Head of Marketing

This is an exciting opportunity to head up the Cathedral Marketing Team at a time of significant change and development.  The Cathedral is delivering its £7m, Lottery funded project, Alban, Britain’s First Saint: Telling the Whole Story (ABFS) and new Mission Action Plan (MAP). The Alban, Britain’s’ First Saint project aims to reveal the importance of Alban to a wider audience and to fill a major gap in our national awareness of the origins and evolution of Christian Britain. The new Mission Action Plan aims to build on the achievements of the ABFS project, to grow congregations and to increase recognition of the Cathedral’s role in promoting social justice in our society. 

The Marketing Team are key to the success of ABFS and the MAP.  Through ABFS, the Cathedral aims to increase visitor numbers by 35%. The project offers visitors a greatly enhanced experience with improved facilities and interpretation, including a new Welcome Centre, new learning facilities and a busy events programme to appeal to new and existing audiences. Working in partnership with St Albans City and District Council, the Business Improvement District, the University of Hertfordshire, Visit Herts and the City’s own Heritage Fund supported Museum and Art Gallery, our joint aim is to make St Albans a first-choice destination for tourists and pilgrims alike.

The Marketing Team are also central to creating ideas and supporting the clergy in bucking the trend of a decline in church attendances. The Cathedral aims to offer a diverse range of opportunities for people to worship, explore their spirituality and promote social justice in an increasingly fragmented society.

The Head of Marketing is a vital role in the development of St Albans Cathedral. To fill this position we are looking for an experienced and versatile marketer, who can deliver significant growth in these key areas and continue to raise the profile of the Cathedral on a national and international stage.

This is a full time or near full time (four days a week) role reporting to the Cathedral Administrator.

PART 1 - BACKGROUND INFORMATION

About the Cathedral

St Albans Cathedral is the number one tourist destination in St Albans and attracts over 200,000 visitors per year from the UK and abroad.  It hosts hundreds of events and services throughout the year. It has the largest Anglican congregation of any cathedral in England and strong ecumenical links with honorary chaplains from the Roman Catholic, Free Church, Lutheran and Russian Orthodox traditions regularly conducting services at the Cathedral for their congregations.

It is the mother church of the Diocese of St Albans which serves the people of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, the Borough of Luton and parts of the London Borough of Barnet, Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire.

The Cathedral has played a significant role in history through the ages. It is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain and stands on the site where Britain’s first Saint, Alban, was martyred and buried after giving his life for his faith over 1,700 years ago. It still houses the shrine of St Alban and is a major site of Christian pilgrimage to this day.

The Cathedral architecture is a blend of many different periods, with Anglo-Saxon features dating back to King Offa’s church, founded on the site in 793. Work started on the current church building in 1077; it was the largest building in the country at the time. Its great Norman tower and nave were built using Roman bricks salvaged from the ruins of Verulamium. The Benedictine monastery was dissolved in 1539 and the Abbey church was bought by the townspeople to become the parish church, which it remains today. The Victorians undertook a major restoration and it became a cathedral in 1877. It is in this dual role of a parish and cathedral church that it is a centre for worship and mission with a high local and national profile.

The Magna Carta, arguably the most important historical document in the world, began its journey here, back in 1213 when the Abbey was the setting for the first meeting to discuss the creation of the document that was subsequently sealed in 1215.

The Cathedral’s musical tradition is renowned throughout the world, especially through the biennial International Organ Festival - the most prestigious organ competition in Europe; the Cathedral and the cathedral organ are the centrepieces of the festival.

There is a very active Learning Department including an award winning Education Centre hosting visits from over 14,000 school children each year and a highly successful Adult Learning programme.

The work of the Cathedral is sustained by over 30 full and part-time staff and some 700 volunteers.

The Cathedral is also supported by a number of independent trusts and bodies. Some are concerned with raising funds for a particular aspect of the Cathedral’s life, others finance and manage functions in support of the Cathedral’s mission.

Further information about the Cathedral , the ABFS project and the Mission Action Plan  can be found on our website: www.stalbanscathedral.org

Mission Statement

St Albans Cathedral exists to glorify God and, inspired by the witness of Alban, proclaim Christ’s message of love.

Our Mission is to:

be a community that reflects Jesus’ teaching;

share the faith and grow in faith;

deepen our unity with fellow Christians;

stand with St Alban for truth and justice;

offer a warm welcome to all;

serve the Bishop and Diocese of St Albans as their Cathedral Church; and

enhance, conserve and develop this holy place.

PART 2 - JOB DESCRIPTION

The Head of Marketing is a member of the senior management team at the Cathedral, providing a marketing focus to the development of strategy and operational delivery.  Leading a team currently of three *, the Head of Marketing is the lead on devising and delivering a successful marketing strategy to engage new and existing audiences and deliver the Cathedral’s mission. They will work with a wide range of departments at the Cathedral and be required to build relationships with numerous third party organisations, individuals, the media, event organisers and suppliers.

Key responsibilities are:

To be a positive leader and influencer across the Cathedral community.

To provide a marketing eye to the development of strategy and the delivery of operation.

To develop the Cathedral’s marketing strategy and deliver cross-channel marketing campaigns to engage and grow existing and new audiences and congregations.

To collaborate effectively with city and tourism partners to deliver the tourism strategy for the Cathedral, St Albans and the wider region.

To ensure that targets for audiences as set out in the ABFS Activity Plan are being monitored and met.

To work collaboratively with colleagues from across the Cathedral to devise engaging events and activity programmes throughout the year.

To maintain and develop relationships with all relevant media, securing regular print, broadcast and digital coverage for the Cathedral and its activities.

To manage the continued development of consistent Cathedral branding, effectively communicating key messages and ensuring that style guidelines are rigorously adhered to by Cathedral staff and external partners.

To oversee the development of the Cathedral website and management of SEO & Google Ads.

To plan and oversee the implementation and analysis of campaigns across the Cathedral’s social media channels.

To manage and develop the Cathedral’s email marketing platform.

To provide regular evaluation and reporting on marketing campaigns and audience development.

To manage and report on the Cathedral’s marketing budget.

To manage and develop third party filming and photography, working with TV and film production companies.

To identify commercial opportunities for the Cathedral and to work with the Head of Visitor Services to increase visitor donations.

To oversee the production of all print and digital marketing collateral.

To manage and develop the marketing team (Marketing Executive & Marketing Assistant)*.

To represent and champion the Cathedral at external events and meetings.

*One position is funded by NLHF until April 2021. There is also funding for a digital media intern in 2020. The Head of Marketing will be required to review the team capacity and capabilities with a view to delivering the marketing programme after April 2021.

PART 3 - PERSON SPECIFICATION

This is the ideal role for someone who has an established career in marketing and is looking for a leadership role in a dynamic and growing organisation, more responsibility and fresh challenges. 

To fulfil the responsibilities of the post, the Cathedral is looking to appoint someone who ideally:

Is relentlessly positive and corporate;

has a passion for what they do and for the mission of the Cathedral;

has the experience and skills to lead and develop a small team and to work with volunteers;

has extensive marketing experience in a relevant background, particularly heritage and tourism.

has proven experience in delivering campaigns that have engaged new audiences;

has a track record of developing fruitful partnerships and working collaboratively to deliver projects;

understands how to work with the media and secure coverage;

has experience of brand development and consistency;

has a proven track record of managing websites and delivering successful social media campaigns;

has demonstrable experience of working with designers and printers;

can think creatively and generate innovative ideas;

is able to step back and see the bigger picture;

has an eye for commercial opportunities;

is well-organised and able to prioritise;

has excellent written and oral communications skills, and is able to present confidently;

has experience of evaluation and report writing;

educated to degree level or equivalent;

has a high level of computer literacy;

has a professional approach and is prepared to be an ambassador for the Cathedral.

The following skills and experience would also be desirable:

is familiar with Google Analytics; Google Adwords and email marketing platforms.

We are committed to diversity and equal opportunities and we support our staff to manage their time flexibly and to enjoy a good work/life balance. 

PART 4 - TERMS AND CONDITIONS

For the right candidate, we offer:

a beautiful Cathedral setting;

an annual salary of £36,000 (full time equivalent);

annual leave of 25 days plus public holidays;

a flexible working environment;

automatic enrolment to  the stakeholder  pension scheme that has been designated by the Cathedral.  An opportunity to increase contributions.  The Cathedral will match the individual’s contribution up to a maximum of six per cent of the annual basic salary.

contractual sick pay;

free staff parking (subject to availability);

a discount in Cathedral shop and cafe;

an opportunity to develop marketing and Lottery funded project expertise within a heritage environment at a time of significant development.

Some weekend and evening work may be required for which time off in lieu will apply.