Head of Marketing

Job Summary The Head of Marketing will lead the next evolution of the companies marketing capability, bringing a demonstrable track record across ecommerce, brand and product marketing in a business of comparable scale and complexity. This is a senior leadership role for an experienced marketing operator who can build brand equity, sharpen product and customer propositions and turn insight into commercial growth. The role will set the overarching marketing strategy, moving from regionally led activity to a coherent, customer-led approach to acquisition, conversion, retention and growth. Working in close partnership with the CRO Engineer, the Head of Marketing will define the overarching customer and conversion strategy, combining insight, data and experimentation to uncover new sources of growth as the more obvious opportunities become harder to find. Product marketing will be a core capability. The Head of Marketing will strengthen how the company understands customer need, develops propositions and communicates product value across its ecommerce channels, creating a stronger connection between customer insight, product, messaging and commercial performance. Brand leadership will be equally important. Working in close partnership with the MD, the Head of Marketing will shape how the company shows up in the market, translating the company's vision, mission and long-term objectives into a distinctive brand position and external narrative. They will build on the PR engine already established to grow the companies visibility, credibility and influence. A critical part of the mandate is to raise the ambition and capability of the marketing function. The Head of Marketing will mentor and develop the team, introducing the standards, disciplines and thinking of a world-class ecommerce marketing organisation and creating a culture that is curious, innovative, commercially accountable and confident in testing new approaches. The role will own the marketing strategy, annual and quarterly plans, budget, agency performance, campaign governance and team output, spanning the companies own marketing and the marketing support required to drive client, marketplace and webstore growth. It will establish a strong cross-functional growth cadence across Sales, Category, Pricing, Analytics, Tech and CRO, ensuring Marketing is an effective partner in delivering client and commercial outcomes. Success will be a total, customer-led marketing function that combines brand, product and performance marketing to create new avenues for growth, strengthens the support Marketing provides to clients and Sales, builds the capability of the team and, in partnership with the MD, develops the long-term strength and influence of the companies brand. Key Responsibilities

1. Marketing Strategy, Planning & Commercial Ownership

• Own the annual and quarterly overarching marketing strategy, moving Autonative from regionally led activity towards a coherent, customer-led approach across ecommerce growth, product marketing, client-facing marketing support, campaign planning and customer path improvement.
• Translate Sales, Category, Pricing and Analytics priorities into a clear marketing roadmap with defined commercial outcomes, owners, deadlines and KPIs. Final
• Build and manage the marketing calendar across growth campaigns, trading activation, product/category launches, promotional activity, client requirements and Autonative brand activity.
• Prioritise marketing resources against the highest-value commercial opportunities, ensuring the team is focused on revenue, qualified demand, conversion, retention and client delivery.
• Establish clear decision rights for marketing priorities so day-to-day tactical escalation is reduced and functional owners are accountable for delivery.

2. Functional Leadership & Team Accountability

• Lead, manage and develop the Growth Marketing Manager and Trading Marketing Manager, setting clear objectives, performance expectations and operating standards.
• Run the weekly marketing trading and performance cadence, ensuring actions are followed through, and blockers are resolved at the right level.
• Hold direct reports accountable for pace, quality, stakeholder communication, campaign delivery, performance reporting and commercial outcomes.
• Build a high-performing, commercially minded marketing culture focused on ownership, innovation, experimentation, measurable impact and continuous improvement
• Identify capability gaps, training needs and hiring requirements, while actively mentoring and developing the team to build the standards, disciplines and thinking of a world-class ecommerce marketing function.

3. Growth, Demand Generation & Customer Path Governance

• Set the direction for demand generation and product marketing across PPC, SEO, content, CRM, lifecycle activity, customer segmentation and retention planning
• Ensure Growth Marketing has clear briefs, targets and reporting expectations for acquisition and traffic quality, and Trading Marketing for customer CRM, retention and repeat revenue.
• Own the marketing view of the customer path, ensuring growth activity is connected to onsite execution, campaign landing pages, conversion improvements and trading priorities.
• Working in close partnership with the CRO Engineer, define the overarching customer and conversion strategy, ensuring acquisition and growth activity is connected to customer insight, onsite experience, experimentation, conversion improvement, retention and trading priorities.
• Use performance data to challenge channel mix, campaign effectiveness, agency recommendations and internal activity plans.
• Ensure marketing activity is linked to measurable commercial outcomes, not activity volume alone.

4. Trading, Client-Facing Marketing & Commercial Enablement

• Set the framework for trading marketing activity across marketplace, client, retailer/dealer, webstore and channel activation where applicable.
• Ensure the Trading Marketing Manager converts Sales, Category and Pricing priorities into CRM and trading plans, campaign delivery, onsite execution, localisation and client/channel materials.
• Support client-facing conversations where marketing strategy, launch planning, campaign performance or growth plans need senior marketing input.
• Ensure Autonative can present credible, commercially grounded marketing plans, propositions and growth strategies to clients and internal stakeholders
• Maintain consistency of Autonative's brand standards and commercial messaging across internal, client-facing and market-facing activity.

5. Budget, Agency & Partner Management

• Own the marketing budget, ensuring spend is prioritised against commercial opportunity, ROI and strategic value.
• Lead agency relationships at a strategic level, including brief quality, performance challenge, commercial accountability and value-for-money assessment.
• Ensure PPC, SEO, content, CRM, creative, trading and campaign activity is properly briefed, measured and optimised.
• Review agency performance regularly and recommend changes where performance, quality or commercial value is not sufficient.

6. Autonative Brand Ownership & PR

• Work in close partnership with the MD to shape and build the Autonative brand, translating the company's vision, mission and long-term objectives into a distinctive market position, brand strategy and external narrative.
• Lead the marketing execution of that strategy across brand activity, PR, thought leadership, social awareness and leadership amplification, building on the PR engine already established.
• Ensure Autonative's own marketing supports credibility with clients, partners, candidates and the wider market
• Translate the agreed brand strategy into a practical brand and communications plan, retaining accountability for marketing execution, standards, budget and performance.

7. Performance, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Define the marketing scorecard and ensure performance reporting connects brand, product, customer and growth activity to revenue, conversion, traffic quality, CRM value, repeat revenue, campaign effectiveness and stakeholder outcomes.
• Curious and proactive in exploring how AI can improve ways of working, with a willingness to adopt new tools that reduce repetitive manual tasks and create more time for higher-value work.
• Work with Analytics and Sales Planning to ensure marketing insight supports forecasting, trading decisions and early identification of underperformance.
• Review campaign and channel performance regularly, identifying root causes and corrective action.
• Improve marketing workflows, templates, briefing standards, approval processes and reporting cadence.
• Provide clear updates to the Head of Sales and wider leadership on marketing performance, risk, opportunity and resource requirements. Reporting Structure
• This role reports to: Head of Sales
• Direct reports: 2
• Key internal interfaces: Sales / Account Management, Category Management, Pricing, Analytics / Sales Planning, Tech / CRO, Operations, Leadership Team
• Key internal interfaces: MD, Sales / Account Management, Category Management, Pricing, Analytics / Sales Planning, Tech / CRO Engineer, Operations, Leadership Team Role KPIs
• Marketing contribution to commercial growth: Revenue, qualified traffic, conversion, repeat revenue and campaign-attributable performance against agreed targets.
• Marketing plan delivery: Percentage of agreed quarterly marketing priorities delivered on time, to scope and with measurable outcomes.
• Growth performance: Improvement in traffic quality, PPC/SEO performance, CRM revenue, customer acquisition, retention and lifecycle performance.
• Trading and campaign execution: Quality, timeliness and commercial impact of launches, promotions, landing pages, onsite activation and trade/channel support.
• Agency and budget effectiveness: Budget adherence, ROAS/ROI where applicable, agency delivery quality and improvement actions completed.
• Team capability and accountability: Improvement in team capability, ownership and quality of output; effective operating cadence; actions closed; and reduced dependency on senior escalation
• Brand, product and client marketing: Progress against agreed Autonative brand and PR objectives, effectiveness of product marketing and propositions, leadership amplification, client-facing marketing plans and stakeholder outcomes. Skills & Experience Essential
• Proven senior marketing leadership experience within an ecommerce business of comparable scale and complexity, or a closely comparable marketplace or B2B2C trading environment.
• Significant and demonstrable brand marketing experience, with a track record of developing brand positioning, narrative, awareness and market presence.
• Significant and demonstrable product marketing experience, with a track record of translating customer insight into propositions, positioning, messaging and measurable commercial outcomes
• Demonstrable experience setting global or multi-market marketing strategy and translating it into commercially measurable plans
• Strong understanding of digital growth channels including PPC, SEO, CRM, content, lifecycle marketing and campaign performance.
• Experience managing marketing budgets and agency performance.
• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to prioritise marketing activity based on revenue, margin, customer value and client need.
• Experience leading and developing marketing managers or functional specialists.
• Confident working cross-functionally with Sales, Category, Pricing, Analytics, Tech and senior stakeholders.
• Strong presentation and client-facing capability, with the ability to explain marketing plans, performance and recommendations clearly.
• High standard of written communication, briefing, governance and follow-through.
• CIM Level 6 including working towards (or equivalent qualification) Desirable
• Automotive, parts/accessories or marketplace trading experience.
• Experience supporting client-facing growth plans or partner marketing activity.
• Experience building a marketing operating cadence.
• Familiarity with Google Ads, Google Merchant Centre, Google Analytics, CRM platforms, SEO tools and ecommerce merchandising principles. Leadership Expectations:
• Operate as the senior functional leader for Marketing, setting strategy, standards and direction rather than acting as a hands-on task coordinator.
• Set clear standards, priorities and decision rights.
• Challenge poor-quality activity, weak briefs and unsupported recommendations.
• Mentor and develop managers to think strategically, innovate and own outcomes, not simply complete tasks.
• Bring commercial pace, urgency and accountability into the marketing function.
• Represent marketing credibly with clients, leadership and cross-functional teams. Personal Attributes / Behaviours
• Commercially sharp and growth-focused.
• Entrepreneurial, pragmatic and comfortable working at pace.
• Clear communicator who can simplify complex priorities.
• Confident holding people, agencies and stakeholders accountable.
• Data-informed, but not slowed by over-analysis.
• Comfortable balancing strategy with operational reality.
• Resilient, organised and able to lead through change.
• Curious and innovative, with the confidence to challenge established approaches and identify new sources of growth