About the role

We are committed to excellence and innovation in education and research and with a rich history and a forward-thinking approach, we strive to make a significant impact both locally and globally. Our mission is to inspire, nurture, and develop talent to create knowledge that transforms lives.

We are currently seeking an inspirational Director of External Relations to drive our marketing, student recruitment, and reputation strategy. This is a senior leadership position with the post holder being an Executive Board Associate. Reporting to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Professional Services), the Director of External Relations is a highly influential member of the University’s leadership.

The Director of External Relations oversees four key teams : Marketing, Communications and Engagement, Future Students Office, and the Attenborough Arts Centre.

You will lead and drive sustainable growth plans in order to achieve the long term student number targets to provide financial resilience in a high-quality and effective way . You will be responsible for delivering a step change in the national and international perception of the University. You will develop and lead the implementation of a brand strategy and deliver impactful awareness campaigns that demonstrably enhance our staff and student recruitment.

About you

We are looking for a strategic leader with significant experience in the leadership of Marketing, Communications, and Student Recruitment at a strategic level. Ideally, your strategic and tactical problem-solving skills, along with your direction-setting abilities, have been proven in shaping and developing policy and process within the higher education environment or multifaceted businesses of similar size and impact. You will have a track record in developing and managing global reputation strategies and associated campaigns for major brands, and you have delivered student recruitment growth in the Higher Education sector with outstanding stakeholder engagement. Your commercial experience enables you to maximise income generation across your areas of responsibility.

Our ideal candidate would have managed complex and nuanced relationships requiring bespoke approaches and high levels of judgment. You would be able to build trust and confidence across all levels of an organisation and have successfully mentored, coached, and influenced others to achieve results, leading a team of top specialists in their fields. Experience in successful budget setting and cost management is also essential.

An understanding and knowledge of how arts and cultural facilities can add value to a University brand would be desirable.