Interim Head of Marketing
Alongside ensuring the effective delivery of campaigns and income targets, the Interim Head of Marketing will play a key role in stewarding and embedding the organisation’s evolving narrative. The successful candidate will be expected to operate with pace and authority, maintaining performance while also understanding and supporting a broader cultural shift in how the organisation presents itself to audiences, supporters and the wider community.
Job Title: Interim Head of Marketing
Department: Marketing & Press
Reporting to: Development and Marketing Director & Joint Chief Executive
Responsible for: Senior Marketing Officer, Communications Officer, Marketing & Visual Content Assistant, Marketing Assistant
Terms & Conditions
Salary: £40,256 per annum pro rata [Grade 8]
Contract: Fixed-term 6-9 months
Working Hours: Full time (39 hours) Monday – Friday
Holiday: 32 days (inc. statutory holidays) per annum pro rata
How to apply
As part of our commitment to inclusion we’re working to widen the pool of people who hear about vacancies at the theatre and make the process of applying for a job as straightforward as possible.
For this role we’re asking all candidates to click on the Apply Now link for this vacancy on our website and submit written and/or video/audio responses to the same three questions so you can tell us about yourself and why you’re the right person for this role:
Tell us about yourself and why you want to work at the Northcott
Tell us how you meet the person specification
Tell us about what professional support you might need if we were to offer you this role
And then upload a copy of your latest CV.
If you would like the information in an alternative format, support in completing your application, or you would like an alternative way to make your application, please contact us at jobs@exeternorthcott.co.uk.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Kelly Johnson, Development and Marketing Director & Joint Chief Executive k.johnson2@exeter.ac.uk.
Closing Date: Monday 18th May 2026 at 9am
Date of Interviews: Thursday 21st May 2026 at the Northcott Theatre
NB
We’ll pay reasonable travel expenses for candidates invited to interview.
Role Purpose
The Interim Head of Marketing will lead the delivery of an integrated marketing and communications function that drives:
- Strong and consistent box office performance
- High-quality, meaningful audience engagement
- Clear articulation of Exeter Northcott Theatre’s charitable mission
Crucially, the role will ensure that all marketing activity reflects and reinforces the organisation’s transition towards a mission-first narrative – where income generation supports impact and where audiences are invited not only to attend, but to connect, participate and support.
Key Responsibilities
Campaign Delivery & Programme Marketing
- Lead the planning and execution of marketing campaigns across all productions, including in-house productions, co-productions and visiting work
- Work closely with producers, visiting companies and internal teams to ensure each production is clearly positioned and brought effectively to market
- Oversee campaign delivery across all channels, ensuring activity is delivered on time, within budget and to agreed sales targets
- Maintain oversight of copywriting, print materials, digital listings and ticketing journeys
Income & Commercial Performance
- Deliver box office income targets across the programme
- Maximise attendance, ticket yield and repeat booking behaviour
- Support optimisation of secondary spend (including café/bar and on-site activity)
- Ensure commercial performance is sustained throughout the interim period
Mission-Led Brand & Narrative
- Embed the Stories Change Lives narrative across all marketing and communications activity
- Translate artistic work, community programmes and organisational impact into clear, emotionally resonant storytelling
- Ensure communications reflect the organisation’s identity as a charity first, with trading activity supporting its mission
- Maintain consistency, clarity and integrity of brand across all channels
Audience Development & Engagement
- Oversee audience communication strategies to support retention, loyalty and deeper engagement
- Ensure audience journeys move beyond transaction towards connection and belonging
- Support the development of pathways from attender to engaged audience member, to supporter
Digital, Content & PR
- Oversee delivery across all marketing channels, including digital platforms, email, social media, print and on-site communications
- Lead PR activity to support both programme promotion and organisational storytelling ONST
- Ensure the audience experience is coherent and high quality before, during and after visits
Stakeholder Collaboration
- Work closely with programming, sales and executive team
- Support alignment between marketing, audience engagement and fundraising activity
- Provide clear leadership to internal teams and external partners, ensuring focus and delivery
Data & Insight
- Use audience data and campaign insight to inform decision-making and optimise performance
- Monitor and report on campaign effectiveness, audience behaviour and income delivery
- Ensure a data-informed approach underpins marketing activity
Person Specification
Interim Profile
This role requires an experienced and pragmatic marketing leader who can quickly take ownership, provide stability and deliver results. Equally, it requires someone who can recognise the significance of the organisation’s transition and ensure that, even within a short-term assignment, its evolving identity as a charity is clearly and consistently expressed.
Essential
- Significant senior marketing experience within theatre, arts, culture or live events
- Proven track record of delivering box office income targets and commercial outcomes
- Experience leading multi-channel campaigns across complex programmes
- Strong understanding of audience behaviour, segmentation and performance marketing
- Experience leading teams, with the ability to quickly establish credibility in an interim capacity
- Ability to balance immediate delivery with sensitivity to organisational positioning and narrative
Desirable
- Experience within a charity or mission-led organisation
- Understanding of supporter journeys, individual giving or audience-to-donor pathways
- Experience working with touring companies and co-productions
Success Measures
- Delivery of box office income targets during the interim period
- Continuity and effectiveness of campaign delivery
- Audience attendance, retention and engagement
- Strength and consistency of mission-led communications
- Contribution to maintaining or strengthening secondary spend and wider income opportunities
- Evidence of embedding the Stories Change Lives narrative within audience-facing outputs
About Exeter Northcott
Exeter Northcott is a city-wide organisation welcoming more than 100,000 people each year to live theatre and events at the Northcott Theatre on the University campus, and the Barnfield Theatre in the city centre. A registered charity, the Northcott offers a wide range of creative opportunities for and with the people of Exeter and Devon. These include year-round opportunities for young people through the Northcott Young Company; Elevate, a talent development programme for local artists and bespoke projects developed with community groups, schools, and other charities.
Exeter Northcott Theatre is a registered charity and is supported by the University of Exeter, Arts Council England and Exeter City Council.
Diversity & Inclusion
There continues to be a significant lack of diversity across the arts, with a pressing need to provide progression routes for talented people from backgrounds that are under-represented. Exeter Northcott Theatre is committed to playing its part in addressing this by putting inclusion at the heart of our recruitment processes, finding new ways to share the power and resources we have at our disposal, and fostering a working culture that is welcoming for all our team. We actively encourage people from all backgrounds to join us and positively impact our teams and working practice. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of African and Caribbean heritage, people of South Asian, East Asian and South East Asian Heritage, deaf and disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, or those experiencing barriers due to their socioeconomic background.
All deaf or disabled candidates who demonstrate that they meet the essential criteria for this role will be invited for interview.