Head of Communications and Marketing, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is seeking an inspiring and strategic Head of Communications and Marketing to lead the College’s multi‑disciplinary communications, marketing, and digital team and to drive impactful, audience‑led engagement in support of its mission to improve child health in the UK and globally.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Membership and Engagement, this high‑profile role is responsible for shaping and delivering the College’s integrated communications, marketing, and brand strategy. You will oversee all aspects of the College’s external and internal communications, ensuring cohesive messaging, powerful storytelling, and measurable impact across channels. You will lead and motivate a talented team of specialists spanning marketing, digital communications, design, and content, ensuring the delivery of high‑quality campaigns, compelling digital experiences, and meaningful engagement with members, partners, and stakeholders. Sitting on the Divisional Management Team, you will balance strategic vision with operational excellence, driving innovation and best practice in all areas of communications and marketing.

Key responsibilities

• Developing and implementing an integrated marketing, digital, and communications strategy that grows the College’s reach, impact, and income
• Leading a team of communications, marketing, and design professionals to deliver high‑quality, on‑brand, audience‑led campaigns and content
• Overseeing the College’s brand strategy and acting as guardian of the RCPCH brand and sub‑brands across all channels and materials
• Directing the development and publication of key member and stakeholder communications, including the quarterly Milestones magazine, annual reports, newsletters, and digital content
• Providing senior leadership on digital strategy, including user experience, CRM optimisation, SEO, PPC campaigns, and data‑driven decision‑making
• Championing audience insight, analytics, and continuous improvement to drive engagement and enhance the digital experience
• Building strong collaborative relationships across the organisation to ensure communications and marketing support strategic priorities
• Managing external agencies and suppliers to deliver outstanding creative and digital outcomes
• Coaching, mentoring, and developing a team of three direct reports, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence

Essential skills and experience

• Degree‑level education or equivalent professional experience
• Proven experience leading multi‑disciplinary marketing and communications teams
• Track record of developing and implementing successful digital, communications, and brand strategies that drive engagement and measurable results
• Strong editorial and copywriting skills, with excellent judgement and political awareness
• Experience managing communications and marketing functions in a membership body or similar organisation
• Demonstrable leadership, coaching, and stakeholder management skills
• Proven ability to manage complex projects and competing priorities, delivering results under pressure
• Strong understanding of digital transformation, CRM systems, and data‑led decision‑making
• Excellent communication, influencing, and relationship‑building skills

Desirable

• Experience working at senior leadership level within the membership or non‑profit sector
• Experience of leading CRM or website implementation projects
• Formal project management qualification

This is an exceptional opportunity to lead a highly capable team and shape the voice, visibility, and impact of an organisation at the forefront of child health. The RCPCH has more than 25,000 members and fellows and employs around 200 staff, most of whom work in our London office in Holborn. We have a Devolved Nations team operating from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The College values: Include, Influence, Innovate and Inspire, are important to us. These values ensure we bring out the best in each other, strive forward together to make the College a positive and dynamic place to work. The RCPCH champions Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Our workplace is inclusive, offering a supportive environment where staff can thrive. The College is keen to accept applications from people with protected characteristics. We believe that our staff should represent all of the diverse communities we serve.

Join us to help realise our vision of a world where every child is healthy and well. The College operates a flexible and modern working policy, whereby our colleagues work in the office for a minimum of 40% over a 4 week cycle and the remainder from home. The RCPCH is committed to safeguarding the children, young people and adults it has contact with in the exercise of its functions and responsibilities. The RCPCH expects all staff to share this commitment – we place a high priority on ensuring only those who do so are recruited to work for us. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records.

Closing date: 27 November 2025. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.