Job Description
Marketing and Communications Lead
Employment Type: Full-Time
Location: Legacy Centre of Excellence, Birmingham
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Senior Leadership Team
Direct Reports: Marketing Assistant(s), Content Creator(s), Graphic Designer(s), Freelance Marketing Specialists and Agencies where applicable
About the Legacy Centre of Excellence
The Legacy Centre of Excellence is Europe's largest independent Black-owned Arts and Business Centre. Dedicated to championing culture, creativity, enterprise and community development.
Situated between Newtown and Aston, two of Birmingham's most culturally rich and historically underserved communities, we are a vibrant hub where artists, businesses, entrepreneurs and community organisations connect, collaborate and thrive.
We create opportunities that celebrate Black excellence, inspire innovation and strengthen local and national communities.
Our multi-purpose venue includes:
- Two auditoriums
- Theatre and performance spaces
- Conference and meeting facilities
- Business offices
- A Retail unit
- Music and podcast studios
- Bar & Kitchen Café
We support over 120 resident businesses and community organisations, work alongside more than 30 statutory and strategic partners, and welcome thousands of visitors each year through our diverse programme of cultural, educational and commercial events.
Purpose of the Role
The Marketing and Communications Lead is a senior leadership position responsible for developing and delivering the strategic marketing, communications and audience development vision of the Legacy Centre of Excellence.
Working as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the postholder will shape the organisation's public profile, strengthen its reputation, increase revenue, grow audiences and position Legacy COE as one of the UK's leading Black cultural, creative and business institutions.
This role combines strategic leadership with creative excellence and commercial awareness. The successful candidate will lead a multidisciplinary marketing team while providing hands-on support where required across campaign development, creative direction, digital marketing, communications and content production.
The postholder will champion authentic storytelling, ensuring every campaign reflects the values, heritage and aspirations of the organisation while engaging increasingly diverse audiences and stakeholders.
Strategic Leadership & Organisational Development
As a senior leader, the Marketing and Communications Lead will contribute to the overall strategic direction and sustainable growth of the organisation.
Responsibilities include:
- Contributing to the development and delivery of the organisation's strategic and business plans.
- Aligning marketing, communications and audience development with organisational priorities.
- Advising the CEO and Senior Leadership Team on brand positioning, organisational reputation and audience trends.
- Identifying opportunities for growth, innovation and market expansion.
- Leading organisational marketing planning across annual, quarterly and campaign cycles.
- Championing innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement within your team and throughout the organisation.
- Supporting organisational change through effective internal and external communications.
Marketing Strategy & Audience Development
Lead the planning and delivery of integrated marketing strategies that increase visibility, engagement, participation and commercial success.
Responsibilities include:
- Develop and implement comprehensive marketing strategies across all organisational activities.
- Increase audience engagement, attendance, ticket sales, venue bookings and commercial revenue.
- Deliver integrated campaigns across digital, print, social media, PR, outdoor advertising, partnerships and direct marketing.
- Create audience development strategies that attract new visitors while encouraging repeat engagement and customer loyalty.
- Develop targeted campaigns for business services, conferences, arts programming, hospitality, education and community initiatives.
- Ensure all campaigns are data-informed, measurable and aligned with organisational objectives.
Communications & Brand Leadership
Act as the guardian of the Legacy Centre of Excellence brand, ensuring all communications are authentic, inclusive and culturally representative.
Responsibilities include:
- Develop and maintain the organisation's tone of voice and messaging framework.
- Lead all external and internal communications.
- Oversee and support the production of exceptional written content including:
- Press releases
- Website copy
- Marketing campaigns
- Newsletters
- Event promotions
- Funding communications
- Stakeholder updates
- Executive speeches
- Corporate presentations
- Annual reports where required
- Ensure communications accurately reflect the organisation's mission, values and cultural identity.
- Protect and enhance the organisation's public reputation.
- Support crisis communications and reputation management where required.
Commercial Marketing & Income Generation
Support the organisation's long-term financial sustainability through strategic marketing and commercial audience development.
Responsibilities include:
- Develop campaigns that increase earned income through:
- Ticket sales
- Venue hire
- Event Hospitality
- Retail
- Memberships
- Business services
- Support fundraising and sponsorship communications.
- Promote commercial partnerships and investment opportunities.
- Develop audience conversion strategies that transform awareness into measurable commercial outcomes.
- Explore new income-generating opportunities through digital platforms and marketing innovation.
Digital Marketing, SEO & Performance
Lead the organisation's digital marketing strategy and ensure continuous optimisation of digital channels.
Responsibilities include:
- Oversee website content, user experience and performance.
- Lead SEO strategy and optimisation to improve online visibility and search rankings.
- Develop email marketing and CRM engagement strategies.
- Manage paid digital advertising campaigns where appropriate and within budgets.
- Monitor website analytics, customer behaviour and conversion performance.
- Ensure digital marketing reflects current best practice and emerging technologies and trends.
Social Media Leadership
Provide strategic oversight of all social media activity.
Responsibilities include:
- Develop platform-specific content strategies.
- Increase audience growth and engagement.
- Lead paid and organic social media campaigns.
- Analyse performance metrics and optimise future content.
- Ensure all platforms reflect the Legacy brand consistently.
Creative Leadership
Lead and inspire a multidisciplinary creative team responsible for producing high-quality marketing content.
Responsibilities include:
- Manage and mentor creative staff and freelancers.
- Provide creative direction across photography, videography, graphic design and digital content.
- Ensure consistent visual branding across all marketing materials.
- Support team members in the use of creative software and production techniques.
- Encourage innovation and professional development.
Practical experience with Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro and After Effects), Canva, Cap-Cut, DaVinci Resolve or equivalent creative platforms is highly desirable.
Partnership Development & External Relations
Develop relationships that strengthen the organisation's influence and reach.
Responsibilities include:
- Build strategic partnerships with stakeholders, cultural organisations, universities, local authorities and community organisations.
- Maintain strong relationships with media, broadcasters, journalists, influencers and creative networks.
- Represent Legacy COE as a brand ambassador at conferences, networking events and sector forums.
- Develop collaborative marketing initiatives that increase profile and audience reach.
- Promote Legacy as a national leader in Black arts, culture, business enterprise and innovation.
Leadership & Team Management
Provide inspirational leadership to the marketing and creative team.
Responsibilities include:
- Manage workload and resources effectively.
- Coach, mentor and develop team members.
- Conduct performance reviews and identify professional development opportunities.
- Foster an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing culture.
- Encourage creativity, accountability and innovation.
Data, Insight & Board Reporting
Use insight and evidence to inform strategic decision-making and demonstrate organisational impact.
Responsibilities include:
- Develop marketing KPIs aligned to organisational objectives.
- Track campaign performance, ROI, audience engagement and conversion metrics.
- Produce reports and dashboards for the CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees.
- Present marketing performance, audience insight and strategic recommendations at leadership and Board meetings.
- Benchmark organisational performance against sector trends and competitors.
- Identify reputational risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
Person Specification
Essential Qualifications
- Degree or equivalent professional qualification in Marketing, Communications, Business, Digital Marketing, Public Relations or a related discipline.
Essential Experience
- Significant experience in a senior marketing, communications or brand leadership role.
- Experience leading and developing marketing or creative teams.
- Proven success delivering integrated multi-channel marketing campaigns.
- Project management experience and ability to manage more than one project at a time.
- Experience increasing audience engagement, commercial income and organisational profile.
- Experience developing organisational marketing strategies.
- Strong copywriting, editing and communications expertise.
- Experience presenting strategic reports to senior leadership, trustees or boards.
Essential Skills
- Strategic marketing planning
- Leadership and people management
- Exceptional written and verbal communication
- Professional copywriting and storytelling
- Brand development and management
- SEO and digital marketing
- Website content management
- CRM and email marketing
- Social media strategy
- Campaign management
- Marketing analytics and reporting
- Budget management
- Creative direction
- Digital content creation software
- Excellent project management and organisational skills
Desirable Experience
- Arts, culture, heritage or creative industries.
- Community engagement and cultural programming.
- Photography, videography or multimedia production.
- Fundraising and sponsorship communications.
- Marketing automation platforms.
- Public sector or third-sector partnerships.
Cultural Knowledge
The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong understanding of Black arts, Black British culture, African and Caribbean heritage, and the importance of authentic cultural representation in communications. They will have the confidence to go out into the community to connect and research. They will have the ability to communicate with sensitivity, credibility
and respect across diverse communities while championing inclusive storytelling that reflects the Legacy Centre's mission and values.
Personal Attributes
We are seeking someone who is:
- An inspirational and collaborative leader.
- Strategic, commercially aware and forward-thinking.
- Someone who knows how to have fun and push their flair for creativity into a constantly changing space.
- Passionate about arts, culture, enterprise and community development.
- Highly creative with exceptional attention to detail.
- Confident in influencing senior stakeholders and external partners.
- Organised, resilient and solutions-focused.
- Adaptable within a dynamic multi-events-led environment.
- Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Benefits
- Competitive salary (dependent on experience)
- Company Pension Scheme
- 20 days annual leave plus statutory Bank Holidays
- Complimentary tickets to Legacy events
- Invitations to gala evenings and networking opportunities
- Health and Wellbeing Gym Membership
- Professional training and career development
- Accredited learning opportunities
- Free on-site parking
- Opportunity to shape the future of one of Europe's leading Black arts and business centres
- Positive, collaborative and purpose-driven working environment
Conditions
- Full-time (40 hours per week)
- Flexibility to work evenings and weekends in line with the events programme
- Site-based role with attendance across organisational events and activities
- Subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references
- Smart business- casual attire required
- Additional hours may be required during peak operational periods
Our Commitment
The Legacy Centre of Excellence is proud to be an equal opportunities employer and celebrates the diversity of our workforce and communities. We welcome applications from candidates whose skills, experiences and perspectives will strengthen our mission to champion Black arts, business, culture and community development.
This is an opportunity to lead the strategic marketing and communications function of one of the UK's most significant, Black-led cultural institutions.
If you are an ambitious leader with the vision, creativity and commercial insight to help shape the next chapter of the Legacy Centre of Excellence, we would love to hear from you.
Pay: £35,500.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- Gym membership
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
