UK Marketing & Communication Manager - #1701112

UTMB Group is the global leader in the organisation of trail running events. Our flagship event, the UTMB Mont-Blanc, has been the world’s highest profile trail race for several years with the best athletes and largest sports brands in attendance.

Based in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in the French Alps, UTMB Group launched the UTMB World Series in partnership with The IRONMAN Group in 2022. The UTMB World Series is the largest trail running circuit in the world, bringing together more than 50 international events to give all trail runners the chance to live the UTMB adventure close to home. UTMB UK are responsible for organising UTMB World Series events in the UK which includes Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB and Arc of Attrition by UTMB.

What we are looking for?
To support the development and delivery of our UK events, we are seeking a highly motivated sports marketing and communications professional, ideally with previous knowledge of the running industry, to join our passionate team in Manchester.

Your mission
The role of the Marketing & Communication Manager is to develop loyalty with our athletes, fans and supporters, to tell the story of our events and to raise the profile of our extraordinary running community, partners and the UTMB World Series.

Under the guidance of the Event Director, you will create, manage and deliver the marketing and communication strategies for our UK based events in Snowdonia and Cornwall. You will use your marketing knowledge and skills to deliver engaging campaigns, generate excitement and get more people running with us across the UK.

Your communication experience will build interpersonal relationships amongst all of our stakeholders, keeping our customers informed, connected and satisfied. You will ensure the UTMB Group vision, values and brand identity are communicated clearly.

Responsibilities for the role include:

Marketing :
Create, refine and deliver the overall UK marketing strategy for our events with support from global UTMB Marketing staff
Develop and implement inclusive marketing campaigns to represent our audience and also create new participants, engage fans, and generate event purchases
Identify and maximise marketing opportunities to engage sponsors and increase the number of commercial exhibitors and brands attending events
Raise the profile of our events locally, nationally and internationally within the running, outdoor sports, and tourism and leisure sectors
Apply the UTMB World Series playbooks to ensure seamless branding across all event media, publications, venues and materials
Survey participants to gain insight into their motivations and behaviours, and how to market future events and opportunities to a diverse range of groups
Monitor campaign effectiveness to recommend opportunities for improvement
Update and maintain event details on external listings, websites and accounts
Manage social media accounts and event websites with up-to-date content
Liaise with World Series partners to deliver their activations on events
Produce post-event analysis and reports to share with stakeholders

Communications, Media and Public Relations :
Create, refine and deliver the overall UK communications strategy for our events with support from global UTMB Communications staff.
Build awareness and credibility of our events with new and existing audiences by liaising with media agencies and public relations professionals.
Create strong relationships with regional media to promote the benefits and opportunities of events for local communities and businesses.
Build relationships with a diverse range of trail running athletes, influencers and underrepresented groups to create valuable connections and gain insight.
Oversee customer enquiries and administration with support from the global Athlete Services team.
Develop media distribution plans for UK events and manage all media enquiries.
Create engaging content for e-newsletters, social media and press releases.
Manage our internal event media team including photo and video freelancers.
Manage accredited media at events and host media related activities.
Plan and coordinate prize-giving ceremonies, hospitality functions etc.

Work location
The role is based at our UK office in Altrincham, Manchester, Monday to Friday

Depending on the candidate’s experience, there is the opportunity to work remotely for up to three days per week. Site visits and travel may be required as part of the role

Essential skills and experience
5+ years’ experience of achieving success within the sports marketing industry
Previous examples of creating marketing and communication strategies
Convincing communicator able to represent UTMB to a range of audiences
Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritise work and projects
Knowledge of CRM systems, marketing platforms and social media accounts
Strong attention to detail, applying brand identity and robust proofing skills
Ability to form effective relationships and work well in a team environment
Skilled in the production of documents, briefings, reports and presentations
Fluent in spoken and written English language

Desirable skills and experience :
Experience of marketing mass participant events, in particular trail running
Knowledge of hosting outdoor events and working with elite athletes
Skilled in spoken and written Welsh language
Full, clean, UK driving licence

What do we offer?
£35,000 - £37,000 dependent on experience
Company pension plus 25 days holiday per year in addition to bank holidays
International travel opportunities to experience other UTMB World Series events
A passionate and fast-growing company in an exciting outdoor sports sector
UTMB World Series commercial partner discounts and offers