Digital Marketing & Operations Lead

Kilburn & Strode is one of Europe’s pre-eminent intellectual property firms. We act for US and European clients at the forefront of their sectors on their most challenging, business‑critical IP matters – from EPO and Unified Patent Court proceedings to M&A due diligence, strategic portfolio management and high‑value prosecution. We have offices in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the US. We are a firm that looks forward, not back. We have a clear five‑year strategy, a genuine commitment to B Corp certification, and an ambition to be the market leader in premium IP work by 2030. Our values – be curious, think commercially, act collaboratively, take ownership, make a positive impact – are not a poster on a wall. They shape how we work and who we hire.

The Clients and Markets function aims to become the commercial engine of this firm’s growth. We have made a board‑level appointment: a Director of Clients and Markets with a seat on the Governance Board and a direct reporting line to the Managing Partner. The function now has the standing, the access and the mandate to operate as a genuine strategic partner to the practice groups.

This is a senior marketing leadership role with two core dimensions:

• Digital strategy and mar‑tech: You will own the firm’s marketing technology infrastructure, setting the digital strategy, owning the website and digital channels, building the team’s analytics and reporting framework, and leading a mar‑tech audit. You will stay close to emerging technologies and platforms, proactively identifying where new tools or approaches could create efficiencies or improve effectiveness.
• Marketing team leadership: You will line manage the Marketing Manager and Events Executive, providing direction, development and day‑to‑day oversight. This role suits someone who combines digital and mar‑tech depth with the leadership capability to build and run a small, high‑performing marketing team.

Responsibilities:

• Digital strategy and mar‑tech: Own and evolve the firm’s digital marketing strategy across all channels. Lead a mar‑tech audit, map the current technology stack, identify gaps and redundancies, and build a prioritised roadmap for optimisation. Own the implementation of that roadmap over time.
• Marketing team leadership: Line manage the Marketing Manager and Events Executive, creating conditions for the team to do their best work. Work closely with the Marketing Manager to ensure campaigns and events are delivered to a high standard.
• Brand and operations: Be the guardian of the firm’s brand, maintaining consistency across all outputs. Build and maintain marketing operations processes that make the team efficient.

What we need:

• A deep track record in digital marketing and mar‑tech, ideally from a management consultancy or professional services environment.
• Genuine mar‑tech expertise, understanding marketing technology stacks and having led audits or implementations.
• Strong digital strategy capability, with experience in setting and delivering digital strategies.
• Proven experience building and managing marketing analytics frameworks.
• People leadership experience, managing a small marketing team and maintaining high standards of delivery.
• Strong commercial awareness, understanding how marketing activity connects to BD outcomes.
• Excellent communicator, able to translate technical concepts clearly for non‑technical audiences.
• Experience working on a website build in a professional services context.

Personal attributes:

• Intellectually curious, staying close to developments in digital marketing.
• Detail‑oriented without losing sight of the bigger picture.
• Results‑driven, holding yourself and your team to account.
• Resilient and pragmatic, making things work with available resources.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and contributing to shaping the function.

Kilburn & Strode is committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of race, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age.