Lead Marketing Strategy Manager

At Nationwide, our purpose is simple: Banking, but fairer, more rewarding and for the good of society. As the UK's largest building society, we're focused on creating long-term value for our members and helping more people benefit from mutual banking.

Our Marketing Strategy function looks across the full suite of Customer and Marketing domains from customer experience, brand strategy, mass reach advertising through to data-led personalisation, machine learning and AI strategy. Our tasks range from identifying the most effective way to launch in new markets to maximising performance in long established programmes.

As we continue to grow and strengthen our position as the UK's leading mutual, we're looking for an exceptional Lead Strategy Manager to help shape how Marketing Strategy communicates its most important priorities and recommendations to senior leaders, the Executive Committee and the Board.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our Swindon, London or Bournemouth office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.

If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.

What you’ll be doing

Working closely with the Director of Marketing Strategy, you will turn complex business questions, customer and market insight, and strategic analysis into clear, compelling stories that support decisions. You will play a central role in developing high quality Board and Executive Committee papers, presentations and briefings, using exceptional PowerPoint skills and strong judgement to create a persuasive narrative, surface the most important insight and land clear recommendations.

This is a highly visible role for someone who combines strategic thinking, insight and outstanding communication. You will be comfortable starting with ambiguity, working across teams and senior leaders to build the evidence, challenging and refining different perspectives, then shaping that material into a simple and influential story for the most senior audiences in Nationwide.

You will also work closely with the Marketing Strategy Senior Managers and Group Chief Customer Officer office to prepare for key leadership forums and keep the Marketing Strategy function running effectively. This includes ensuring priorities, governance, actions and delivery plans remain on track, and that the Director is well prepared for important discussions and decisions.

About you

As a minimum you’ll have:

• Significant experience creating Board, Executive Committee or senior leadership papers and presentations that have supported important strategic decisions

• Exceptional PowerPoint and presentation design skills, with a strong understanding of story structure, message hierarchy and how to communicate complex information clearly and visually. Experience using CoPilot for streamlining insight collation and creating strategic level material

• Experience using customer, commercial, market or performance insight to build a compelling function or organisation strategic narrative, draw out implications and make clear recommendations

• Excellent written communication and editing skills, with the judgement to simplify complex strategic content without losing meaning and to tailor the story for a senior audience

• Experience building and maintaining a senior network alongside confidence working directly with senior leaders, challenging constructively, managing different perspectives and maintaining quality through fast paced review and refinement

• Significant experience in multi-channel marketing, marketing strategy, brand strategy, customer strategy or commercial marketing roles

• Experience driving governance, planning and operational management across a large team or department

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together. They are the set of behaviours that every colleague needs to display, in every role:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs, so that every decision we make starts and finishes with our customers in mind

• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent, openly sharing diverse perspectives to reach the best conclusions and using language everyone can understand

• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development

• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• 25 days holiday, pro rata

• Private medical insurance

• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement

• Access to an annual performance-related bonus

• Training and development to help you progress your career

• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme

• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death

• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness

• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society

We forge our own path at Nationwide.

As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first. Always there when they need us. Supporting them and their lives.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us.

At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best. As a community, we want our working lives to count. As a team, we celebrate what we achieve. As a standard-setter, we work for the good of customers, communities, and broader society.

We are purpose-driven. Uncompromisingly customer. Unstoppably Nationwide.

What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us.

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.

Keeping your data and personal information confidential is important to us. To find out more about how we use and process your data, please read our Privacy policy.

If you want to find out more about using AI in our recruitment process, please read more here.

Disability Confident

We’re not just guided by data, we’re driven by the real experiences of our people. We’re a Disability Confident Level 3 Leader, the highest level.

That’s why we’re constantly evolving our policies and practices to make sure everyone feels genuinely supported, valued, and empowered to champion inclusion. Whatever your needs, we’re here to support you. If you need any additional support throughout your application journey, email our team at Recruitment Support.

Apply safely with Nationwide

Recruitment scams can look convincing, so take a moment to check the role is listed on our official careers site and read our guidance on Don’t be conned by a job scam.

The hiring manager for this role is Kate Ainsworth, and the main recruitment contact is Ola Crown.

Please note that should you be successful in securing this role, the job title on our internal systems will be Lead Marketing Manager.