We’re hiring! Could you be the next Leeds Digital Marketing & Events Manager?

Leeds Digital is seeking a Marketing & Events Manager to join the team and lead on the promotion of both the Leeds Digital and Leeds Digital Festival brands, and the curation of the Festival programmes.

This is a part-time role, commencing immediately and requiring a commitment of 3 to 4 days per week on an ongoing basis.

Find out more about the role below, and get in touch if you’d like to join our team!

Leeds Digital – Marketing & Events Manager

Application deadline: Friday 1st March

Start date: ASAP

Time Commitment: This is a part-time role, commencing immediately and requiring a commitment of 3 to 4 days per week on an ongoing basis.

About the brands:

Leeds Digital 

Leeds Digital is a hub for all things digital in the city region. Launched in March 2023, Leeds Digital provides a platform through which the City Region’s tech community can share knowledge, exchange ideas and collaborate, year-round. The creation of Leeds Digital allows us to host more events throughout the year, outside of the normal festival periods, and to support events hosted by organisations across Leeds and beyond. We also share regular tech news and opportunities in the region. Our aim is to work with regional, national and international partners to spotlight tech in the North. 

Leeds Digital is a not-for-profit organisation funded through revenue generated from our annual sponsors. 

Leeds Digital Festival 

Leeds Digital Festival was founded in 2016 and has evolved to become a two-part event each year. 

Our April “mini-fest” (running 23rd-25th April in 2024), represents a small-but-mighty programme of around nine to twelve events curated by the Festival team, featuring contributions from sponsors and friends of the Festival. 

The main Festival takes place in the last two weeks of September (16th – 27th September in 2024), when we offer up our usual open-platform programme packed full of brilliant tech and digital events, hosted by the city region’s most exciting organisations. 

In the run up to the Festival you will work 3 to 4 days per week. During the Festival events (23rd to 25th of April and 16th to 27th September 2024) you will be required to work Monday to Friday.

Please note: due to the nature of this role, there is no scope for annual leave in April or from the middle of August to the end of September. If you have any holiday or leave commitments during these dates, please don’t apply.

Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Festival Director, Stuart Clarke, and working to a Marketing strategy developed with the Director, your responsibilities will include:

• Working with the Festival Director to establish positioning, identify target audiences, and develop marketing plans that help to meet wider strategic objectives for both Leeds Digital and Leeds Digital Festival.
• Lead the execution of marketing plans from start to finish, leveraging both internal and external support to drive collaboration.
• Liaising with advertising, PR and web agencies to ensure that messaging is cohesive and aligns with the marketing strategy.
• Conceptualising multichannel campaigns, ensuring the alignment of communications and messaging (both written and visual) across all channels.
• Creating written content for both website and social media, and taking ownership of the Leeds Digital mailer. 
• Developing creative briefs and working with creative partners to commission assets that are recognisable, visually engaging and strengthen the Leeds Digital and Leeds Digital Festival brand identities, including print, digital, and video assets. 
• Active management of the Leeds Digital and Leeds Digital Festival websites (via WordPress multisite).
• Conducting analytics reporting across multiple platforms in order to identify effectiveness and impact of current activity, and inform future campaign development.
• Working with partners in the local tech ecosystem to curate the events programme at both annual Leeds Digital Festivals, ensuring that the programme reflects a diverse and forward-reaching range of tech topics and organisations. 
• Working with Leeds Digital sponsors and stakeholders to ensure that value is being delivered. 
• Coordinating and overseeing the work of the Leeds Digital marketing and Leeds Digital Festival programming teams, line-managing and acting as a facilitator between the wider team and senior management.

You will need:

Essential criteria:

• At least 2 years marketing experience
• Proven success in developing marketing plans and campaigns
• Strong project management, multitasking, and decision-making skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (English) with a clear, concise and engaging writing style
• A demonstrable interest in the digital and tech sector
• The ability to effectively manage a team
• An eye for detail
• Enthusiasm and initiative
• A methodical approach to work to ensure consistency and accountability 
• To be able to work well both independently and in a team environment
• Previous experience in social media marketing, using platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube
• Previous website management experience, and a good command of WordPress dashboard
• A flexible approach to your working days to take account of peak activity within the Leeds Digital calendar
• To be available to work in Leeds

Desirable criteria:

• A relevant qualification in marketing
• Previous experience using marketing tools such as scheduling tools (Hootsuite) mailing services (Force24, MailChimp etc.) and design platforms (Canva, Adobe)
• Research skills, to be used when sourcing events, news and resources for inclusion on the site
• A desire to grow your own network and connections and to contribute to the Leeds City Region’s tech and digital community, and build on awareness of the Leeds Digital brand across the region

General terms:

Hours: 9.00am – 5.00pm.

Working across both brands, the split of workload will flex in line with peak periods (e.g. September will be busy with Festival activity, but this will quieten down from mid-October onwards).  Working days will be fixed, but can be determined with the successful candidate. 

The Leeds Digital team works from a co-working space in Leeds City Centre one day per week and you will be expected to join the team for that day. For the remaining days, you may work from home or from the Leeds co-working space. You will also be required to attend client and partner meetings in Leeds City Centre on an ad-hoc basis. 

Working days will be agreed with the successful candidate.

Remuneration: £30,000 – £35,000 pro-rata, dependent on experience.

Leeds Digital champions diverse ideas, perspectives and experiences and we are keen to see the wider Leeds community represented within our digital and tech sector. As such, we particularly welcome applications from people from a statistically underrepresented background.

To apply for the role, please email [email protected] with a short CV and a covering letter stating why you are interested in the role, and how you will contribute to Leeds Digital.

Please quote job reference ‘Application: LD Marketing & Events Manager‘ in the subject line.