Business Marketing Strategy Lead

Essex

n/a - n/a

£43,139-£50,752

Chelmsford

Permanent

Marketing and Communications

Role

Business Marketing Strategy Lead

Permanent

Full Time, 37 hours per week

£43,139 to £50,752 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 5th March 2025 (23:59)

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to the creation of a new service from the ground up. The role involves establishing a new marketing, communications, and events function to support businesses and residents in securing higher skills and great jobs, attracting investment, and fostering growth in key sectors such as tourism. This is a chance to be part of something innovative.

The position includes direct accountability for managing a budget on a project-by-project basis. Responsibilities include authorising expenditures and ensuring effective use of financial resources, including commissioning specialist services like digital advertising.

The role also entails line management responsibility for three direct reports and matrix management of up to 5-10 full-time equivalents (FTEs) on specific programs/projects.

The Role

Essex County Council is a systems leader for Skills and Economic Growth, partnering with public and private sectors to position Essex as a hub of innovation, enterprise, and ambition. Through our business-facing services, we drive an inclusive, integrated approach to skills development, business support, sector growth, and inward investment across the County.

The Business Marketing Strategy Lead is responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive marketing strategies, in support Essex as a premier destination for investment, work, tourism, education, and residence. This role focuses on effective branding, marketing, promotion, and coordination of events to support economic growth and position Greater Essex as a competitive and attractive location.

This Lead plays a crucial role in strategically and operationally developing, implementing, and overseeing a strong marketing plan, which will include marketing campaigns across various channels, at local, national and international audiences (B2B and B2C) to drive brand awareness, customer and partner engagement, and attract additional income to help deliver the Greater Essex place partnership goals e.g. by preparing funding/sponsorship opportunities and selling opportunities to relevant businesses. The role involves utilising skills and experience in marketing strategy, content creation, digital marketing, and analytics.

To read more about our business area, please visit People, Policy, Economy and Public Health

Accountabilities

Lead the marketing strategy and implementation, in support of ECC’s business engagement, place partnership development, and business-facing promotion activities (B2B) and consumer-facing promotion (B2C), ensuring a cohesive, timely, singular approach to business communication and marketing promotional activity and event management, ensuring ECC does not duplicate activity with partner organisations (such as the Chamber of Commerce, district partners and wider business networks) through supporting partner activity and leads a programme for impactful economic growth to specified projects and initiatives e.g. the Greater Essex Business Board.

Ensure the implementation of ECC’s business account management approach by leading business engagement efforts that build and maintain trusting relationships with businesses, industry representatives and partners.

Plan, organise, and oversee events that promote Essex as a prime location for business, investment and leisure. Collaborate with internal departments and external partners to ensure successful event execution. Support colleagues in delivering or commissioning activities to promote Essex’s attractions as a place to invest, work, visit, study and live.

Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including local businesses, and business engagement/ partnership colleagues, educational institutions, tourism boards, and community organisations for marketing purposes (in accordance with Customer Relationship Management and business account management practices), engaging with regional and national bodies to promote Essex's interests. This includes targeting sponsorship and partnership co-investment in marketing activity.

Aligned to clear objectives, develop creative and innovative campaigns that stand out from competitors (e.g. for domestic and foreign inward investment, as well as for consumer destination targets). These are to include all elements of the marketing mix appropriate to B2B and B2C campaign targets e.g. digital marketing, content writing, asset creation, press and PR, advertising, print production, exhibitions, social media campaigns, that highlights Essex's unique selling points and success stories, aligned to business and economic growth objectives (across sectors), major projects and partnerships (e.g. LVEP). Appoint and manage agencies and/or third parties to support on work e.g. photographers, paid digital agencies.

Conduct market research and analyse data to evaluate the performance of marketing campaigns and target new campaigns, identify trends, opportunities, and challenges, and recommend improvements to ensure effective strategies are delivered.

Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

· Educated to RQF level 6 qualification in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field or equivalent substantial experience.

· Significant experience in a senior marketing role within the public sector or economic development environment with a proven track record of developing and implementing successful marketing strategies, across public and private sector organisations, co-ordinating resources and projects that drive economic growth and demonstrated success in planning and delivering large-scale (e.g. sectoral) business growth objectives.

· Project management experience in a multi-disciplinary field marketing/communications arena developing marketing campaigns, influencing, persuading and managing stakeholders (internally and externally, B2B and B2C).

· Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge and understanding of modern, effective communication techniques and systems brand management and enhancing regional profiles within a complex organisation/partnership, including the use of traditional, web-based and social media, digital marketing tools and platforms.

· A proven track record in stakeholder engagement and establishing strong partnerships across the public and private sectors at senior level, which are influential and collaborative in their nature and engender delivery of joint innovative strategies, commercial sponsorship (or co-investment) and general partnership building demonstrating excellent interpersonal skills and ease of communicating at various levels.

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

· Strong leadership skills which drive a highly performing and motivated multi-disciplinary team from diverse backgrounds, to achieve strategic objectives.

· Exceptional interpersonal, influencing and relationship management skills including experience of operating at all levels to develop strong collaborative relationships across the public and private sectors.

· Ability to work on own initiative and take responsibility for decisions relating to own work and managing time and budgets efficiently.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex . With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. As part of our team, we kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, not only during the recruitment process but also throughout your time with us. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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