Commercial Marketing Executive

£26,728 p.a. pending cost of living rise in August 2025. Grade 6.2

Full-time, 35 hours per week

23 days’ annual leave (full-time equivalent)

Thank you for your interest in the position of Commercial Marketing Executive.

Working in the Marketing and Communications team at Kent Students’ Union means being part of a fast-paced, student-focused environment where creativity, clarity, and purpose come together to make a real impact. We’re driven by insight and care deeply about connecting with students in authentic, inclusive, and engaging ways, whether that’s through brand storytelling, meaningful events, or amplifying student voice. We place a strong emphasis on collaboration, attention to detail, and producing work that not only looks good but feels right for the audience. We value fresh ideas, data-informed decisions, and creating experiences that are welcoming, empowering, and memorable. Our team is a place where strategy meets heart, and where every project aims to help students feel seen, heard, and part of something bigger.

The ideal candidate is an enthusiastic self-starter with a passion for marketing and content creation, possessing expertise in creative marketing and knowledge in photography, videography and general marketing administrative tasks such as creating email campaigns, proof-reading, managing relationships, etc. The Commercial Marketing Executive will support our Digital Marketing Manager, communications team and licensed trade team.

As an integral part of the communications team, your role will be dedicated to marketing the commercial side of Kent Students’ Union, which includes a nightclub, bar and restaurant, coffee shop, clothing store, nursery and event space hire.

This role works in partnership with all outlets and services to promote our events, provide information and guide students during their time at the University of Kent. We’re looking for someone who can efficiently create high-quality content, who’s eager to enhance their creative skills, and thrives in a dynamic work environment. We would encourage any candidate to check out our social media channels before applying; @kentstudentsunion, @venuekent, @woodys.kent, @ukclibrarycafe and @ukckentclothing.

In addition to social media content creation, this post also includes developing copy for emails and website news articles, market research data collection, and other administrative duties required by the department and organisation.

It is crucial that the successful post-holder feels confident attending events in our on-campus nightclub and student bar in the evenings/nighttime and weekends, as this will for a key part of the role. They will enjoy speaking with our diverse student body, filming with them and sometimes being in front of the camera themselves; be on top of social media trends and bring creative ideas to the table; have expert editing skills and a real eye for detail; be willing to jump into the middle of the action and capture content that reflects what it’s like to be a University of Kent student; have good copywriting skills and be able to create engaging copy for emails and news articles; be organised and able to support the team and wider organisation with admin tasks when needed. They should have a level of business development acumen and be able to contribute towards growing and managing our event space hire programme.

The nature of this role will involve evening/nighttime and weekend hours, so we would recommend having the use of a car. This is a flexible post, meaning you won’t always be working a regular 9am-5pm day, and is also hybrid. This means there will be times/days when you are able to work from home, but due to the nature of the role and needing to collect content in real time, you should expect to be onsite at the University of Kent campus in Canterbury most days during the week.

Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Duties

Create engaging and high-quality marketing content for social media, email campaigns and website news articles. Capture photography and videography content across all commercial outlets and services. Edit and publish content with a strong eye for detail and brand alignment. Attend and capture content at events during evenings, nights and weekends, especially at the on-campus nightclub and student bar. Actively engage with students to create authentic, student-focused content, sometimes appearing on camera. Monitor and respond to social media trends, bringing fresh creative ideas to campaigns. Conduct market research and gather data to inform marketing activity. Proofread and edit written content for accuracy and tone. Support the wider communications and licensed trade teams with marketing and administrative tasks. Assist with the planning and delivery of email marketing campaigns. Contribute to the promotion and growth of the Union’s event space hire programme. Collaborate with commercial outlets (e.g., bar/restaurant, coffee shop, clothing store, nursery) to promote services and events. Maintain strong internal relationships with outlet managers and other stakeholders. Work flexibly, including hybrid and non-standard hours, with frequent on-site presence being required. Use initiative to manage workload and respond to real-time content opportunities. Support the overall marketing strategy and objectives of Kent Students’ Union’s commercial activity. To effectively communicate individual, team and organisational goals to all people. To encourage open feedback and debate from people. To ensure all budgets are managed effectively, ensuring full adherence to Kent Students’ Union’s financial reporting procedures. To be responsible for the security of all resources, including equipment, stock and cash, and to follow all Kent Students’ Union’s financial procedures. To attend training sessions and appropriate meetings as and when required by Kent Students’ Union. To contribute to the positive image of Kent Students’ Union with students, the University of Kent and the local community. To lead by example and demonstrate a full understanding of the organisation’s democratic structures. To ensure systems are in place to reduce Kent Students’ Union’s impact on the environment.

People Responsibilities (if any)

To effectively communicate individual, team and organisational goals to all people. To encourage open feedback and debate from people.

Financial Responsibilities

To ensure all budgets are managed effectively, ensuring full adherence to Kent Students’ Union’s financial reporting procedures. To be responsible for the security of all resources, including equipment, stock and cash, and to follow all Kent Students’ Union’s financial procedures.

Expected Behaviours

To attend training sessions and appropriate meetings as and when required by Kent Students’ Union. To contribute to the positive image of Kent Students’ Union with students, the University of Kent and the local community. To lead by example and demonstrate a full understanding of the organisation’s democratic structures. To ensure systems are in place to reduce Kent Students’ Union’s impact on the environment.

This job description does not form part of the contract of employment.

What we’re looking for:

Person Specification
Essential requirements should be demonstrated before appointment and maintained in post. Desirable elements should be developed and maintained once in post as needed.
Qualifications	Essential	Desirable	Tested at Interview	Tested at application
GCSE Maths and English or equivalent		X
Communications or relevant marketing qualification		X
Experience	Essential	Desirable	Tested at Interview	Tested at application
Content Creation and Social Media Management: Experience creating engaging visual and written content for social media platforms, with an understanding of trends, audience engagement and brand consistency.	X		X	X
Photography and Videography Skills: Hands-on experience planning, shooting and editing photos, ideally in fast-paced, event-based or student focused environments.	X		X	X
Email Marketing and Copywriting: Experience writing and delivering email campaigns and online articles, including proof-reading and adapting tone for different audiences.	X		X	X
Event Coverage: Experience working at live events, capturing real-time content, engaging with attendees (especially 18-25 market), and being confident on camera when needed.	X		X	X
Marketing Admin and Team Support: Experience supporting a wider team with tasks such as scheduling posts, conducting market research, organising files and managing internal relationships.	X		X	X
Knowledge	Essential	Desirable	Tested at Interview	Tested at application
Marketing Best Practice: Understanding of core marketing principles, including campaign planning, audience targeting, brand consistency and measuring effectiveness.		X	X	X
Social Media Trends: Up-to-date knowledge of how to use social platforms effectively.	X		X	X
Content Creation: Knowledge of tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Canva and CapCut for editing photos and videos.	X		X	X
Digital Communication Channels: Familiarity with email marketing platforms (Active Campaign, MailChimp, HubSpot) and writing for digital audiences.		X	X	X
Student Audience and University Environment: Understanding of the student demographic, their interests and the university context, especially how to communicate in an authentic, inclusive and engaging way.	X		X	X
Skills and Abilities	Essential	Desirable	Tested at Interview	Tested at application
Ability to Build and Maintain Relationships: Confident working with a wide range of people across teams, outlets and student groups, building trust and effective collaboration.	X		X	X
Creative Thinking and Content Generation: Strong ability to develop creative ideas for campaigns and content, adapting style and messaging to suit different platforms and audiences.	X		X	X
Strong Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to craft engaging copy, speak confidently with students and customers, and represent Kent Students’ Union in a professional manner.	X		X	X
Organisation and Time Management: Able to manage multiple tasks, deadline, and priorities in a fast-paced environment, especially when working flexibly or capturing content.	X		X	X
Confidence in Dynamic, Public-Facing Settings: Comfortable working in busy nightlife or event environments, being proactive, visible and sometimes on-camera with the ability to react quickly and professionally when under pressure.	X		X	X
Values & Behaviours	Essential	Desirable	Tested at Interview	Tested at application
Evidence of a personal commitment to continuing professional development.	X		X	X
A commitment to equality of opportunity; someone who builds a culture of inclusivity and removes the barriers of diversity.	X		X	X
A team player, who helps others build a successful team, celebrates others’ success and supports others to achieve individual and team goals.	X		X	X
A strong commitment to working in a democratic and membership organisation, with the ability to empower and build constructive relationships with elected student officers.	X		X	X

About the role

Summary of terms

• This is a full-time position.
• The contracted hours are 35 hours per week
• This post will be based at The University of Kent, Canterbury Campus.

Salary

The salary for this post is: £26,728 p.a. pending cost of living rise in August 2025. Grade 6.2

Probationary arrangements

This post is subject to a 6-month probationary period, with 1, 3 and 6-month reviews.

Notice Period

The notice period for this position is: 4 weeks

Annual Leave Entitlement

Pension

The post holder is entitled to join the Superannuation Arrangements of the University of London (SAUL), CARE pension scheme with PensionsPlus (salary sacrifice), in which Kent Union contributes 19% and employees contribute 6% of salary.

Hours of Work

The contracted hours are number hours a week, with flexibility over work hours and times.

Benefits

Kent Union is committed to facilitating a healthy work-life balance and has cutting edge flexible working policies. Below is a list of some of the staff benefits:

• Generous holiday entitlement
• Generous pension
• Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and grandparent leave
• Career break
• Time off for volunteering
• Time off for emergencies and compassionate leave
• Flexible working requests
• Time off in Lieu
• Short notice annual leave days (or ‘duvet days’)
• Workplace Nursery Salary Exchange scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Length of Service rewards
• Staff recognition scheme
• Christmas and other social events

Work-Life Balance

Kent Students’ Union is committed to facilitating a healthy work-life balance and has cutting edge flexible working policies.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

We have recently implemented our new EDI strategy 2023-28 the Strategy is here to ensure equity and inclusion are a priority for Kent Students’ Union. Please see the full document here Link

Annually we review racial diversity within our workforce and it is a key priority for us to improve racial and ethnic diversity amongst our workforce, and as such we particularly welcome applications from Racially and Ethnically Marginalised People (REMP) and have introduced a REMP Priority Interview Scheme.

Pre-employment checks

All job offers are conditional on the receipt of two satisfactory references.

We are also obliged to check your identity and obtain proof of your right to work in the UK, which you will be asked to provide at interview if you are successfully shortlisted.

Induction and training

All new staff benefit from an induction from the HR Team and their own team, as well as ongoing support and personal development.

Application and Selection Process and Timetable

Applications Close: 30^th July 2025

Shortlisting: 31^st July and 1^st August 2025

Interviews: 6^th, 7^th and 8^th August 2025

Applications

To apply: Please submit your application on our recruitment portal at ksu.co.uk/careers, to include a copy of your CV.

Please ensure that you pay particular attention in your application to detailing how your experience meets the requirements of the person specification and why you are interested in the position. If you have any questions about using the recruitment portal, please email kentunionrecruitment@ksu.co.uk.

Website

Kent Students’ Union’s website contains further background information about Kent Students’ Union to help potential applicants. Potential applicants are encouraged to look at the website prior to applying; the website address is www.ksu.co.uk.

Further Information and Questions

If you require further information, please contact:

Sarah Stewart

Head of Marketing and Communications

01227 824200

S.L.Stewart@kent.ac.uk