marketing/Communications at degree level or above
 Strong knowledge of Greater Manchester priority sectors – digital/tech/media, science and
manufacturing circles and a general rounded knowledge of business in the region
 Good awareness of the political and governance landscape
Personal Style:
 An experienced, confident and resourceful marketer with strong influencing, interpersonal and
communication skills, who encourages and promotes good ideas and improved ways of working.
 Tenacious, resilient and flexible, leads by example and can ‘do’ as well as ‘guide’.
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.
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Subject to funding this post is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the
NW Operational Programme 2014 - 2020
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