Head of Marketing HOM/MAR/0726

Location

Paignton Zoo

Salary

£52,221.00 per annum

Application Deadline

Sunday, August 9, 2026

Job Summary

Ready to lead bold campaigns, grow audiences and shape the future of two leading conservation zoos? We’re looking for a creative, commercially driven Head of Marketing to elevate our brand, boost visitation and inspire a high‑performing team.

The Role

We’re looking for a passionate, creative and commercially minded Head of Marketing to lead the marketing for Paignton Zoo and Newquay Zoo.

This is a fantastic opportunity to help shape the future of two much-loved attractions. You'll be responsible for driving visitor numbers, growing revenue, building brand awareness and making sure our marketing is as engaging and inspiring as the experiences we offer.

Leading a talented marketing team, you'll bring fresh ideas, create standout campaigns and make the most of new digital opportunities to connect with audiences. From attracting first-time visitors to encouraging loyal supporters and members, you'll know how to turn insight into action and deliver marketing that gets results.

You'll keep a finger on the pulse of the leisure and tourism market, spotting trends, opportunities and emerging technologies that help us stay ahead of the curve. Working closely with colleagues across the business, you'll help shape our visitor products, including tickets, memberships and events, ensuring they meet customer needs and support our commercial goals.

This is a role for someone who enjoys balancing big-picture thinking with hands-on delivery. One day you could be developing a long-term brand strategy; the next, reviewing campaign performance, launching a new event, or working with the team on exciting content that brings our conservation stories to life.

You'll also play an important role in raising the profile of both zoos, building strong relationships with tourism partners, media contacts and industry organisations. Through innovative campaigns, engaging content and meaningful communications, you'll help ensure every interaction with our brands inspires people to visit, support and champion our work.

This is a hands on, onsite, leadership role in a seven day a week business, and as part of our duty management rota, you’ll occasionally work weekends and bank holidays to ensure smooth operations.

Candidate Profile

We're looking for a confident, hands‑on marketing leader with experience in leisure, hospitality, visitor attractions or any other customer‑focused environment.

Key requirements:

• A degree in Marketing, Communications, Business or a related field, plus evidence of ongoing professional development.
• Proven experience leading a marketing team or function, ideally within a commercial, visitor attraction, leisure, tourism or retail environment.
• A strong track record of creating and delivering marketing strategies that drive revenue, visitation or customer growth.
• Hands‑on experience running multi‑channel campaigns across digital, print, PR, social, email and outdoor media.
• Confident managing marketing budgets and maximising return on investment.
• Skilled in using data and analytics to guide decisions, improve performance and report on results.
• Experience working with external agencies and collaborating across departments.
• Strong brand management experience, ensuring consistent and high‑quality visual identity.
• Able to build relationships, manage stakeholders and represent the organisation externally.
• Experienced in monitoring performance and driving continuous improvement.
• An inspiring leader with the ability to motivate, develop and performance‑manage a team.
• Commercially minded, with the ability to spot and drive revenue opportunities.
• Excellent communicator with strong influencing and relationship‑building skills.
• Analytical, solutions‑focused and confident interpreting data and KPIs.
• Highly organised, able to juggle multiple campaigns, deadlines and budgets.
• Creative and able to turn ideas into effective marketing activity.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organisational skills.
• Confident using marketing and digital tools such as CRM systems, email platforms, analytics software and social media management tools.

At our Zoos, we believe taking care of our team is just as important as caring for our animals. That’s why we offer a benefits package that’s packed with perks: enjoy 33 days of paid holiday pro-rata (yes, even Bank Holidays!) and access to top-tier training—from First Aid to driving a tractor. Your family can join the adventure too, with free zoo entry for loved ones, plus sweet discounts on food and retail while you’re on site. We’ll make parking a breeze with free staff spaces and support your wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Programme. Fancy joining the Firearms team? Opportunities await—pending a few conditions, of course.

We proudly champion equality of opportunity for all our team members. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and identities, including but not limited to age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, and marriage or civil partnerships. Inclusion isn't just a policy—it’s part of our culture. Everyone deserves the chance to thrive here.

Job Profile

Job Profile document