Head of Brand & Content
Location: London, Hybrid - 3 days in the office per week
Salary: up to £100,000
About us
At Arbor, we’re on a mission to transform the way schools work for the better.
We believe in a future of work in schools where being challenged doesn’t mean being burnt out and overworked. Where data guides progress without overwhelming staff. And where everyone working in a school is reminded why they got into education every day.
Our MIS and school management tools are already making a difference in over 10,000 schools and trusts. Giving time and power back to staff, turning data into clear, actionable insights, and supporting happier working days.
At the heart of our brand is a recognition that the challenges schools face today aren’t just about efficiency, outputs and productivity - but about creating happier working lives for the people who drive education everyday: the staff. We want to make schools more joyful places to work, as well as learn.
About the role
We are looking for a Head of Brand and Content to take ownership of how the Arbor brand exists in the world. This is not just about maintaining guidelines; it is about architecture and perception. You will define how our "house of brands" fits together, how we integrate acquired companies from a brand point of view, and how we position ourselves to investors and customers alike. You will lead a high-performing function comprising Content, Events, and Brand, with the potential to absorb Community management in the future. We need a strategic brain to build the framework and a creative soul to fill it with world-class storytelling.
Core responsibilities
Brand Architecture and Strategy
- Brand management: Define and refine Arbor’s brand architecture. Determine the relationship between parent brand, sub-brands, and product lines to maximise equity and clarity
- M&A integration: Lead the brand integration workstream for future acquisitions. Develop playbooks for absorbing new brands, deciding when to retire, endorse, or keep distinct identities
- Market positioning: Partner with Product Marketing to shape how Arbor enters new adjacencies and markets. Conduct market research and competitor analysis to position us competitively in new areas
- Visual identity: Own the visual language of Arbor. Ensure strict consistency of brand guidelines across all touchpoints, from product UI to sales decks
- Investor brand: Craft the narrative for the investor community, ensuring our external market value proposition aligns with our corporate growth story
Content Strategy
- Perceptions strategy: Move beyond simple "content marketing" to shape market perceptions. Define the themes Arbor must own to win
- Demand-driven content: Oversee the production of high-impact assets (eBooks, webinars, blogs, whitepapers) that fuel our Demand Generation engine
- Channel strategy: Orchestrate content distribution across social media, the website, and external publications to maximise reach and engagement
- Evolution: Prepare the strategy for potentially folding Arbor HQ, our online community, into the content function, creating a loop between user-generated content and brand-led thought leadership
- Search Evolution (SEO & GEO): Lead the organic growth strategy by bridging the gap between traditional Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and the new frontier of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). Ensure Arbor’s content is structured, authoritative, and "citation-worthy" to maximise visibility in AI-driven answer engines (e.g., ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) alongside traditional SERPs
Corporate Communications and PR
- Reputation management: Lead both proactive storytelling (securing placements, awards, and speaking slots) and reactive PR (crisis communications and issue management)
- Executive visibility: Build the profiles of Arbor’s leadership team, positioning them as industry thought leaders
Events and Experiences
- Event strategy: Direct the strategy for proprietary events, trade shows, and partner activations. Ensure every physical and digital event reinforces our brand promise
Leadership and Collaboration
- Cross-functional ally: Partner closely with Product Marketing on new product and market entry, and with Demand Generation to co-create campaigns where brand acts as the force multiplier for conversion
- Team development: Mentor and manage a multi-disciplinary team of Brand and Content Marketing Managers, our Senior Events Manager, and our network of freelance Designers
Requirements
About you
- Brand architecture expert: You have proven experience managing a complex "house of brands" or "hybrid" brand architecture
- M&A: You have successfully navigated the brand complexities of M&A and integrations
- Content leader: You have run a content function that drives measurable demand. You understand the link between a whitepaper and a qualified lead
- B2B pedigree: You have deep experience in B2B (SaaS/Tech preferred), understanding complex buying cycles and multiple personas
- Corporate comms: You are comfortable handling PR, investor relations messaging, and crisis comms
- Strategic and creative: You can spend the morning modelling brand hierarchy scenarios and the afternoon critiquing a video script for tone of voice
- Brilliant writer: You can create copy that shines, and know how to confidently help others improve their writing too
- Visual literacy: While you may not be a designer, you have an excellent eye for design and can direct a creative team to produce premium work
- Commercial acumen: You understand that brand serves the business. You can speak the language of sales and executives
Benefits
What we offer
The chance to work alongside a team of hard-working, passionate people in a role where you’ll see the impact of your work everyday. We also offer:
- A dedicated wellbeing team who champion initiatives such as mindfulness, lunch n learns, manager training, mental health first aid training and much more!
- 32 days holiday (plus Bank Holidays). This is made up of 25 days annual leave plus 7 extra company wide days given over Easter, Summer & Christmas
- Life Assurance paid out at 3x annual salary
- Comprehensive wellness benefit provided by AIG Smart Health, which provides a 24/7 virtual GP service, Mental health support, Counselling, and personalised Health Checks
- Private Dental Insurance with Bupa
- Salary sacrifice Pension provided by Scottish Widows
- Enhanced maternity and adoption leave (20 weeks full pay) and paternity (6 weeks full pay) pay
- 5 free return to work maternity coaching sessions, helping you adapt to this new exciting time of life!
- Access to services such as Calm and Bippit (financial wellbeing coaching)
- All of our roles champion flexible working and we are happy to discuss what this means to you!
- Social committees that plan team, office and company wide events to bring people together and celebrate success
- Dedicated professional development training budget (CPD courses, upskilling resources, professional memberships etc)
- Volunteer with a charity of your choice for a day each year
- Dog friendly offices!
Interview process
- Phone screen
- 1st stage
- 2nd stage
We are committed to a fair and comfortable recruitment process, so if you require any reasonable adjustments during your application or interview process, please reach out to a member of the team at careers@arbor-education.com.
Our commitment is also backed by our partnership with Neurodiversity Consultancy, Lexxic who provide us with training, support and advice.
Arbor Education is an equal opportunities organisation
Our goal is for Arbor to be a workplace which represents, celebrates and supports people from all backgrounds, and which gives them the tools they need to thrive - whatever their ambitions may be so we support and promote diversity and equality, and actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.
Refer a friend
Know someone else who would be good for this role? You can refer a friend, family member or colleague, if they are offered a role with Arbor, we will say thank you with a voucher valued up to £200! Simply email: careers@arbor-education.com
Please note: We are unable to provide visa sponsorship at this time.