Introduction to the Stephen Joseph Theatre

The Stephen Joseph Theatre (SJT) is a producing theatre based in Scarborough; it has a national and
international reputation, and offers a year-round programme of high-quality theatre and film.  SJT also
provides a wide-range of participatory activity, through which we work across the borough and with all
ages and communities, including: a youth theatre for anyone aged from 5  – 25; schools’ workshops;
community choirs and activities for those with dementia.

Each  year  we  produce  seven  shows,  of  which  at  least  two  are  brand  new.  Next  year’s  programme
includes  the  Broadway  award-winning  Murder  for  Two;  a  co-production  of  Calendar  Girls  –  The
Musical with Theatre by the Lake Keswick, Bolton Octagon and New Wolsey Ipswich (our big show for
the summer); Olivier award-winning comedy Handbagged; a world-premiere of Alan Ayckbourn’s 92nd
new  play  The  Trial  of  Romeo  Oscar;  a  piece  of  new  writing  in  collaboration  with  Live  Theatre  in
Newcastle; and our Christmas shows: Puss in Boots.

The work from our visiting companies includes dance, drama, music, solo shows, comedy, family work,
circus, poetry, cabaret, magic and drag and this year we’ve welcomed, Blackeyed Theatre, Frozen Light,
John Godber, Mark Thomas, Townsend Productions and Daniel Kitson (amongst others). Our cinema
shows nearly 400 films a year, ranging from Wicked and Downton Abbey to the latest live streaming
from the National Theatre.

Our theatre benefits from its proximity to the beautiful North Yorkshire coastline as well as the North
York Moors and the Yorkshire Wolds. Scarborough was the first British seaside resort to be established
in England and remains one of the UK’s most visited destinations.  SJT is at the heart of the cultural
regeneration  plans  established  by  Scarborough  Borough  Council  and  now  being  taken  forwards  by
North Yorkshire Council (who replaced SBC after Local Government Reorganisation). These include
Scarborough Fair - a year-round cultural programme incorporating five high-quality, distinctive festivals
– the creation of a new council wide cultural strategy and the reinvigoration of the high street.

For locals, and for the thousands who visit this beautiful part of the world every year, SJT provides year-
round entertainment: diverse, funny, surprising, visually daring and packing a big emotional punch.

SJT is led by Joint CEOs Paul Robinson (Artistic Director) and Caroline Routh (Executive Director),
who have placed the company on a firm financial footing whilst at the same time building a dynamic
artistic programme that has secured a significant increase in audiences and national recognition.
There are of course challenges ahead but we are looking forward with a sense of optimism and
energy.

Welcome from the Joint Chief Executives

Thank you for your interest in the role of Head of Marketing here at the SJT at what we believe is an
incredibly exciting time for the company.

The past four years have been a period of huge growth in terms of audiences and profile. Attendances
have increased by over 240% since 2021/22 and last year, two of our in-house produced shows were
in our top ten best-selling ever. Our work is continuing to gain national and international recognition,
including two separate UK Theatre Awards and we regularly co-produce with venues around the
country including The Orange Tree, Richmond, Theatr Clwyd, Live Theatre and Shakespeare North
Playhouse.

We’re proud of what we’ve put in place over these past years, but there is still lots to do. Looking
ahead, our priority is to foster a deeper relationship with our audiences, using data-driven insights to
personalise our engagement with them at the same time as identifying opportunities for targeted
approaches to new demographics. We also want this work to further enable the fruitful partnership
between our marketing and fundraising functions. Refining our pricing strategies will continue to be a
focus, as will maximizing attendance and cultivating long-term loyalty. And we want to explore wider
organisational marketing, building SJT brand recognition locally and nationally.

This is where you come in - a talented and passionate Head of Marketing with a collaborative and
hands-on approach to working. You will be a key member of the Senior Management Team, feeding
into strategic conversations across the organisation and helping to shape the theatre’s future plans.
Whilst your experience and expertise will be important in this role, what is every bit as important to us
will be your belief in our vision and purpose and your enthusiasm for what we are trying to achieve.

If this feels like the perfect opportunity for you, do get in touch. And if an informal chat would help you
decide, please drop us an email via caroline.routh@sjt.uk.com and we’ll find a time.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes

Caroline & Paul

Our Theatre

Vision

We at the SJT believe that culture provokes interest and fires our imaginations; that sharing our
experiences and our stories helps build communities and that collaboration builds a compassionate
and engaged society.

Our role is to give everyone the opportunity to discover and celebrate their creativity.

In short, we believe that this is yours.

Building

Our theatre is housed in a converted 1936 Odeon cinema building, opposite Scarborough railway
station and comprises:

•  The Round, a 400-seat theatre space in the round.

•  The McCarthy Theatre (The Mac), a 165-seat proscenium arch theatre.

•  Rehearsal room, scenic workshop, wardrobe and store.

•  Creative Engagement rooms, including dedicated studio space and classrooms.

•  The Meeting Point, a free-to-use community space.

•  The Ramsay Reading Room.

•  The Boden Room, a flexible function room.

•  Bar and lounge, providing a flexible space for use by audiences and for events and the

home of Eat Me Cafe.

The Round

The McCarthy

Head of Marketing Job Description

Head of Marketing
Job Title:
Line managed by:  Executive Director
Line manages:

Marketing Officers, Press Rep, Box Office Manager

Job Purpose:
The Head of Marketing is a member of the Senior Management Team and plays a key role in the
development and delivery of the company’s marketing, audience engagement and communication
strategies. The Head of Marketing is responsible for the delivery of all programme campaigns, as well
as working with the Joint Chief Executives on the delivery of a consistent and appropriate external
message.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

Audience strategy

•  To be responsible for the implementation and continued development of the audience
engagement strategy, adapting and growing these plans in line with new insights as
appropriate;

•  To lead on the delivery of the brand communications strategy and to work with the Joint Chief

Executives on overall brand awareness;

•  To be responsible for the delivery of the company’s segmentation strategy and to work with the

Senior Management Team to ensure a joined-up approach to audience across the
organisation;

•  To work with the Joint Chief Executives and the Senior Management Team on the

development and implementation of the digital strategy.

Audience campaigns

•  To lead on all campaign planning and implementation, with support from the marketing team.
•  To work closely with the Artistic Director on content planning and design and to oversee

creation, production and distribution.

•  To collaborate with the Artistic Director and Producer to identify, monitor and report on key

outputs and targets on all productions;

•  To work closely with the Head of Creative Engagement, Head of Producing and Fundraising

and Development Manager to ensure consistent and effective messaging across all
engagement initiatives;

•  To initiate and respond to any joint marketing initiatives with external organisations, as

appropriate.

Audience insight

•  To commission appropriate audience research, carry out regular analysis of audience data,
including digital / social analytics, and use insight gathered to help inform future campaigns,
audience development and programming plans;

•  To oversee the effective use of SJT’s box office and CRM system including management of the

relationship with Spektrix;

•  To ensure the Fundraising and Development Manager is provided with appropriate and timely
content, data and analysis to support the development of memberships, individual giving and
corporate sponsorship initiatives;

•  To put in place and deliver appropriate evaluation across all marketing and communications

activities.

Financial management

•  To work with the Executive Director in drawing up appropriate marketing and audience

development budgets and to be responsible for managing that budget;

•  To set and manage sales targets and pricing strategy in consultation with the Executive

Director.

Company Responsibilities
•  To become familiar with the company’s Staff Handbook and to work in accordance with its
policies and approaches and with other key organisational strategies as may be required.

•  To attend organisational meetings/rehearsals, as required.
•  To undertake other tasks and duties as may reasonably be requested.

About role statements
As SJT evolves to meet the changing needs of a producing company the roles required of all staff will
evolve. As such, staff should note that this document is not intended to represent the role that the
incumbent will perform in perpetuity. This role statement is intended to provide an overall view of the
role as at the date of this statement.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

●  Proven experience in delivering and developing audience engagement strategies
●  Proven expertise in planning and implementing audience campaigns to meet or exceed

objectives

●  Strong copywriting skills, tailoring messages to engage different segments
●  Experience in planning and implementing digital content (website, social, video etc.) to meet or

exceed audience objectives

●  Experience in managing relationships with suppliers (e.g. designers, photographers, web

developers, etc.) to develop marketing assets in line with audience strategies

●  Proven ability to track and monitor the effectiveness of campaigns
●  Proven ability in developing and managing budgets
●  Expert in analysing audience data and reporting on insights
●  Experience in using audience insight to inform future activity
●  Project management experience, able to demonstrate effective planning, monitoring, and

adapting of plans as required, to meet deadlines and targets

●  Great attention to detail, with experience of proofreading and adapting campaigns to deliver in

line with both strategic goals and brand guidelines

•  Experience of effective line management and an understanding of how to adapt your style and

approach to develop individuals and the team

•  Experience of collaborative working, with proven ability to join up thinking across departments
•  A curiosity about audience and potential audience and a commitment towards continuously

listening and learning about their needs and values

•  A love for theatre and a desire to bring people together to share experiences and stories

DESIRABLE

●  Experience of delivering campaigns designed to raise awareness with potential audiences
●  Experience of working with people across the community (online and offline) to ensure

campaigns reach a broad mix of people

●  Experience of delivering campaigns to effectively communicate a brand promise and values
●  Experience of working with Culture Segments (or a similar segmentation approach) to tailor

communication and content for different audience values / needs

●  Experience of engaging tourists, working collaboratively with tourism partners
●  Experience of collaborating on campaigns to meet fundraising objectives
●  Expertise in developing and / or commissioning audience research
●  Expertise in creating marketing / audience plans to achieve company goals
●  Ability to use audience insight to set and agree appropriate targets and budgets
●  Experience of working with a mix of marketing software and tools e.g. Spektrix (or a similar
CRM system), Statamic (or a similar website CMS), website and digital analytics software,
Outlook (or similar email software), Survey Monkey (or a similar research package) to
effectively deliver audience strategies.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Salary:

£34,000 - £38,000 pa dependent on experience

Contract:

Full time, permanent

Probationary period:

Six months

Notice period:

Three months

Hours:

37.5 per week

Pension:

The company operates an auto-enrolment pension scheme in line with
current government legislation

Holiday Entitlement:

25 days per annum

Place of work:

Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough but we are open to conversations
around hybrid and flexible ways of working

Application Process

Thank you for your interest in the role of Head of Marketing here at SJT.

If you are interested, please send a copy of your up-to-date CV together with a letter explaining
what attracts you to this position and why you think you would be good at it. We’d particularly like to
hear from you about any specific examples of past experience that tie directly into the person
specification.

As part of your application, please also include the names and contact details of two referees. We
won’t ask anyone for a reference before interviews and then only after checking with you first that
you are happy for us to speak to them.

It’s not part of your application, but it would really help us to monitor our equal opportunities plan if
you could complete an Equal Opportunities Form, which can be found on the vacancies page on
our website. This form will only be used for monitoring purposes; it will be removed when your
application is received and kept separately so that it doesn’t form any part of the shortlisting
process.

All applications must be sent via email to Millie Deighton on millie.deighton@sjt.uk.com with
“Head of Marketing” in the subject line by close of play on Friday 16 January 2026.

Access provision and additional support/resources:  We want this role to be an opportunity
for the widest possible group of people who fit its criteria. We are committed to providing
support with access requirements and are open to a conversation with any applicant about how
they may be supported to fulfil the role. Please let us know of any access needs you may have
at any point in the recruitment process and we will work with you to ensure those are met. We
will also ensure that access requirements are not a factor in our decision-making process.

There’s a wealth of useful info on communicating your specific needs here:
www.accessdocsforartists.com and alexandrinahemsley.com/resources/access-rider-open-
template/

We’ll hold first round interviews on Thursday 22 January 2026 online.