Marketing and Communications Director, China

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

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Marketing and Communications Director, China

Role Purpose

The Marketing and Communications Director will lead the development and implementation of the integrated marketing and communications strategy and plans for China, ensuring alignment to the global marketing strategy and brand. The Marketing and Communications Director will drive revenue growth by leading performance marketing, digital channel strategy, and customer lifecycle optimisation. The role owns the effective use of data, media investment, and digital platforms to scale customer acquisition, improve conversion, and enhance the end-to-end customer experience. The post holder will work in partnership with the Exams and Cultural Engagement businesses to ensure that marketing and comms activity enables business growth, delivers impact and operates efficiently and effectively.

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:

• Leads the development and execution of China’s integrated marketing and communications strategy and plans that resonates with local audiences and is aligned against business objectives

• Drives business growth through a commercial mindset, leading performance marketing strategy across the full funnel

• Owns the optimisation of paid media and growth channels to improve customer acquisition efficiency, conversion and revenue performance

• Leads the digital channel and customer lifecycle strategy, overseeing SEO, paid search, and private domain ecosystems (WeChat, etc) while driving digital transformation initiatives. Leverages marketing automation, CRM, and data-driven platform optimisation to enhance customer experience and improve conversion across the lifecycle.

• Stays on top of China market trends, audience insights and emerging opportunities incorporating into strategies
• Applies authoritative knowledge of marketing, and a first principles understanding of presenting problems, to solve a range of complex marketing challenges.
• Reviews specified, multi-faceted marketing problems and issues, integrating, analysing and interpreting complex and diverse information to develop and implement new or cutting-edge solutions.
• Partner with global and local colleagues to ensure strategic alignment in messaging across China’s business units and partnerships.
• Seek to align and optimise the China portfolio across Exams and Cultural Engagement and identify opportunities to promote holistic ‘One British Council’ narrative
• Conducts monthly and year-end reporting on income and expenditure, and risk, and actively apply learning from this process to improve financial planning, management and performance within their area.
• Analyses potential costs/benefits over a 1-3-year time horizon and uses these insights to inform their decision-making and provision of advice.
• Leads, shapes, develops and evaluates the marketing and communications function for China to ensure it informs drives and supports the global strategic objectives of the organisation in a flexible, cost-effective way including resource/financial management.

Requirements of the role

• Degree or professional qualification in marketing, communications or business or demonstrable level of equivalent experience

• Extensive B2C performance marketing experience with strong understanding of China digital ecosystem, and B2B marketing experience
• Experience in managing Brand and Comms to drive awareness and positive sentiment
• Proven leadership skills building and high-performing marketing and communications function within a large and complex organisation
• Expert knowledge of the China market and the context the British Council operates in  
• Demonstrable experience in managing significant budgets, delivering ROI and mitigating risks and issues
• Results orientated with a start-up ethos and pace in delivery

• Fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese is an advantage

• The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English at C1 level is required.

Desirable Experience & Qualifications

• University degree in a relevant field, e.g. marketing and communications and business studies or demonstrable level of equivalent experience
• Experience of marketing and comms for education sector products

Role Specific Skills:

CIM Marketing Competencies

Strategy (Level 5)

• Formulates strategy Promotes a strong customer focus and influences strategy formulation and corporate investment decisions

Integrated marketing communications (Level 5)

• Develops integrated marketing communications Leads and directs the development of an integrated marketing strategy to communicate with all stakeholders

Digital Integration (Level 5)

• Influences digital strategy within the organisation in terms of its impact on structure, culture and strategic plans          

Pay Band: LMFG (10)
Contract Type: Indefinite
Location: Beijing, China
Right to Work Requirements: Current right to work in China. The British Council is not able to support or sponsor work visa applications.
Closing Date: Applications will close on Sunday April 5 at 22:59 UK Time

* Please note applications must be in English

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org