Head of Marketing in England

We are a founder led and owned British heritage leather goods and accessories brand. Born 45 years ago, we have been designers, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers and, like our products, we hope we get better with age!

Our creative and operational home is based in our converted stables in beautiful Hertfordshire parkland with our Distribution Centre just 10 minutes away in Hemel Hempstead.

This key role heads up all marketing functions with core responsibility for developing and promoting the OSPREY LONDON brand in order to drive our ambitious growth agenda. Overall responsibility for the marketing, branding and communication strategy for both online and retail operations, creating dynamic customer engagement across all areas.

Supporting the day-to-day management of our social media channels, with a strong focus on content creation - filming and editing Reels, spotting trends, and asking the right questions to push things forward. A good eye for product, always thinking about how best to showcase it through content. This is a role for a true creative who combines aesthetic instinct with an analytical and strategic approach.

Where: Based at our stables in Great Gaddesden, our team enjoys working together - collaborating, sharing ideas and being part of a family at work.

Office hours: Monday - Friday (37.5 hours per week or as necessitates this senior role)

Your character and skills will include:

• A marketing degree or relevant qualification
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of marketing principles and data analysis
• Possess strong leadership, strategic thinking and communication skills
• Have excellent interpersonal skills to effectively lead and motivate a team
• A strong commercial mindset with an instinct for what drives engagement and sales
• Consistent, ongoing collaboration cross-functionally to ensure appropriate sharing, communication and feedback
• Adaptable and innovative, always responding to ongoing challenges whilst remaining focused on driving business growth
• A true love of fashion with a natural feel for product and storytelling
• Fluent across social media platforms, with proven ability to film, edit and produce engaging content.

OSPREY LONDON values:

• AUTHENTICITY - Being sincere, genuine and honest at all times; be your true self.
• COLLABORATION - Working together effectively to achieve our goals; share and communicate.
• PRIDE - Aspiring to be the best in everything we do; show your passion and how much you care.
• TRUE GRIT - Showing determination and perseverance in all that you do; never give up.
• VISION - Using your creativity and experience to plan for the future; never stand still.

Responsibilities will include:

• Collaboration with Directors and Departmental Managers to facilitate strong marketing strategy and results across all departments in conjunction with marketing budgets.
• Working closely with all sales channels to oversee brand communications to ensure adherence to brand guidelines and support in achieving and exceeding sales targets.
• Formulating strategic plans across the company to position the brand strategically within the marketplace whilst achieving strong commercial credentials.
• Evolution of the brand’s social media activity and analysis of results to ensure brand evolution through different customer demographics.
• Reporting on marketing initiatives, results and sales implications on all channels.
• Understanding the marketplace, giving feedback on all opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses within the broader marketplace using strong analysis skills in order to give commentary.
• Formulation of creative communications with Directors to facilitate the brands communication strategy and de-brief other related departments.
• Creation and management of all website content within the department and ownership of promotional calendar and segmentation of direct customers.
• Manage marketing budgets and provide relevant reports and updates at board meetings.
• Formulation of brand activity calendar for both direct sales channels.
• Overseeing the creation/editing of email and SMS marketing to promote and support both online channels and stores.
• End-to-end ownership of all performance marketing materials.

Product focus:

• A strong knowledge of the related marketplace, trends and commercial requirements in order to provide direction for the web offering as well as supporting the development of products from Product Development.
• Helping to shape and define the USPs for products when appropriate.
• Regular liaison with Merchandising and Product Development departments to understand and help create the CPA and manage marketing of product lines accordingly.
• Ensuring Marketing department generates engaging copy, whilst overseeing the development of product pages with strong photography etc.

Brand Marketing:

• Ensuring seasonal production of Company assets through photoshoots and development of images and video to be used across various sales channels to assist sales and profile through all channels (i.e. social media, digital flagship store, centre websites, marketplaces, wholesale partners, etc).
• Promoting dynamic communication and engagement in accordance with agreed creative with both existing and potential customers.
• Management of customer database to optimise brand profile and sales.
• Analysis of and reporting of all marketing functions ensuring the development of content, product and pricing strategy.
• Development of comms relating to Company’s sustainability and social corporate policy.
• End-to-end management of all paid marketing content in collaboration with relevant agency team.

Business Marketing:

• Management of Retail Calendar - Planning and executing yearly calendar across all marketing channels.
• Management of Promotional Calendar and Granular product marketing initiatives - planning calendar around both social and seasonal activities but responding to commercial trends and putting forward dynamic promotional offers collaborating with merchandising for director sign off.
• Understanding both competitor activity and broader environment to understand the requirements of commercial success at any given point in time and collaborate with related departments.
• Ecommerce marketing - ensuring a strong visual and engaging site and easy to navigate pages which reflect attractive product and highlight features and benefits in accordance with brand credentials.
• Managing the database and planning strong engagement through regular owned content and customer segmentation.

People and Agency management:

• Management of the marketing team and development of team members to ensure consistency of operations and functions within the department, maintaining momentum of marketing activity to ensure sales targets are achieved.
• Development of the team to facilitate both their individual growth and resilience throughout the year.
• Development of Marketing KPIs to achieve the core objectives within the Marketing department.
• Carry out reviews and appraisals for all marketing team members as appropriate.
• Ensure the team is set up to support and deliver the anticipated sales growth for the Company.
• Developing new and existing agencies and in relation to what they are able to offer and promoting the engagement with Directors of those that can strengthen the sales and brand marketing.
• Working with agreed budgets when agreeing contracts with agencies and manage the sign off ensuring all work is completed to a satisfactory level.

Media Relations:

• Lead all brand and founder led communications with our PR and influencer agency, which involves the signing off and approval of content and gifting as well as success reporting.
• To ensure the strength of the brand name at all times e.g. adverse commentary that requires input from marketing.
• Marketing Department to monitor social media platforms responding appropriately and in a timely manner.

Photoshoots:

• End-to-end management of all brand content from collection campaigns, still life, and UGC content creation. Owning the process from the initial development through to customer roll out, ensuring all standards and deadlines are hit and the customer response is strong.
• Duties to include: Working with relevant parties to select product lines.
• Manage all elements relating to agency contractors e.g. models, photographers, styling etc. as well as booking locations and art direction.
• Give creative direction for the production, writing and finalising collection copy within agreed timelines.
• Working with key management to set traffic objectives across all sales channels and ensure accurate measurement of data in order to analyse the success of promotions and sales results.
• Strategic engagement of both potential customers, existing customers and B2B customers.
• Development of broad demographics to nurture existing and new audiences and ensure strong connectivity through multi-channel retailing.
• The success of the catalogue and the revenue it generates.
• Dynamic email and SMS marketing to maximise sales and build customer loyalty.
• Best in class web content – actively refreshing to ensure customer engagements.
• Development of database through a range of different platforms and promotions.
• To drive footfall as a result of strong marketing activities.
• Successful paid marketing campaigns that meet forecasts and demonstrate a strong understanding of retention and acquisition goals.
• Measurement of footfall, web visitors, engagement of existing customers, development of new customers, sales targets for retail sites and engagement of new visitors.
• Fulfilment of marketing function throughout the year in spite of inevitable challenges.