JOB PURPOSE
The Chief Marketing Officer leads Harvesters' brand, marketing, and communications work. This covers how the Church is seen by its members and the public, the brand across all channels, and media and public relations. The CMO leads the Creative Director, the Brand Manager, and the PR Manager, and works closely with the Head of Operations and the wider leadership team.
This is a very senior appointment. We want a leader with a long career in consumer marketing, who has built and grown well-known brands that reach large numbers of everyday people, and who can bring that skill to the Church.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Strategy and Planning:
• Set the vision and strategy for marketing and communications and build the annual plan.
• Understand each audience, including members, prospective members, partners, donors, and media, and shape messages that reach them.
• Use consumer marketing methods, such as audience research, campaign testing, and product style launches, to grow the Church's reach.
• Choose the right channels, print and online media, and other ways to reach as many people as possible.
• Review strategy and activities regularly and adjust based on results and data.
• Keep branding and messaging consistent across all Harvesters campuses, working with Campus Pastors on local needs.
2. Executive Leadership:
• Sit on the Management Team and take part in strategic planning and decisions.
• Advise the CEO, Senior Pastor, and Executive Leadership Team on branding, reputation, and public messaging.
• Support executive communications, including speeches, presentations, and major announcements.
3. Brand Management
• Act as the main guardian of the Harvesters brand across every platform.
• Train staff and ministry teams on brand guidelines.
• Set up a system so teams can get support with branding and marketing when they need it.
• Review externally facing materials from other teams for brand and message consistency.
• Keep a multi-year marketing plan covering themes, visual identity, and brand management.
4. Digital Presence
• Oversee the Church's website and digital assets, keeping them current and useful for members and visitors.
• Work with web developers to improve the site and its engagement.
• Get sermons, articles, and other content out to a wider audience.
• Act as the go-to person on the Church's software for marketing and advertising features.
5. Social Media
• Build and run the Church's social media strategy across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X, and other platforms.
• Manage content and engagement on all channels.
• Promote Church events and program to members and the wider public.
6. Content and Events
• Lead content and design work across email, social media, reports, events, and film.
• Oversee recap videos, photos, and other media that show the life of the Church.
• Plan the annual communications calendar and oversee all marketing collateral.
7. Media and Public Relations
• Build relationships with journalists, bloggers, and media partners for positive coverage.
• Manage responses to media enquiries and news items.
• Oversee press releases, opinion pieces, and other public communications.
• Keep a crisis communication plan ready and lead the Church's response in sensitive situations.
8. Team Leadership and Collaboration
• Lead the Marketing & Communications team, including the Creative Director, Brand Manager, and PR Manager.
• Support ministry leaders with their communication needs.
• Work with other teams on fundraising, outreach, and partnership campaigns.
• Manage vendors, including agencies, production companies, printers, and photographers.
9. Budget and Performance
• Manage the Marketing & Communications budget with Finance.
• Track expenses on campaigns, media, agencies, and vendors against the approved budget.
• Measure marketing performance metrics and report on return on marketing spend to the Head of Operations.
• Support Harvesters Africa Empowerment Foundation (HAEF) with marketing and communications, including donor communications and impact reporting.
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:
Internal: Head of Operations, Senior Pastor, ministry leaders, Finance, Programs and Partnerships, and other departments.
External: journalists, bloggers, media partners, agencies, and web developers.
KEY COMPETENCIES
• Strong written, verbal, and public speaking skills, with the presence to advise a CEO and senior leaders.
• Creative thinking, both strategic and hands-on.
• Good judgment, problem solving, and the ability to manage detail while thinking ahead.
• Strong project management, able to run several projects and deadlines at once.
• Good people leadership, able to build on each team member's strengths.
• Builds relationships and gets things done through influence across teams and partners.
• Comfortable starting new initiatives independently.
• Keeps up with marketing, communications, and technology trends.
• Strong attention to detail and organization.