London, UK
Director of marketing and communications
at Universal Design Studio
Universal Design Studio is hiring a director of marketing and communications to join its team in London.
As a director of marketing and communications at Universal and Map, you are responsible for leading the external and internal reputation of both studios, in London and New York.
Reporting to the CEO, you possess a creative flair and are a strong communicator, collaborating to create an innovative and unexpected annual strategy in line with our overall business strategy, that helps both studios set themselves apart within the design industry whilst adheres to our studio values at every touch point.
You are an integral part of the studios and figurehead for the marketing and communications team. Your input, leadership and line management of your team will inspire and motivate and reinforce our commitment to creative excellence across all of our work and their personal development.
You collaborate closely with the other core teams: design operations, finance, people and creatives on a day-to-day basis and for longer-term strategic goals.
Open-minded, thoughtful and inquisitive – you embody our studio values and engage and participate passionately with every aspect of studio life and culture. You motivate others and guide your team, sharing your skills and experience.
Beyond the studio, you have a pulse of the design industry, ensuring that you regularly engage with publications and platforms that cover the world of design and realms that are relevant to the work of Universal and Map.
Key responsibilities:
- client relationships and business development: focusing on using marketing and communications to foster client relationships and create leads for new clients, developing our network
- collaboration: identifies internal and external spokespeople to champion the agency and discipline; liaises with clients and press offices, when appropriate; develop key stakeholder relationships internally and externally
- content: oversee the strategic marketing and communications planning across both studios, to ensure communication to key audiences is coherent, aligned to strategy, supporting priority areas of impact to achieve commercial KPIs; ensure consistent articulation of each studio’s brand so that they are recognisable externally across the breadth of our activity aligning how we look and sound – our business is in constant evolution, so managing and revising this will be key
- creative excellence: lead storytelling and positioning for all projects – identifying how best to showcase the work to value and demonstrate the level of thinking and quality of creative to potential new clients across website, social, credentials and, when relevant, external PR
- culture: role model for Universal and Map’s values and culture; demonstration of excellent working relationships with all key internal stakeholders based on a deep understanding of each other’s priorities and dependencies
- measurement: oversees insight metrics including customer intelligence, data, analytics and business reporting that enable measurement and drives actions across the business including brand tracking, resulting in increased reputation and audience engagement
- project management: lead delivery of all internal and external marketing and brand communications that drives impact, engagement and supports revenue
- strategy: lead the development and delivery of our brand proposition, strategy and identity to deliver and articulate our ambitions through all external activities including all digital activities; ensure all activity is aligned to support organisation’s growth strategy
- team: manage and nurture your team, ensuring you are knowledge sharing regularly and supporting their development needs; responsible for recruitment and selection of staff for the team, as appropriate
Skills, knowledge and expertise
To excel in this role, you need:
- experience leading and line managing marketing and communications teams.
- direct PR or design agency experience
- experience creating short and long-term strategies and budgets, including paid, earned and owned digital strategies
- ability to proactively ideate, plan and execute marketing events at all scales and internationally
- ability to ideate, plan and execute content creation across a variety of mediums
- ability to present articulately and passionately to large groups, clients and senior stakeholders
- knowledge of the evolving media landscape in both print and digital
- a network of industry contacts – press, opinion formers, creatives, film, photography
- a positive and proactive attitude
- the ability to work independently and as part of a team
- excellent attention to detail
- the ability to inspire and motivate those around you
- willingness to question assumptions and take control of situations.
Whilst we have advertised this as a full-time position, we are also open to consider this as a part-time role.
Benefits
Competitive salary and attractive benefits package offered for employees including generous holiday allowance, flexible start/finish times, Bupa healthcare, access to Bupa dental plan, Online GP appointments, Lifeworks well-being platform providing counselling, Headspace app, Life Assurance, Income Protection, enhanced pension contribution, financial advice 1:1s, payment of professional memberships, architecture Part 3 sponsorship package, CycleScheme, train season ticket loan, retail discounts, short term employment breaks, generous enhanced parental leave polices, emergency time off for dependents, recruitment referral bonus, regular learning events and socials, quarterly studio wide creativity day, time to attend industry events, free breakfast.
Hybrid working
Employees have the flexibility to work a mix of in the studio and at home, working a minimum of three days in the studio and up to two days from home. Wednesday and Monday being anchor days, when everyone comes into the studio. Additionally, the option to request to work remotely for up to two weeks per year.
Application process
We want you to have every opportunity to shine and show us your talents – please let us know if there is anything we can do to make sure the assessment process works for you.
Please submit your application by using the apply for job button below.