Head of Marketing

Poppy’s is a purpose-led, ambitious, accredited B Corp business on a mission to transform the funeral experience for the better. We know funerals can be life and grief-changing experiences, so at Poppy’s, we guide and support people to have the funeral they want - whatever that means to them.

Poppy’s is growing fast: we nearly doubled our business in the last two years and we’re now opening new sites across Greater London with our first high street shop in Sheen, south west London.

We are looking for an ambitious, commercial and experienced marketing professional to help us grow into a scalable and more profitable business.

This is initially a very hands-on role implementing an existing marketing strategy but is ideal for a natural strategic thinker who is looking for a role where they can learn, grow, and step up into a leadership role that goes beyond marketing.

You will be working in a small team with a high impact. As our Head of Marketing, you will work directly with our CEO, COO and Founder to drive our growth in new areas and help shape key business decisions.

The Role

• Ownership of our yearly marketing plan, KPIs and marketing budget, ensuring we stay on budget and on track in delivering critical funeral leads (people coming to Poppy’s for a funeral), reporting on marketing performance on a regular basis.
• Managing and optimising all our marketing activity and channels which currently include advertising (OOH and press), search (PPC and SEO), social media, website and e-CRM activity using HubSpot. This includes management of our partner agencies and supplier relationships.
• Brand guardianship. Ensuring we stay true to our brand strategy and guidelines in how we look, feel, and talk across all our touchpoints and communications, from our vehicles to advertising, uniforms to printed materials.
• Managing all our brand assets and content including videos, photography, printed materials, and advertising creative.
• Working closely with our Founder and CEO on how we manage inbound enquiries from the media and managing our ‘case studies’, former clients who have agreed to feature in any media work.
• Strategic oversight of our calendar of events including our twice-yearly open days at our Tooting HQ, ensuring we are using our time wisely in service of our business and marketing objectives.
• Strategic oversight of our relationship marketing/B2B activity where our leadership team have 1:1 relationships with professionals, organisations and members of the local community who support bereaved people.
• Leading a small marketing function, including line management of a content editor who manages our website content including our popular blog, social media channels and email marketing.
• Building trusted relationships and regularly engage with our frontline team who work directly with clients and deliver funerals - they are an invaluable source of insight and are the people who bring our brand and fresh approach to life.
• Bringing a marketing-led perspective in discussions and key decision points for the business.

Who are you?

You may be in a mid-level marketing role and looking for a step up into a more senior, strategic role. Or you may be looking for greater freedom and autonomy in a smaller business, with a better work-life balance. You may be returning to work after a career break.

You are happy to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into the detail, whilst keeping an eye on the bigger picture and ensuring marketing contributes to commercial outcomes.

You have a good understanding and experience of working across marketing communications at its broadest level including brand, advertising creative, digital including PPC, SEO, website and content management, social media, and PR. We don’t expect you to be a specialist in every area, but to know their role in the marketing mix, with self-awareness of where you think you will need support.

You are confident in making decisions for how resource and budget are best spent and getting buy-in for your proposed approach or ideas.

You have excellent people skills and can build fruitful relationships with colleagues, partners and third-party agencies, freelancers, and suppliers.

You are excited about Poppy’s and what we are trying to achieve.

Crucially, we expect everyone on the team to be able and willing to develop a sound understanding of the gentle, thoughtful, natural way we care for the dead people in our mortuary. We have no expectations of prior experience of this work.

What we can offer you

• Salary: £50,000 FTE per annum.
• Hours: This role could be full time or worked flexibly over 4 days. We are a growing business and the role will continue to grow alongside us.
• Location: Remote or hybrid at our Tooting and / or Sheen locations.
• Team: You will line manage our Content Editor and work with the wider Poppy’s team to implement our marketing strategy.
• Reporting: You’ll report to the CEO.
• Holidays: 25 days (plus BHs) rising with longer service to 30 days.
• Additional day off for your birthday.

Benefits:

• Employee share scheme, giving you a share of ownership in the company
• Medicash health plan, giving GP access and discounts on prescriptions, dentistry, optometry, complimentary therapies
• Employers pension contributions of 3%
• Enhanced family leave
• Free annual eye test
• Retail and gym discounts
• Paid volunteering time
• Interest free travel card loans
• Cycle to work scheme
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme giving 24/7 counselling access plus a wide range of lifestyle support
• Regular reflection and support sessions offered to our whole team alongside an active culture of peer support, autonomous working, and constructive feedback.

Application Process

We are open to informal conversations with interested candidates. Please email us on [email removed - click apply for more details] to arrange this.

The closing date for applications is 9am, Monday 17th June. Applicants should submit a CV and covering letter of no more than 2 pages detailing how they would bring their skills and experience to the role.

Interview process

First round interviews will be held remotely on Wednesday 26th & Thursday 27th June. Candidates will be asked to prepare a short presentation which will be briefed when you are invited for interview.

The second round will be held on Thursday 4th July at Poppy’s Tooting and will involve a chance to meet the wider team, see our space, and discuss the role further.

Please see the job pack on our website for more details.