Big ideas. Lifelong connections. One objective. 

Marketing Planning Manager – Direct Marketing

£40,000 - £45,000 plus benefits

Reports to: Senior Channel Manager

Directorate: Marketing, Fundraising & Engagement

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time 35 hours per week

Location: Stratford, London Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)

Closing date: 18 November 2024 23:55

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. Please let us know if there is anything about the recruitment process that you would like to discuss, in particular if there are any changes or adjustments that would make it easier for you to apply. Please contact [email protected] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We have an exciting opportunity for a direct marketing specialist to join Cancer Research UK’s Marketing Planning team to play a key role in supporting our audience-led marketing strategy and planning function. Using your integrated marketing expertise, you will work closely with your team to take a centralised view across our marketing, audiences, channels, and performance to ensure all activity has maximum impact.

You will consult with marketing & delivery teams and suppliers on campaigns and activity to ensure strategic alignment and fully integrated planning. Acting as a trusted internal partner to marketing and delivery teams on your specialist channels, you’ll work to maximise marketing effectiveness and embed the channel strategies you’ll help to develop. You will support the annual marketing planning process in setting overarching marketing objectives, key performance indicators, forecasts and budgets, translating these into an all-channel strategic brief for the cross-portfolio marketing plan. To be successful in this role you must have a strong understanding of fully integrated end to end marketing campaigns and enjoy working with a range of stakeholders across a wide variety of projects.

This role would suit an experienced Direct Marketing or Customer Relationship Manager who is looking for a new opportunity to hone and develop their strategic and planning skills OR an experienced Marketing Delivery or Campaign Manager looking to make a sideways move into planning. This is your chance to support the planning delivery of high-profile campaigns across our charity’s entire portfolio, helping to bring everyone closer to our purpose, transforming Cancer Research UK into an influential and impactful force in society, inspiring audiences to help us beat cancer.

What will I be doing?

• Work cross-directorate to establish ways for CRUK to deliver best experiences to its known audiences, providing overarching planning and prioritisation recommendations across owned channel touchpoints (Email, direct mail, SMS, outbound phone, CRUK.org etc)

• Collaborate with marketing & delivery teams to assimilate high level channel, campaign and audience learnings to inform marketing plans and improve ways of working across owned channel activities.

• Analyse and evaluate performance, identifying opportunities to best meet CRUK's strategic objectives through marketing planning solutions and recommendations

• Act as the day-to-day planning contact for Loyalty & Cultivation and business change initiatives, supporting CRUK’s moves to audience-led, data driven planning that builds to lasting loyalty (eg: through development of cross-sell priorities).

• Work with and support the senior marketing planning manager and marketing planning executives to deliver projects across the owned channel planning function where needed.

• Take a lead in providing CRM marketing expertise and best practice with delivery teams

• Using external insight and a data led approach, ensure Cancer Research UK’s marketing and communications stay ahead of the curve and are data and insight driven

What are you looking for?

• Strong understanding of direct marketing/or CRM and considerations for owned channels (ideally Email, SMS/WhatsApp, Direct Mail, Door drop & Telemarketing)

• Understanding of and end-to-end supporter or customer journeys and the role of paid media and earned channels in fully integrated campaigns.

• Excellent project management and communication skills with experience of managing and improving priority workstreams involving multiple teams and stakeholders.

• Relevant experience of planning and delivering multi-channel marketing campaigns across a broad portfolio.

• A data-driven, analytical mindset with experience of interpreting results and recommending opportunities for optimisation.

• Relevant experience of building positive working relationships and influencing others and working effectively as part of a matrix team.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination  

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism   

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people  

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

How do I apply?

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively.

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].  

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