People are at the heart of everything we do.
For more than 25 years, Marketing Nottingham & Nottinghamshire (MNN) has championed our city and county, helping to position the region as an outstanding place to live, work, visit, meet and invest. Today, we are the official place marketing organisation for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, bringing together the public and private sectors to promote the region, attract visitors, conferences, businesses and investment, and support sustainable economic growth that benefits our communities.
Our work is delivered through five interconnected areas.
Nottingham Partners brings together businesses and organisations to champion the region, share knowledge, influence the economic agenda and create opportunities through collaboration.
Invest in Nottingham supports UK and international businesses to establish, invest and grow within Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, creating jobs and strengthening the regional economy.
Visit Nottinghamshire promotes the destination through marketing, destination development and partnership activity, encouraging more people to discover, experience and stay in our region.
Meet in Nottingham works with venues and partners to attract national and international conferences, meetings and major events that generate economic impact, showcase our strengths and support key growth sectors.
Nottingham Tourism Centre, located in the heart of the city, provides expert visitor information, ticketing, retail and destination services, welcoming thousands of visitors each year and helping them make the most of everything Nottingham and Nottinghamshire has to offer.
As the accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP),the Investment Portfolio Agency (IPA) and Business Events and Convention Bureau for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, we work collaboratively with local authorities, the East Midlands Combined County Authority, VisitEngland, VisitBritain, Government Departments, Marketing Derby, Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, Visit Derby and businesses across the region to strengthen our economy and deliver long-term, sustainable growth.
Whilst each area has its own distinct focus, we share one common ambition: to raise the profile of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, create opportunities for our partners, support thriving communities and contribute to a stronger, more prosperous regional economy.
To achieve this, we need exceptional people.
We are committed to attracting talented, ambitious and collaborative colleagues who want to make a genuine difference. We invest in our people through learning, professional development and opportunities to grow, recognising that our success depends on the skills, ideas and commitment of our team.
We believe diversity of thought, experience and background makes us stronger. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to contribute, and where collaboration, innovation and openness are part of our everyday culture.
We also recognise the importance of achieving a healthy work-life balance. Wherever possible, we offer flexible and hybrid working arrangements alongside a competitive benefits package, including 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays and Christmas closure, one paid volunteering day each year, occupational sick pay, a pension scheme and ongoing professional development opportunities.
Based in the heart of Nottingham, our team works across the city, county and wider East Midlands, collaborating with partners to deliver lasting economic impact. If you are looking for a career where you can help shape places, influence growth and make a meaningful contribution to one of England's most distinctive regions, we would love to hear from you.
The Person we are looking for
We are looking for an ambitious, collaborative and commercially minded leader who sees the visitor economy not as a standalone sector, but as a powerful driver of economic growth, stronger places and better opportunities for people.
You will bring substantial experience of destination leadership, business events, partnership working or a closely related field, together with the confidence to operate across business, local and national government, national agencies and the wider regional landscape.
You will understand how to turn strategy into action: bringing organisations together around shared priorities, building support for change, securing resources and maintaining a clear focus on measurable impact. You will be equally comfortable influencing senior stakeholders, supporting businesses and leading a team through a period of significant opportunity and transformation.
Above all, you will believe in the potential of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and in the value of working collaboratively with Derby and Derbyshire and the East Midlands Combined County Authority.
You will recognise that each place has its own strengths and identity, while understanding that joint action can create greater visibility, stronger propositions and better outcomes for the whole devolved region.
Job Purpose
To provide strategic and executive leadership for Visit Nottinghamshire and Meet in Nottingham, growing the contribution of the visitor economy and business events to the economic, social and cultural success of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
The Director will lead destination strategy and delivery through the Local Visitor Economy Partnership, strengthen business events and major-event activity, and build the partnerships, investment and organisational capability required to achieve the region’s long-term ambitions.
The role will work closely with the Chief Executive, Board, internal teams and partners across business and the public sector, including collaborative work with teams in Derby and Derbyshire and the East Midlands Combined County Authority.
Why this work matters
The visitor economy is one of the East Midlands’ greatest opportunities for sustainable and inclusive growth. Across the two counties the ambition is to increase the contribution of tourism by an additional £1 billion in Gross Value Added over the next ten years, while helping to deliver the wider priorities established through devolution and the region’s growth plans and frameworks.
This growth must deliver more than higher visitor numbers. It must create tangible benefits for the people and places of the region. Our priorities are to:
· Increase visitor value, productivity and year-round demand, supporting a stronger and more resilient local economy.
· Develop compelling, high-quality experiences that encourage longer stays, greater spend, repeat visits and wider exploration across the city and county.
· Grow national and international conferences, business events and major events that bring direct economic value, support knowledge exchange and showcase our priority sectors.
· Help visitor economy businesses to innovate, invest, improve productivity and respond to changing customer expectations.
· Position hospitality, tourism, culture, leisure and events as credible, rewarding careers, with clear pathways for skills development, progression and leadership.
· Attract investment into destinations, attractions, infrastructure and public realm, improving the places where people live and work as well as the experience of visitors.
· Deliver more inclusive growth by ensuring opportunities and benefits reach communities, businesses and destinations across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
· Work collaboratively with Derby and Derbyshire on shared priorities that strengthen the profile and competitiveness of the devolved East Midlands region while respecting and celebrating the identity of each destination.
· Build a stronger evidence base so that investment and activity are directed towards the interventions capable of delivering the greatest impact.
The impact will be felt far beyond the traditional boundaries of tourism. A successful visitor economy supports jobs and careers, thriving businesses, vibrant high streets, cultural participation, civic pride, inward investment and an improved quality of life. It helps create places that people want to visit, but also places where people choose to live, study, work and build their future.
The opportunity
This is an opportunity to bring together everything you have learnt throughout your career - your leadership, experience, ideas and ambition - and apply it where it can make a lasting difference.
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire is one of England’s most distinctive destinations. It is home to internationally recognised heritage, world-leading innovation, exceptional sporting and cultural assets, beautiful landscapes and thriving businesses. It is a place with enormous potential, and one whose story deserves to be told with greater confidence and ambition.
At the same time, devolution presents a unique opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues across Derby, Derbyshire, EMCCA and the wider region to strengthen the East Midlands’ profile nationally and internationally.
By celebrating the unique strengths of each destination while working together on shared ambitions, we can create a more compelling visitor economy, attract greater investment, secure more major events and deliver stronger outcomes than any one place could achieve alone.
This is about collaboration, not competition.
It is about building partnerships that enable our destinations to learn from one another, complement one another and collectively showcase everything the East Midlands has to offer. Together, we have the opportunity to create a region recognised not only for exceptional visitor experiences, but for innovation, culture, business, education and quality of life.
The impact extends far beyond tourism. A stronger visitor economy supports local businesses, creates skilled employment, attracts investment, enhances our places, encourages pride in our communities and improves opportunities for the people who live, work and study here. Every successful conference, every new visitor, every improved destination and every collaborative initiative contributes to a stronger, more prosperous and better-connected region.
For an experienced leader, this is a chance to put the full breadth of your knowledge into practice: to bring people together, challenge perceptions and help a historically under-represented region gain the recognition its assets, businesses and communities deserve.
Key responsibilities
Strategic and destination leadership
· Lead the development, implementation and ongoing review of the Destination Management Plan and associated delivery programmes.
· Provide visible leadership for the visitor economy, establishing clear priorities and translating long-term ambition into coordinated action.
· Establish and lead effective LVEP governance, including the LVEP Board and thematic working groups, ensuring broad and meaningful engagement from partners.
· Represent and advocate for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire with regional and national partners, policymakers and industry bodies.
· Use evidence, insight and performance data to inform priorities, investment decisions and the allocation of resources.
Visitor economy growth
· Drive delivery against the ambition to increase tourism GVA by £1 billion over ten years.
· Lead destination development activity that improves the quality, accessibility and sustainability of the visitor offer.
· Support businesses to innovate, improve productivity, respond to market opportunities and strengthen resilience.
· Champion skills, careers and progression across hospitality, tourism, culture, leisure and events, working with education and industry partners.
· Identify and secure external funding and investment to accelerate delivery and maximise impact.
Business events and major events
· Provide strategic leadership for Meet in Nottingham and the Convention Bureau, ensuring a strong pipeline of national and international conferences and events.
· Work closely with external partners on attraction of and reporting of impact of events.
· Lead the development and delivery of a business events strategy aligned with the destination’s strengths and priority sectors.
· Grow and mobilise the Conference Ambassador Programme, working with universities, businesses and sector leaders to attract events.
· Work with internal marketing, investment, partnerships and commercial colleagues to position conferences and major events as drivers of economic growth, knowledge exchange and destination reputation.
· Support the attraction and development of major sporting, cultural and business events that deliver measurable value and legacy.
Regional collaboration and partnerships
· Build trusted, productive relationships with ministerial departments, local authorities, EMCCA, VisitEngland, VisitBritain, universities, cultural organisations, venues and visitor economy businesses.
· Work collaboratively with Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, Visit Derby and partners across Derby and Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire on shared priorities that add value to all destinations.
· Ensure regional collaboration respects local identities while creating opportunities for joint promotion, product development, intelligence, skills, business support and event attraction.
· Act as a connector and convenor, enabling partners to align resources and deliver stronger collective outcomes.
Leadership, governance and resources
· Lead, support and develop high-performing teams, creating clarity, accountability and a positive, inclusive culture.
· Contribute as a member of MNN’s senior leadership, supporting organisation-wide strategy, performance and change.
· Develop robust business plans, budgets and performance measures and ensure effective financial and risk management.
· Provide clear reports and advice to the Chief Executive, Board, funders and partners.
· Ensure activity is compliant with relevant governance, procurement, data protection, health and safety and organisational requirements.
Person specification
Essential experience and knowledge
· Substantial senior leadership experience in destination management, the visitor economy, business events, economic development, place leadership or a closely related environment.
· A strong record of developing and delivering complex strategies and programmes with measurable economic or place-based outcomes.
· Experience of building and sustaining high-level partnerships across business, local government, public agencies, education and the wider community.
· Experience of operating successfully in a politically sensitive, multi-stakeholder environment.
· Knowledge of the visitor economy and its relationship to economic growth, skills, investment, place-making and quality of life.
· Experience of leading teams, budgets, resources and organisational change.
· Experience of securing funding, investment, sponsorship or commercial income.
· Understanding of business events, conference attraction and/or major events and their contribution to economic development.
Essential skills and attributes
· Strategic, commercially aware and able to translate ambition into practical delivery.
· An influential communicator capable of building confidence and credibility at Board, political, business and community levels.
· A collaborative leader who creates shared ownership rather than relying on organisational authority.
· Evidence-led, outcome-focused and confident using insight and data to make decisions.
· Entrepreneurial and able to identify opportunities, unlock resources and challenge established approaches constructively.
· An inclusive and supportive people leader who develops talent and enables others to succeed.
· Resilient, adaptable and comfortable working across competing priorities in a changing environment.
· A strong personal commitment to Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and collaborative growth across the East Midlands.
Desirable
· Experience of working with a Local Visitor Economy Partnership, Destination Management Organisation, Convention Bureau or place marketing organisation.
· Knowledge of the national tourism landscape, including VisitEngland, VisitBritain and relevant government policy.
· Experience of collaborative delivery across more than one local authority or destination area.
A relevant degree, postgraduate qualification or professional accreditation.
Pay: £70,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Nottingham NG1 2BY
