About The Role
This is a pivotal hire for Marston Events. We have just established a marketing strategy, and we need a skilled, hands-on Head of Marketing & Communications to take ownership of it – refining it as the business evolves, building the processes to deliver it consistently, and executing it to a high standard.
You’ll be the driving force behind how Marston Events presents itself to partner institutions and the graduates we serve. Equally important, you’ll play a central role in implementing our first CRM system and establishing the marketing operations and workflows that will underpin our growth.
This is a newly created role and you’ll have the opportunity to recruit and lead your own team, shaping the future of marcomms at Marston Events from the ground up.
This is a hybrid role, with your core office space being based in Andover with regular time visiting the Salfords offices and some remote working, flexing around business need. Part of your role will require you to visit ceremonies from occasionally, so you really understand what we do. It suits someone who is comfortable moving between sites and enjoys being part of a collaborative, office-based culture while retaining autonomy over how they manage their time.
About Marston Events
Marston Events is one of the UK’s leading providers of graduation and ceremonial event services, partnering with universities, colleges, and professional bodies across the UK and internationally for over 20 years. From ticketing and academic gowning to photography, media, and on-the-day coordination, we deliver thousands of ceremonies each year with precision, warmth, and pride.
Marston Events is dedicated to celebrating the power of aspiration, recognising that gowns and mortarboards symbolise hard work, dedication, and the potential for future success. Our expert and personalised customer service is based on trust and integrity, which we see as our greatest strength. Marston Events goes the extra mile to support the graduands and Universities that we serve with professionalism at all times.
Spread over three sites across the UK - Andover, Salfords (Surrey), and Belfast, Marston offers a wide variety of job roles throughout the company and takes pride in its richly diverse workforce of specialists. We deliver our services not only in this country but internationally and have ambitious plans to grow and develop outside the UK. We care deeply about our staff and everyone that works alongside us. Our most recent staff survey highlighted ‘team spirit’, ‘respect’ and ‘inclusivity’ as some of the key factors that makes our team unique. “It is a very friendly and supportive culture where everyone feels safe to communicate and innovate”
Find out more about our company benefits at the end of the job pack.
Job Description
Strategy & Planning
- Take ownership of the existing marketing strategy, developing a deep understanding of it and identifying opportunities to sharpen and evolve it as the business grows.
- Translate strategy into structured, measurable plans with clear timelines, budgets, and KPIs.
- Report regularly to the CEO on marketing performance and brand development.
CRM Implementation & Marketing Operations
- Lead and oversee the implementation, and adoption of Marston Events’ first CRM system, working with the CEO and wider team to define requirements and embed it effectively.
- Design and establish marketing processes, workflows, and templates from the ground up-creating the operational backbone the team can scale with.
- Working with the Business Development team, create a strategy to use CRM data to drive smarter segmentation, targeting, and communication.
Brand & Communications
- Own the Marston Events brand- its voice, visual identity, and positioning -ensuring consistency across every touchpoint.
- Produce compelling content for the website, case studies, proposals, social media, and email campaigns, working closely with operational colleagues.
- Develop clear, on-brand communications for partner institutions and their graduates, working closely with operational colleagues.
- Provide direction to the design and visual content team, communicating brand standards clearly and coaching team members to produce high-quality, on-brand visuals.
Business Development Support
- Work with BD colleagues to create marketing materials that support the tender and sales process
- Build awareness of Marston Events within the higher education and events sectors through targeted outreach.
Team Leadership
- Hire and lead a small marketing team as the function grows, setting clear objectives, developing capability, and fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture.
- Oversee the design and content team as part of the broader marcomms function, ensuring all creative output meets a consistently high standard and is fully aligned with the Marston Events brand.
Essential Competencies / Person Specification
We are looking for someone who not only has the skills to succeed in the role, but who also embodies our company values of Sincerity, Pride, Ambition, Respect, Resilience, and Kindness (SPARRK) in the way they work and collaborate with others.
Sincerity
- Communicates openly, professionally, and honestly with university partners, graduates, and internal teams.
- Demonstrates reliability and integrity when representing the Marston Events brand.
- Takes ownership of work and follows through with accuracy and accountability.
Pride
- Produces high-quality marketing content and materials that reflect the professionalism of the Marston Events brand.
- Takes pride in delivering strategic and creative work to a consistently high standard.
- Maintains brand consistency and quality across every communication channel and touchpoint.
Ambition
- Demonstrates genuine enthusiasm for building a marketing function and growing the Marston Events brand.
- Proactively identifies opportunities to strengthen our market position and reach new audiences.
- Seeks innovative ways to improve processes and contribute to the company’s growth ambitions.
Respect
- Works collaboratively with the internal team and external partners to deliver joined-up communications.
- Builds positive working relationships across departments and values different perspectives.
- Maintains professionalism and confidentiality at all times.
Resilience
- Able to manage multiple priorities and campaigns simultaneously across a fast-paced, growing business.
- Adapts positively when priorities shift and embraces the challenge of building new processes from scratch.
- Works independently, prioritises effectively, and remains organised under changing demands.
Kindness
- Approaches leadership and teamwork with a supportive, approachable, and encouraging attitude.
- Demonstrates patience and empathy when working across departments and with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Contributes positively to team culture and leads by example in creating a collaborative and inclusive environment.
Desirable Skills & Experience
- Background in Higher Education
- Experience hiring and developing junior team members.
- Familiarity with the university procurement and tendering environment.
- Graphic design capability (Canva, Adobe Creative Suite).
- Experience leading or working alongside an early-stage design or visual content team, with the ability to translate brand strategy into clear creative direction.
- Track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams (e.g. content and design) and holding them to a consistently high creative standard across all channels.
How to apply
- Please send a CV that demonstrates you have the skills and experience to carry out the responsibilities listed in the job description.
- Please also send a covering letter that provides examples from your experience on how you meet each of the essential and desirable competencies listed in the person specification section of the job description.
Company benefits include
- The chance to work for a supportive company that’s passionate about creating memorable experiences
- Employee Assistance Programme – 24 hour helpline and hub offering a range of services from experienced therapists or specialist advisors
- Access to Pension Scheme – more info available on request
- 28 day holiday allowance including bank holidays
- On-site parking
- Enhanced holiday allowance for long service, starting from one full year
- Volunteering days
Pay: £48,000.00-£55,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Andover (Hampshire, South East Region)
