Assistant Marketing Director

Job title: Assistant Director, Marketing (fixed-term)

Reports to: Director of Growth (or CEO pending appointment)

Job level: Level 2

Contract: Fixed-term, up to 12 months

Location: London, with some travel

Direct reports: The in-house marketing, communications and press function

This is a fixed-term role, created through the CISI Target Operating Model (TOM), to provide senior leadership to the marketing, communications and press function during a period of transition and to design and help stand up its future operating model, drawing on the findings, data and work package outputs from the TOM programme.

The role has a dual mandate. First, to lead and run the marketing function day to day, maintaining delivery, performance and team stability throughout the transition. Second, to design the future marketing operating model including where specialist delivery is best provided through expert partners and to put the arrangements in place to support it. CISI's TOM prioritises keeping distinctive and strategic capabilities in house while drawing on expert partners for tactical, specialist delivery. This role will shape how that principle is applied to marketing, communications and creative, and will establish an ongoing in-house capability to manage and get the best from those arrangements.

Key accountabilities

• Provide senior leadership to the marketing, communications and press function, maintaining delivery, quality and team stability throughout the transition.
• Lead business-as-usual marketing, communications and press activity, ensuring CISI's brand, campaigns and external voice continue to perform.
• Support and develop the in-house team through a period of change, communicating openly and managing engagement with care and in line with CISI's people commitments.
• Design the future marketing operating model, defining which capabilities are best delivered in-house and which through expert external partners.
• Use TOM findings, data and work package outputs to identify priorities, test design assumptions and shape the future marketing function around organisational needs.
• Lead the selection and appointment of external partner(s), working with Procurement to run a fair, well-governed sourcing process and to put appropriate contracts in place.
• Establish the ways of working, service levels and governance needed for a partly partner-delivered model to succeed.
• Define and help establish the ongoing in-house capability a marketing contract-management and subject-matter-expert role needed to manage partners and retain strategic control, and hand over to it at the end of the contract.
• Work closely with the Director of Growth and wider Growth pillar to ensure marketing supports the commercial growth agenda.
• Provide clear reporting to the Director of Growth and, as required, to ExCo on progress, risks and decisions through the transition.

Nature of the role

This is a change-focused leadership role that combines running an established function with designing its future. The successful candidate will need to hold both together sustaining performance and looking after the team while shaping and testing a new model. The design of the future operating model, including any partner arrangements, is still to be developed and will be subject to the organisation's normal consultation and engagement processes. The role holder is expected to lead this work thoughtfully and in line with CISI's values and people commitments.

Person specification

We are looking for an experienced marketing and communications leader who can run a function confidently while designing its future. The role would suit someone comfortable with ambiguity and change, with the credibility to lead a team through transition and the commercial judgement to design and source a partly partner-delivered model.

Knowledge, experience and qualifications

• Substantial senior marketing and communications leadership experience, ideally including press and external communications.
• Experience of leading a marketing function through change, restructure or a shift in operating model.
• A track record of designing operating models and/or selecting and managing external agencies or partners.
• Experience of working with Procurement on sourcing and contracting, or strong commercial contracting judgement.
• The ability to manage service levels and get strong performance from partner-delivered services.
• Experience gained in membership organisations, professional bodies, financial services or comparable environments would be an advantage.
• A relevant degree or professional qualification (e.g. CIM), or equivalent professional experience.

The competencies below are drawn from the CISI competency framework used across the organisation. They describe how the role holder is expected to operate.

Communication & influence

Leads a communications function with authority and communicates change to the team clearly, honestly and with care.

Designs a cost-effective operating model, builds the case for partner arrangements, and contracts on sound commercial terms.

Project & change management

Runs BAU and delivers a model-design and sourcing programme in parallel, to time and within the transition period.

Collaboration & teamwork

Works effectively with Growth, Procurement and partners; keeps the in-house team engaged through change.

Resilience & personal responsibility

Holds performance steady through uncertainty and takes clear ownership of a time-bound remit.

Creativity & innovation

Maintains a strong, distinctive marketing output while reimagining how it is delivered.

Planning & organisation

Structures a complex, time-bound remit and sequences design, sourcing and handover cleanly.

Learning & self-development

Brings and shares current marketing, digital and agency-management practice into the organisation.

This is a fixed-term role of up to 12 months. The job description reflects the role as designed through the CISI Target Operating Model and may evolve as the future operating model is developed. It is not exhaustive.

We offer a competitive remuneration package, which includes:

• 7½% company pension contribution into a personal pension, in addition to your own contribution of 1½% via salary exchange
• A Wellness Allowance of up to £30 a month
• 26 days annual leave and additionally the Institute closes for three days between Christmas and New Year.
• A travel allowance which has a value of £2,500 per annum
• Hybrid working arrangements (minimum of three days in the office)

Candidate Adjustments

At CISI we encourage applications from a neurodiverse workforce so please do reach out to HR@cisi.org to discuss reasonable adjustments if required.

Our London office is open plan with agile desk booking; however, we are able to arrange reasonable adjustments for candidates that require a fixed working space.

We value the contribution that employees with different views and experience bring to the Institute and are committed to promoting equality, inclusion and diversity. We hope to receive applications from a wide range of talented people irrespective of their race, religion or belief, gender, age, gender identity, neurodiversity, disability, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, political belief, social class, relationship status or caring responsibilities.