Deputy Head of Marketing; Maternity Cover

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job title Deputy Head of Marketing (Maternity Cover) Job reference REQ
003306 Date posted 17/09/2026 Final date to receive applications 11/10/2026 Location Paignton Salary £30,770 - £35,338per annum Package Plus Excellent Benefits Contractual hours 37 Basis Full Time Job category/type Support Attachments Blank Job description

Salary: £30,770 - £35,338per annum. Plus excellent benefits.

Contract Type: Full-time, Fixed term maternity cover up to12 months.
37 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.

Location: Paignton, Devon.

South Devon College is looking for a confident, organised and experienced Deputy Head of Marketing – Events, Schools & Community Lead to join our Marketing team on a maternity cover basis.

About the role

In this role, you will lead our schools engagement and community outreach activity, oversee key College events, and support the Head of Marketing with day-to-day decision making and representation across the College. You will also be responsible for the following:

• Lead the College’s schools engagement programme and wider community outreach, building strong relationships with schools, community partners and key stakeholders.
• Own and deliver business and stakeholder events, ensuring activity is well planned, professionally delivered and aligned to the College’s strategic priorities.
• Manage key cross-college events, including open events, Graduation, Student Awards, Staff Awards and Apprenticeship Awards, with support from the Events Coordinator.
• Line manage and coach colleagues within the schools and community engagement function, supporting them to deliver high-quality work.
• Act as a business partner for specified departments, understanding their priorities and translating them into clear marketing activity.
• Deputise for the Head of Marketing when required, representing the team in meetings and supporting day-to-day decisions.
• Contribute to post-event evaluation, including customer experience, conversion activity and feedback to inform future planning.

To be successful in this role, you will:

• Have experience of schools liaison, community engagement or stakeholder event delivery, ideally within a busy organisation or education setting.
• Be confident building relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Have experience of managing, coaching or supporting colleagues to deliver effective work.
• Be organised, calm under pressure and able to manage competing deadlines while maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Be a clear and confident communicator, able to represent a team’s priorities in meetings and discussions.
• Be able to translate departmental needs into practical marketing activity that supports wider goals.
• Have experience of business partnering, CRM systems, digital or social media activity, or education sector marketing would be an advantage.

In return, you can expect access to an exciting range of training, apprenticeship and opportunities for degree level study alongside your work to keep you at the top of your game, as well as generous holiday allowance of 27 days pro rata and a strong emphasis on work-life balance.

The staff at South Devon College are truly inspirational and this is a reflection on the whole College culture of continuous improvement and support for all of our students and communities. We hold the prestigious Investors in People (IIP) Platinum accreditation, the highest level awarded by the people management standard. This prominent distinction confirms the College’s status as not just a leading Further Education College, but also as a top employer in the country, as it joins the top 7% of…