Marketing Managers

Marketing & Communications

Level 6639 of 1200 points

Job description

Marketing Managers

Job purpose

To plan, direct and coordinate the organisation's marketing policies and programmes — determining demand for its products and services, identifying potential customers, setting pricing strategy and monitoring market trends — so that products sell profitably while customers remain satisfied.

Skills

Extensive knowledge of marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, selling technique and sales control systems, with customer needs assessment, media production and dissemination, the mathematics and accounting behind pricing, markup, return on investment and profit-and-loss projection, the management principles needed to lead a function, and command of written and spoken English. A bachelor's degree is the norm, with a substantial minority holding a master's and a smaller group a first professional degree, together with several years of related experience.
Works with advertising and promotion managers to formulate marketing activities and policies, consults product development personnel on design, colour and packaging, and consults buying personnel on expected demand. Negotiates contracts with vendors and distributors, confers with legal staff on copyright and royalty questions, and speaks in public at promotional events. Directs the hiring, training and appraisal of marketing and sales staff.
Identifies, develops and evaluates marketing strategy from the establishment's objectives, market characteristics and cost and markup factors, and sets pricing that balances those objectives against customer satisfaction. Initiates market research, analyses the findings and runs commercial surveys to identify potential markets. Problems are open-ended: demand must be estimated from incomplete evidence and the answer is judged commercially, against competitors.
Formulates and coordinates marketing activities and policies, sets long-range objectives and the strategies to reach them, and uses sales forecasting and strategic planning to secure the profitability of products and lines. Establishes distribution networks, coordinates promotional activities and trade shows, and oversees the daily activities of marketing and sales staff. Determines tasks, priorities and goals, with product cycles, campaigns and trade events fixing the dates to be met.
Work is carried out seated at a desk and computer, in meetings and at trade shows. No manual handling or dexterity demands.

Responsibilities

Manages the marketing function and its staff, directing hiring, training and performance evaluation and overseeing daily activities. Also coordinates advertising, promotion and product development colleagues and external developers over whom no line authority is held.
Evaluates the financial aspects of product development — budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, return on investment and profit-and-loss projections — and sets the pricing strategy on which margin depends. Negotiates contracts with vendors and distributors. Decisions bear directly on revenue and market share, within the objectives set by the firm.
Ordinary care of a workstation and marketing systems. Influence over goods runs through the product rather than its custody: advises product development on design, colour and packaging, and selects what is displayed at trade shows.
Owns the organisation's market intelligence: commissions research and analyses the findings, runs commercial surveys, monitors market trends, and compiles the lists describing product and service offerings. Prices, forecasts and product claims are published externally, so accuracy matters.

Effort required

Analyses market, cost and markup data and research findings against strategy, while pricing and financial projections must be exact. Decisions are frequent, taken under time pressure and often on incomplete evidence of demand, and their consequences reach co-workers and company results. This runs alongside a high volume of contact by e-mail, telephone and face-to-face discussion.
Persuasion is continuous — of customers, distributors, colleagues and senior management — and conflict situations arise in negotiation with vendors and distributors and over copyright and royalties. The market is competitive and results are visible and attributable. No exposure to distress or aggression is evidenced.
Predominantly seated indoor work, with movement to meetings and trade shows. No lifting or exertion.

Working conditions

Indoors and environmentally controlled throughout; no hazard, noise or outdoor exposure is evidenced. Time away from base is spent at promotional events and trade shows. The demand is interpersonal: continuous contact with staff, customers and the public, occasional conflict in negotiation, and public speaking.
Most incumbents work more than a forty-hour week, and about three-quarters are on a regular established schedule, the remainder irregular and a very small number seasonal; no shift or on-call expectation is evidenced. Time pressure is constant, decisions are frequent and carry through to company results, and the market is competitive. The postholder determines tasks, priorities and goals with wide freedom of decision within objectives set by the firm.

Skills

40% · 283 points▾

KnowledgeLevel 5 of 8
90 of 144 points
Specialised and theoretical knowledge within a field of work and an awareness of the limits of that knowledge. The job requires a comprehensive range of cognitive and practical knowledge to develop creative solutions to abstract problems.
Interpersonal and communication skillsLevel 4 of 5
77 of 96 points
Advanced communication and interpersonal skills. The job holder is required to manage complex interactions, mediate interpersonal conflicts and support group collaboration.
Problem-solving skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Variable problems. The job involves dealing with different kinds of problems that require careful thinking, research into different options or adjusting existing ways of doing things. Guidance and resources may be limited.
Planning and organisational skillsLevel 4 of 5
58 of 72 points
Advanced organisational skills required. The job requires planning and managing complex, often overlapping tasks or schedules. The job requires a degree of autonomy and joint planning, and managing interdependencies across teams or departments.
Physical skillsLevel 0 of 5
0 of 72 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any particular physical skills (although there is likely to be some physical activity).

Responsibility

35% · 267 points▾

PeopleLevel 4 of 5
115 of 144 points
High level of responsibility for people. The job involves significant responsibility for the well-being and development of others. This includes making decisions that affect others' jobs, tasks or welfare, such as managing teams, providing care, teaching or ensuring psychological safety. It can also include hiring, evaluating, motivating, coaching and leading workers.
Goods and equipmentLevel 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Limited responsibility for goods or equipment. The job involves the care and proper use of low-value tools or materials, with minimal responsibility for their maintenance or security.
InformationLevel 4 of 5
77 of 96 points
Considerable responsibility for information. The job manages large amounts of valuable or sensitive information, deciding what is needed and how it is used and ensuring it is protected.
Financial resourcesLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for financial resources. The job requires handling significant financial resources, including managing budgets, overseeing expenditures, being accountable for spending and participating in financial decision-making.

Effort

15% · 65 points▾

Mental effortLevel 3 of 5
36 of 60 points
High level of mental effort. The job involves frequent concentration on complex tasks that require considerable mental effort, such as interpreting complex data.
Psychosocial and emotional effortLevel 2 of 5
29 of 72 points
Occasional psychosocial and emotional effort. The job requires occasional involvement in emotionally demanding situations, such as handling minor conflicts or dealing with upset individuals.
Physical effortLevel 0 of 5
0 of 48 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any physical effort.

Working Conditions

10% · 24 points▾

Environment (physical, psychological or emotional)Level 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Minimal exposure to hazards or stress. The job involves little or no exposure to physical hazards (e.g. chemicals, moving equipment, noise) and minimal emotional or psychological risks (e.g. occasional routine tasks with no emotional burden). There is minor exposure to dust, dirt, fumes, noise, waste, poor lighting, etc.
Organisational environmentLevel 1 of 5
7 of 36 points
Minimal organisational demands. The job requires standard working hours with no night shifts or irregular schedules. There is little or no need for travel or digital connectivity beyond typical working hours.