Location: Remote
Employment type: Full-time
Salary: Competitive and dependent on relevant experience
Our client is a UK higher education recruitment organisation focused on widening access to university. The company helps prospective students, particularly mature learners and those without traditional academic qualifications, identify suitable degree programmes and navigate the journey from initial enquiry through to enrolment.
The company works with established higher education providers offering flexible, career-focused programmes across several UK cities.
As they continue to grow the student recruitment operation, they are looking for an experienced Head of Demand Generation to build and lead a scalable, performance-driven student acquisition function.
About the Role
This is a senior, commercially focused position with responsibility for generating qualified UK student demand and converting that demand into applications and enrolments.
You will own the digital acquisition strategy across:
- Google Ads (inc. YouTube)
- Landing pages and website conversion
- Search engine optimisation
- Performance content
- Marketing automation
- Lead nurturing
- Attribution and reporting
This is not a brand-awareness role.
You will be accountable for measurable recruitment outcomes, including lead quality, cost per qualified lead, application volume, conversion rates and cost per enrolled student.
The successful candidate must have previously delivered measurable student recruitment growth for a UK private higher education provider, university partner, independent college or specialist student recruitment organisation.
You will work directly with the Managing Director and collaborate closely with the student recruitment and admissions teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and lead end-to-end demand generation strategy for UK domestic student recruitment.
- Take ownership of qualified lead, application and enrolment targets across digital channels.
- Plan, launch and optimise Google Ads campaigns across Search, Display, Performance Max and YouTube.
- Build campaigns around specific courses, campuses, intakes and student audiences.
- Improve the quality of leads entering the student recruitment pipeline.
- Develop landing pages and recruitment funnels designed to convert prospective students into qualified applicants.
- Lead website conversion rate optimisation, including testing page structure, messaging, forms and calls to action.
- Work with the recruitment and admissions teams to understand where leads are lost and improve conversion at each stage.
- Implement accurate campaign tracking, attribution and performance reporting.
- Analyse performance by source, campaign, course, campus and intake.
- Monitor cost per lead, cost per qualified lead, cost per application and cost per enrolment.
- Identify opportunities to scale successful campaigns while reducing inefficient spending.
- Develop SEO and performance-content strategies around high-intent prospective student searches.
- Manage external agencies, freelancers and specialist suppliers where appropriate.
- Monitor competitor activity, search demand and changes in prospective student behaviour.
- Present clear forecasts, performance reports and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Build the systems, processes and team required to support long-term recruitment growth.
Essential Requirements
Applicants must have:
- At least three years of experience in performance marketing, demand generation or digital student acquisition.
- Direct experience within UK private, alternative or widening-participation higher education.
- A proven record of generating UK domestic student applications and enrolments.
- Advanced, hands-on expertise in Google Ads.
- Experience managing and optimising substantial paid media budgets.
- Strong understanding of the complete student recruitment funnel, from initial enquiry to enrolment.
- Experience improving lead quality and reducing cost per enrolled student.
- Strong knowledge of Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and performance-reporting platforms.
- Experience with conversion rate optimisation, landing pages and structured testing.
- Experience using CRM systems and marketing automation to nurture and convert leads.
- The ability to distinguish between high lead volume and commercially valuable student demand.
- Strong analytical skills and confidence presenting performance information to directors.
- Experience managing agencies, freelancers or internal marketing teams.
Candidates without direct UK higher education student acquisition experience are unlikely to be shortlisted.
Desirable Experience
- Experience recruiting mature learners or students without traditional qualifications.
- Experience marketing foundation-year and flexible degree programmes.
- Familiarity with recruitment for London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds campuses.
- Experience integrating paid media with WhatsApp, SMS, email and CRM workflows.
- Knowledge of SEO strategies targeting high-intent student questions.
- Experience working closely with sales, admissions or student recruitment teams.
- Google Ads Search, Display or Analytics certifications.
What Success Looks Like
During your first 12 months, success will include:
Better Lead Quality - A measurable increase in the proportion of enquiries that meet the required eligibility and intent criteria.
Enrolment Growth - Consistent growth in qualified applications, offers and enrolled students across priority intakes.
Improved Efficiency - Reduced cost per qualified lead, application and enrolment without sacrificing student quality.
Stronger Conversion - Improved conversion rates across landing pages, lead nurturing, recruitment calls and admissions stages.
Reliable Attribution - Clear reporting that shows which campaigns, channels, courses and locations produce commercially valuable enrolments.
Scalable Systems - A repeatable demand generation infrastructure that can support new courses, campuses and university partnerships.
Core Competencies
Google Ads | UK Student Acquisition | Private Higher Education | Demand Generation | Conversion Rate Optimisation | Marketing Analytics | Lead Nurturing | Attribution | SEO | CRM Automation | Enrolment Growth | Team Leadership
What the Job Offers
- Ownership of the company’s digital acquisition and demand generation strategy.
- Direct access to the Managing Director and senior decision-makers.
- The autonomy to develop, test and implement new growth initiatives.
- An established student recruitment and admissions operation to convert generated demand
- The opportunity to build a performance marketing function rather than inherit a rigid corporate structure.
- A remote working environment operating primarily during UK business hours.
- Long-term progression as the company expands its higher education partnerships and recruitment capacity.
Benefits:
Work Location: Remote
