Marketing Manager

Marketing Manager – Education Devision 

We are seeking an innovative and strategic Marketing Manager to lead our mission to Revolutionise School Catering.

Following exceptional growth within the Education market, this high-profile role will be pivotal in accelerating our momentum.

With access to a substantial marketing budget, and a talented team, you will develop and execute market-leading strategies and oversee all marketing, advertising, and promotional activities to drive apetito’s success in this dynamic sector.

You'll deliver exceptional leadership of the marketing team, managing integrated marketing campaigns—across digital, social media, events, and print—aligned with brand positioning, competitive advantage, and our ambitious growth objectives.

As the UK’s only prepared meal solution within the Education sector, apetito occupies a unique market position. This offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced Marketing Manager to shape brand strategy and lead-generation activities across all channels. Initial focus will be on Independent Schools, Multi Academy Trusts, and SEND schools, where our proven proposition makes apetito one of the UK’s fastest-growing school caterers.

Reporting to the General Manager for Education, you will lead the full marketing strategy from planning through to execution and be a key member of the Education Division Senior Leadership Team.

This is a rare, high-exposure opportunity to take full ownership of lead generation in a growing, purpose-driven business, working alongside a talented and passionate Sales and Marketing team.

Success in this role will also depend on collaboration with apetito’s central Marketing team and Sales teams, providing strategic direction and insights. You will evaluate market trends, customer behaviour, and competitor activity to inform effective marketing plans.

A data-driven, multi-channel approach will be essential to maximise brand reach, enhance customer acquisition, and support customer retention.

This role is based at our head office in Trowbridge, with options to work from home 2 days per week, and will also require travel (including overnight stays) to customers and events across the country. 

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

Integrated Brand Awareness and Lead Generation Campaigns

• Create and implement integrated marketing communications strategies and plans that achieve our ambitious growth targets within the Nurseries and Independent Schools marketplaces
• Strategic leadership of digital and social media B2B paid advertising and organic campaigns
• Collaboration with the central Marketing team on digital marketing and development initiatives
• Work closely with key internal departments and external agencies to deliver consistent messaging and marketing campaigns across all channels
• Work hand in hand with PR team to maintain a high level of national coverage that enhances our key messaging and market position
• Regular reporting on campaign performance and marketing activity to ensure effectiveness is measured.

Development of Marketing Materials and Sales Aids

• Development and ongoing evolution of insight-driven propositions for each education sector
• Creation of marketing materials – ensuring conformance to corporate identity and branding
• Collaborative development of acquisition and retention sales materials/aids

Management of Event Presence and Industry Partnerships

• Design, co-ordination and organisation of national and local exhibition and events programmes
• Management of key industry partner relationships

Other

• Creation and development of the marketing sub-team within the Education business unit
• Planning and budgeting to ensure projects generate actionable results and show a tangible ROI
• Confident in analysis and interpretation of market data to drive insight driven decisions
• Involvement in company-wide initiatives, events & project groups

 Essential:

• Educated to degree level, ideally marketing or business related.
• Proven experience in a dynamic marketing management role
• Working knowledge of a breadth of marketing methods, including digital technologies
• Experience in development & implementation of marketing plans
• Consumer research and insight
• Event co-ordination experience
• Experience in agency management
• Confident computer user, able to use a variery of programs and apps. 
• Budget management
• Analytical approach
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong organisation skills, able to manage multiplte projects and meet short and long term deadlines
• Commercial outlook
• Driving licence

Desirable:

• CIM qualification or similar
• Copywriting ability
• Experience in the healthcare or nursery market
• Experience in retail catering

Personal Qualities:

• Strategic & creative thinker
• Ability to work autonomously
• Committed to continuing improvement
• Projects credibility
• Passionate and enthusiastic
• Team player

Due to the geography of this role and the nature of working with customers in school and nursery settings, flexibility with working hours will be needed.  

Travel to customers across the region and to national events, including overnight stays, will be a requirement.

As this role involves working in settings with children it is exempt from The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and requires an Enhanced DBS.

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer.
Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.