Marketing Director (Global B2C)

The posting

The Position

Global University Systems is looking for an exceptional Marketing Director with deep global B2C experience to lead and transform a portfolio of brands within the wider GUS group.

This is a significant consumer marketing leadership role for a proven brand builder. Someone who understands how to create distinctive brands, build consumer demand, grow market share and turn brand investment into measurable commercial results.

You will take responsibility for a portfolio of brands, while also helping shape the wider marketing capability of the Group globally.

This is not a role for someone who simply wants to maintain what already exists.

We are looking for a game-changing marketing leader who can look at a business, understand its consumers and markets, identify where the biggest opportunities lie and build a bold strategy around them.

You will understand that brilliant branding is not simply about how something looks. It is about creating distinction, influencing consumer choice, changing perception, building demand and ultimately driving growth.

The Opportunity

GUS operates a broad portfolio of education brands, institutions and businesses serving consumers across multiple international markets.

We already have significant scale, reach and an extraordinary platform to build from. The opportunity now is to take our brands and B2C marketing capability to the next level for a portfolio of brands within our group.

You will take a fresh look at your portfolio, understanding each brand's position, audiences, competitive landscape and growth potential.

Some brands may need repositioning. Others may require greater investment, stronger propositions, a different approach to customer acquisition or a completely new creative direction.

Your role will be to understand what each brand needs to win in its market, while ensuring the portfolio benefits from the scale, capability and reach of the wider Group.

Crucially, you will connect brand, consumer insight, customer acquisition and commercial performance.

What You'll Be Responsible For

You will take ownership of a portfolio within the wider GUS group of brands.

• Develop a clear strategy and growth ambition for each brand within your portfolio.
• Understand the different consumer audiences, propositions and competitive environments across the portfolio.
• Identify where brands require repositioning, investment or transformation.
• Balance individual brand identities with the advantages and capabilities of the wider Group.
• Set clear priorities across the portfolio based on consumer opportunity and commercial potential.
• Ensure each brand has a distinctive proposition and clear reason for consumers to choose it.
• Build marketing strategies that translate into sustainable growth.

Building Brands That Consumers Choose

At the heart of this role is brand building.

We are looking for someone who has personally built, repositioned or transformed consumer-facing brands and can demonstrate the impact they made.

• Define compelling consumer brand strategies and positioning.
• Create distinctive propositions that resonate with clearly defined audiences.
• Strengthen awareness, consideration, preference and ultimately conversion.
• Use consumer insight and market intelligence to inform brand and marketing strategy.
• Build creative platforms and campaigns capable of working across different international markets.
• Create powerful stories that connect emotionally with consumers.
• Ensure our brands stand out in increasingly competitive categories.
• Build long-term brand equity while delivering short-term commercial performance.

This is not about building brands that simply look good.

It is about building brands that consumers want and businesses can grow.

Driving Growth

You will bring a sophisticated understanding of modern B2C marketing and the entire consumer journey, from initial awareness through consideration, acquisition, conversion and retention.

• Build integrated marketing strategies across brand, digital, content, social, performance and CRM.
• Develop audience segmentation and consumer propositions that drive action.
• Balance long-term brand building with performance marketing and customer acquisition.
• Understand customer acquisition economics, conversion and return on marketing investment.
• Identify opportunities to improve the complete consumer journey.
• Ensure marketing investment is focused on the channels, audiences and markets capable of delivering the greatest return.
• Use data and consumer insight to continuously improve marketing performance.

Driving Transformation

We are looking for someone who is comfortable challenging the status quo.

You won't simply inherit a strategy and keep it running.

You will assess what is working, identify what isn't and make the changes necessary to create meaningful progress.

• Identify the biggest opportunities to strengthen our brands and B2C marketing capability.
• Develop bold strategies that create measurable commercial and brand growth.
• Challenge existing ways of working and introduce new thinking.
• Build a clear vision for where our brands need to go next.
• Turn strategy into action and action into measurable results.
• Raise the standard of marketing across the portfolio.
• Create momentum and ensure marketing is genuinely moving the business forward.

Who We're Looking For

We are looking for an experienced senior marketing leader with a significant track record in B2C marketing and consumer brand building.

Global B2C experience is essential for this role.

You may come from education, consumer goods, retail, travel, hospitality, technology, financial services, media, subscription businesses or another consumer-led, international environment.

You don't necessarily need to have worked in education.

What matters is that you understand consumers, brands and growth, and can demonstrate what you personally changed and the commercial impact it delivered.

We want to hear about:

• The consumer brands you built or transformed.
• The brand positioning you changed.
• The international markets where you drove growth.
• The consumer audiences you successfully reached.
• The campaigns and strategies that materially changed performance.
• The commercial growth your marketing delivered.
• The portfolios you have managed.
• The teams and capabilities you built.

You Will Bring

• Significant senior B2C marketing leadership experience within a global or multi-market organisation.
• A proven track record as a consumer brand builder.
• Experience managing multiple brands or a portfolio of consumer businesses/products.
• Evidence of successfully repositioning, transforming or scaling established brands.
• Strong understanding of consumer behaviour, segmentation and customer decision-making.
• Deep expertise across brand strategy, creative development, integrated campaigns, digital, social and performance marketing.
• Experience managing the complete B2C customer journey, from awareness and consideration through acquisition and conversion.
• Evidence of delivering measurable commercial growth through marketing.
• The ability to balance brand building with customer acquisition and performance marketing.
• Experience operating across multiple international markets and adapting consumer strategies accordingly.
• Strong commercial instincts and an understanding of customer acquisition, conversion, ROI and marketing effectiveness.
• Experience building and leading high-performing marketing teams.
• The ability to combine big-picture strategic thinking with exceptional execution.
• Confidence working with and influencing senior leadership teams.
• A willingness to challenge established thinking and make difficult decisions.
• High energy, ambition and a strong bias towards action.

The Person

• You are a brand builder and commercial marketer.
• You are fascinated by consumers: what they want, what influences them, why they choose one brand over another and what makes them come back.
• You understand both the art and science of marketing.
• You believe in creativity and the power of brands, but you are equally comfortable talking about acquisition, conversion, investment and commercial return.
• You can move between the detail of an individual brand and the bigger strategic picture of a global portfolio.
• You see opportunities quickly and know how to translate them into action.
• You are comfortable making decisions.
• You challenge constructively, bring energy into a room and raise standards around you.

Above all, you build brands that grow.

If that sounds like the kind of challenge you've been looking for, we'd like to hear from you.

Other Information

Global University Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equal opportunities and are committed to the principle of equality regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences, marital status, family status or disability.

The post holder may be asked to undertake different or additional duties in line with business requirements at the request of their line manager. There is an expectation that all employees will maintain the values of the Group and comply with the code of conduct as well as equality and diversity, health and safety and safeguarding policies.

What we offer:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays - time to rest, recharge, and balance life beyond work.
• Hybrid working - most roles offer hybrid or flexible arrangements to support work-life balance.
• Contributory Pension Scheme - 5% personal contribution & 3% Company contribution, so you can build long-term financial security with added benefits of the company contributions.
• Private Medical Insurance (T&C's apply) - prioritising your wellbeing with speedy access to healthcare whenever you need support.
• Season Ticket Loan (T&C's apply) - spread the cost of your commute with an interest-free travel loan.
• Eye Care Vouchers - support for regular eye tests and essential eyewear.
• Training & Development opportunities (T&C's apply) - access to short courses via FutureLearn and Group-wide professional development programmes.
• Staff Discount Scheme - via My Rewards Hub, from various retailers – Fashion, Grocery, Health & Beauty, Travel, Automotive, Furniture, Dining, Sports and Leisure, Electronics, etc
• Employee Assistance Programme - confidential support for your wellbeing, whenever you need it.
• Refer a Friend Scheme for staff members (T&C's apply) - earn rewards for helping us bring great talent into the team

If you feel this is the role you are looking for, please click below to apply for the role! We will screen all applicants and select candidates whose qualifications meet our requirements. We will carefully consider your application during the initial screening and will contact you if you are selected to continue for the next stage of the recruitment process. We wish you every success in your job search. GUS is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religion or belief. Our data privacy policy can be viewed here.