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Job Title: Marketing Director, IELTS
Salary: Competitive
Location: Cambridge, UK - Hybrid
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time, 35 hours per week
About the Role
Step into a pivotal leadership role at the heart of global English language assessment. Jointly owned by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the British Council, and IDP Education, IELTS is the world’s most trusted English test for study, work, and migration – accepted by over 12,500 organisations worldwide. IELTS helps millions of people every year unlock life‑changing opportunities by proving their skills to employers, governments, and educational institutions around the world.
We’re searching for an inspiring and visionary Marketing Director to shape the future of English language assessment. This is your opportunity to join a purpose‑driven organisation with true global reach—where your work will have a real, lasting impact on people’s lives.
As part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment—a world‑leading academic publisher and assessment organisation, and an integral part of the University of Cambridge—you’ll join a collaborative team of over 7,000 colleagues spanning more than 170 countries. Every day, we support more than 100 million learners worldwide, helping them build skills, broaden horizons, and achieve their ambitions. Our commitment to reinvesting all profits into research and innovation ensures we continuously advance our mission to create exciting, relevant, and inspiring educational solutions for the world.
For further information and to apply for this role, please contact Clive Sugars, our Recruitment Partner at Clive.Sugars@signium.co.uk.
What Will You Do?
* Lead with purpose: champion a data‑driven, customer‑first approach, harnessing insights to create authentic, powerful brand positioning and messaging that inspires learners, educators, and professionals worldwide.
* Shape the global vision: represent Cambridge IELTS at senior leadership forums and major international events, influencing the landscape of global education and making our voice heard where it matters most.
* Build strategic partnerships: collaborate closely with marketing teams across Cambridge English, IDP, and the British Council, developing and managing high‑value relationships to align marketing initiatives and maximise our brand’s impact in every region.
* Safeguard our reputation: be the guardian of the IELTS and Cambridge brands—proactively managing risk, elevating our standing, and ensuring IELTS remains the preferred English test for governments, universities, and employers worldwide.
* Deliver commercial results: oversee substantial marketing budgets, drive measurable ROI, and directly support IELTS revenue growth through innovative, multi‑channel strategies.
* Inspire high performance: lead, develop, and energise a talented marketing team—fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and continuous growth.
About You: Who We’re Looking For
Minimum Criteria (Essential Requirements)
* Stakeholder management and influence: build relationships and trust at every level, internally and externally, communicating with authority and representing the brand confidently at international forums.
* Thought leadership and strategic marketing: proven record of shaping and delivering innovative, multi‑channel marketing strategies, positioning the brand as a sector leader and influencing industry direction at a strategic level.
* Expertise in highly regulated environments: understand the nuances of working within strict regulatory frameworks and balance compliance with commercial opportunities and innovation.
* Senior marketing leadership within a global brand: ideally experience in education, assessment, or international sectors, but we welcome exceptional professionals from a range of industries.
* Multi‑channel & AI‑enabled marketing: lead integrated, multi‑channel campaigns utilising digital platforms and AI‑enabled tools and data‑led approaches to achieve measurable outcomes.
* Commercial acumen: oversee significant budgets, monitor ROI, and ensure marketing initiatives deliver considerable value.
* Team leadership and development: nurture and develop a high‑performing team within an innovative, collaborative environment.
Desirable
* Knowledge of English language assessment products and services (e.g., IELTS and competitors).
* Understanding of global higher education, international student mobility, and migration policy trends.
Rewards and Benefits
* 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
* Private medical and permanent health insurance
* Discretionary annual bonusGroup personal pension scheme
* Life assurance up to 4x annual salary
* Green travel schemes
Interview Process
* Screening interview with Signium, our recruitment partner
* First stage interview via MS Teams
* Hogan psychometric assessment
* Final stage interview: face‑to‑face at our Cambridge office, including presentation
We strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and supported. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or long‑term health condition, you may inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your eligibility for the role.
Why Join Us
Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You'll belong to a collaborative team exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers, and researchers worldwide—the benefit of individuals, society, and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment embracing difference, change and aspiration.
We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural or social class/background.
We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.
The closing date for applications is Sunday 16th November. Interviews will be held from w/c 1st December.
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