Lead Marketing Business Partner - Internal Applicants Only

Please note this position is for internal applications; only current Activate Learning Employees will be considered for this role.

Are you an experienced Marketing Business Partner ready to take the next step in your leadership journey? Do you enjoy supporting colleagues, building strong relationships, and helping teams deliver effective, results-driven marketing?

Role: Lead Marketing Business Partner
Location: Oxford, Reading or Guildford, with Group travel as required
Contract: Full-time secondment for 12 months (37 hours per week)
Grade: M3
Eligibility: Open to existing Marketing Business Partners only

About the role

This is an opportunity to take on additional team leadership and line management responsibilities while retaining your existing Marketing Business Partner portfolio.

Reporting to the Head of Marketing, you'll coordinate the team's priorities and workloads, support colleague development, and ensure marketing activity is aligned with the Group's student recruitment and commercial objectives. You'll also chair faculty marketing meetings and build strong relationships across faculties, sales teams, and Group Marketing.

The secondment will provide additional management capacity supporting the Head of Marketing, who will retain overall marketing accountability and direct management of the Digital Marketing Manager and Brand and Design Manager.

What you'll be doing

• Manage Marketing Business Partners through regular one-to-ones, objective setting, performance management, and professional development.
• Allocate workloads, monitor progress, support colleagues to resolve challenges and keep the Head of Marketing informed of capacity, risks, and performance.
• Chair faculty marketing meetings, agree priorities and actions, and ensure effective communication between Group Marketing, faculties, and sales teams.
• Continue to develop and deliver marketing plans, campaigns and product marketing activity that support recruitment, lead generation and commercial growth.
• Monitor marketing performance, analyse market and customer insights, identify opportunities, and recommend improvements to maximise impact.

What we're looking for

We're looking for a collaborative, commercially aware Marketing Business Partner who is ready to develop their leadership experience. You'll be confident supporting colleagues, managing competing priorities and building effective relationships across the organisation.

You'll have

• Current experience as a Marketing Business Partner at Activate Learning, alongside a degree or equivalent qualification.
• At least three years' experience delivering successful marketing and communications campaigns, including planning projects, and coordinating activity across teams.
• Experience leading projects or supporting colleagues, with the ability to delegate, provide constructive feedback and encourage development.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, and organisational skills, with confidence chairing meetings and influencing priorities.
• Commercial awareness and experience using market insights and performance data to inform decisions. Experience in Further Education, Higher Education or apprenticeships is essential; line management, coaching, mentoring, or onboarding experience is desirable.

Internal applicants - What do you need to do next?

If this feels like the right opportunity for you, please submit your application by completing the attached internal expression of interest, clearly outlining your suitability for this role.

Activate Learning is committed to safeguarding and expect all our staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to undergo a DBS check at the appropriate level.

Note: Some positions may require a legally mandated health surveillance check for exposure to hazardous conditions.

Applications are encouraged from all candidates who meet or exceed minimum criteria, regardless of age, disability, gender, orientation, race, religion, or ethnicity. Activate Learning are committed to employing people with disabilities and will ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. If you require any reasonable adjustments either at application or interview stage, please contact the talent team directly.

Recruitment agencies who submit unsolicited CVs to any partner or employee at Activate Learning, have no authority to enter an arrangement. Recruitment agencies engaging with Activate Learning Talent Team will be on our PSL.