Head of Marketing

Hybrid Location: Candidates need to live in a commutable distance to our office in Garforth, Leeds (LS15 4LG).

About Horizon Care & Education

At Horizon Care & Education, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive. We provide specialist education and care services for children and young people, and our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are looking for an ambitious, creative and commercially minded Head of Marketing to lead the next stage of our marketing, brand and communications strategy. This is an exciting opportunity to shape how Horizon is seen, understood and experienced by our customers, colleagues, prospective employees and external stakeholders.

The Role

As Head of Marketing, you will lead Horizon's marketing, brand and communications agenda, developing a clear and compelling brand presence across all audiences and channels. You will combine strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, creating marketing activity that makes a measurable difference to our organisation - from increasing awareness and supporting referrals and occupancy, to strengthening our employer brand and attracting and retaining great people. A key part of the role will be developing and bringing to life our Employer Value Proposition (EVP), ensuring that our employee experience is authentically reflected in our recruitment campaigns, careers content, social media and wider employer brand. You'll work closely with senior leaders across the organisation, including People, Recruitment, Commercial and operational teams, to understand our audiences, identify opportunities and turn insight into impactful campaigns. You'll also lead our digital presence, internal communications, external profile, events and marketing resources, ensuring Horizon has a consistent and distinctive voice.

What you'll be doing

• Develop and deliver Horizon's organisation-wide marketing, brand and communications strategy.
• Lead the evolution of our brand and ensure consistency across all internal and external touchpoints.
• Develop annual marketing plans, budgets and KPIs, demonstrating clear return on investment.
• Lead our Employer Brand and EVP, creating innovative campaigns that attract the people we need.
• Develop marketing campaigns that support business growth, referrals and occupancy across our services.
• Build Horizon's profile through thought leadership, case studies, success stories and sector communications.
• Lead our digital marketing strategy, including social media, website, content and campaigns.
• Develop engaging internal communications that connect colleagues to our vision, values and achievements.
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders, including commissioners, local authorities, social workers, education professionals, parents and carers.
• Lead Horizon's presence at conferences, exhibitions, forums and networking events.
• Use market research, customer insight, competitor analysis and performance data to shape strategy and identify opportunities.
• Manage external agencies, suppliers, marketing budgets and brand assets.
• Lead, develop and inspire the Marketing Coordinator team, creating a high-performing and creative marketing function.

About you

We're looking for an experienced senior marketing professional who can operate confidently at both strategic and operational levels. You'll be someone who understands that great marketing is about more than brand awareness - it's about understanding audiences, influencing behaviour and delivering measurable organisational impact. You'll bring:

• Significant senior-level marketing experience, ideally in a multi-site or complex organisation.
• A proven track record of developing and delivering organisation-wide marketing and communications strategies.
• Experience leading and developing a marketing team.
• Strong experience in brand management, employer branding and recruitment marketing.
• Experience developing EVPs and attraction campaigns.
• A strong understanding of digital marketing, social media, websites, content and SEO.
• Experience creating campaigns that support growth, customer acquisition or service development.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience managing budgets, agencies and external suppliers.
• A data-led approach, with the ability to use insight and analytics to measure campaign performance and demonstrate ROI.
• The creativity to develop compelling campaigns and the commercial mindset to understand what makes them successful.
• Experience within education, children's services, health, social care or another regulated environment would be advantageous, particularly within a multi-site organisation.
• A degree or professional qualification in Marketing, Communications, PR, Business or a related discipline is desirable, alongside evidence of continued professional development.
• CIM or equivalent professional accreditation would be an advantage.

This is a chance to join an organisation where marketing has a genuine opportunity to make an impact. You'll have the opportunity to shape our brand, influence our growth, strengthen our reputation and help us attract the exceptional people we need to deliver the best possible outcomes for young people. You'll work alongside senior leaders and have the autonomy to develop a modern, insight-led marketing function that supports Horizon's ambitions for the future.

Horizon Care & Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to enhanced DBS checks and satisfactory references. We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community.