Role Overview

This is a 12-month Fixed Term Contract for ‘Marketing Program Manager, Sky Media’. Sky Media is the advertising sales arm of Sky, and the Marketing team is responsible for setting and delivering Sky Media's marketing strategy across the advertising industry.

As ‘Marketing Program Manager’, your role is to translate a specific department(s) commercial objectives into marketing plans and then deliver those plans using a capability layer of internal resource that covers content, digital & social, events and creative. The specific department aligned to this role carries a strong lead / demand generation requirement, targets SMEs and it is product led, unlike other areas of the business. It also operates a distributed sales force based around the UK.

This is a role defined by influence rather than authority. The Programme Manager reports directly to the Head of Marketing, but all capability is managed by the Marketing Controller. Success comes from planning credibly inside a capacity model, building the relationship with the Controller, the capability and the department. You will be supported to deliver your marketing plans by resource that covers content, digital & social, events and creative as well as via dedicated project management.

The role requires someone who is comfortable communicating with senior stakeholders in the business, but just as happy to roll up their sleeves and work alongside capability and who finds it easy to build and maintain relationships that get the job done.

What you'll do:

Department partnership

• Act as the marketing lead for the aligned department(s), trusted enough to be in the room when commercial priorities are set rather than briefed afterwards.

• Understand the department's revenue targets, its SME clients, its competitive pressures and its sales cycle in real detail.

• Be honest and early about what marketing can deliver and manage expectations before they become disappointments.

Programme planning

• Build a year-long marketing programme for the department with a clear commercial purpose, calendar, budget and defined deliverables.

• Plan inside the capacity model and treat any plan that has not been capacity-checked as a draft rather than a commitment.

• Sequence activity so that peaks are spread across the year rather than colliding with every other programme in the same quarter.

• Re-scope the programme quarterly (or as required) against actual capacity and current commercial priorities.

Delivery through shared capability

• Write briefs good enough that a specialist can act on them without a second meeting.

• Clearly define their capability requirements and accept allocation decisions without relitigating them individually.

• Work with Project Management to keep the programme's critical path visible and to flag slippage early.

Measurement and reporting

• Agree how the programme's contribution will be measured before it starts, with the department and the Head of Marketing.

• Report progress and results to the department and into the marketing function on a consistent cadence.

• Be willing to stop activity that is not working rather than complete it because ‘it’s in the plan’.

• Share what works with the other Program Managers rather than optimising a single programme at the function's expense.

What you'll bring:

Essential criteria:   

• Experience owning a demand / lead generation marketing plan or program end to end, including planning, delivery and reporting.

• Demonstrable experience delivering through people who do not report to you.

• Srong stakeholder management with senior commercial audiences, including the ability to say no and keep the relationship.

• Commercial literacy: comfort with revenue targets, pipeline and the mechanics of how the aligned department(s) makes money.

• Excellent briefing and written communication.

• Planning discipline — the ability to build a plan that survives contact with a capacity constraint.

Desirable skills and experience:  

• Experience in media, broadcast, advertising sales or a media agency.

• Understanding of the specific discipline of the aligned department – targeting SMEs new to TV advertising.

• Experience of matrix or shared-service marketing models.

Benefits and perks:  

There's one thing people can't stop talking about when it comes to life at Sky: the perks. Here’s a taster:   

• Free NOW package, including Sky Sports and Sky Cinema    

• Pension package with up to 9% employer contribution  

• Private healthcare with mental health support   

• Aviva Digital GP and dental insurance   

• Discounts on Sky products, including Sky Mobile, Sky Broadband, Sky Glass and Sky Protect   

• Sharesave and Tech schemes   

• A range of Sky VIP rewards and experiences  

How you’ll work:  

We've adopted a hybrid working approach to give more flexibility on where and how we work. The hybrid working expectations for this role are 3 days in the office per week.  

Your office base   

Osterley:

Our Sky Group HQ. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and workspaces, there’s plenty of space to see your big ideas come to life. Here you’ll find 13 subsidised restaurants and cafes. You can re-energise at our gym, catch the latest films at our cinema, get your car washed and even get pampered at our beauty salon.  

Our Osterley Campus is just a 10-minute walk from Syon Lane train station, or you can get one of our free shuttle buses from Osterley, Gunnersbury and Ealing Broadway stations. Plus, there’s free onsite parking available for cars, motorbikes and bicycles. 

Who we are:

We’re Sky, a leading media and entertainment company who connect millions with entertainment, sports, news and arts through innovative products and services. Working with us means you’ll be bringing the joy of a better experience to more people, every day. All so we can do better and deliver better for our customers, colleagues and society. 

We’re an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We're a Disability Confident Accredited Employer, and welcome and encourage applications from all candidates. We will look to ensure a fair and consistent experience for all and will make reasonable adjustments to support you where appropriate. Please flag any adjustments you need as early as you can.  

Just so you know: if your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a criminal record check. And depending on the role you have applied for and the nature of any convictions you may have, we might have to withdraw the offer.   

To be eligible for this role you are required to have the appropriate right to work in the UK. Please be aware Sky does not offer sponsorship for this position. 

To find out more about working with us, search #LifeAtSky on social media.