Global Marketing Director

Barbour; South Shields; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 120,000

Job description

Company Description:

The Barbour story began in 1894 in South Shields in the North East of England. Founder John Barbour began supplying oilskins and other garments to protect the growing community of sailors, fishermen and dockers. Still family owned and now fifth generation, Barbour HQ remains in South Shields. Under the leadership of Chairman Dame Margaret Barbour, Barbour has grown into a lifestyle brand sold in over 55 countries worldwide including Europe, the US and Asia offering a wardrobe of stylish functional clothing, footwear and accessories inspired by the unique values of the British countryside. The iconic Barbour Bedale and Barbour Beaufort wax jackets continue to be made by hand in the factory in South Shields. In 2020, Barbour launched Wax for Life, an overarching name for all of Barbour’s wax services designed to encourage customers to extend the life of their wax garments. Wax for Life includes re-waxing and repairs (first introduced in 1921) and Barbour Re-Loved an upcycling circularity initiative. Each year over 70,000 wax garments are sent back to Barbour globally to be repaired, rewaxed or altered.

Position Overview:

We are currently recruiting for a Global Marketing Director to join our Global Marketing team based at Barbour House, South Shields. We are looking for a commercially minded, strategic, and brand-led marketing leader to help drive our iconic brand(s). As Global Marketing Director, you will be responsible for defining and executing a long-term, multi-market brand strategy that enhances brand equity, drives commercial success, and ensures seamless alignment across retail, e-commerce, and international expansion.

This role is not about day-to-day campaign execution—that is led by your expert team of marketing specialists. Instead, you will shape the vision, governance, and investment approach, ensuring marketing is a true commercial driver. You’ll be responsible for ensuring that our global marketing strategy delivers a sustainable competitive advantage, working closely with the Group Managing Director, Deputy Group Managing Director and cross-functional leadership teams to ensure we lead with our brand(s) heritage and strengths, embed brand thinking into every aspect of the business and achieve our vision to be the best British lifestyle brand worldwide.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Define and Lead the 5-Year Brand & Marketing Strategy

1. Set and own the global marketing strategy, ensuring long-term brand and commercial success in line with our Group 5 Year Plan and vision.
2. Establish clear investment priorities across brand-building, digital, partnerships, and trade marketing with wholesale partners to maximise short term global impact and ensure long term sustainable brand development and strength.
3. Steer the global expansion agenda, working closely with in-market leadership teams to tailor Global brand strategies to local markets (Asia, North America, and Europe).
4. In line with our company vision, develop and lead strategies across the business, working with and influencing key stakeholders to ensure we drive our development as a lifestyle brand and develop the business across several strategic product categories.
5. Working with the Group Deputy MD and key business stakeholders across depts, define and build a strategy for the development of Barbour International on a Global level.
6. Ensure marketing delivers against business KPIs, embedding commercial rigour and measurable impact into brand-building efforts.

Drive Executive Influence & Business Alignment

1. Act as the executive voice of marketing, shaping business priorities at board level and influencing company-wide decisions, ensuring we lead with our brand heritage and strengths.
2. Oversee the strategic integration of brand marketing, digital, and performance marketing to maximise e-commerce sales and customer engagement across global markets, supporting e-commerce strategies.
3. Work in close partnership with DTC (Retail, Digital (.com), Commercial, and Product leadership to create a unified customer experience across online and offline touchpoints and ensure we build for the long term in line with our mission and vision.
4. Oversee the global marketing budget and investment strategy, ensuring resources and investment are deployed effectively to maximise growth.
5. Champion marketing as a strategic partner to e-commerce in driving customer lifetime value (CLV) and market expansion, ensuring decisions are insight-led and defining how this channel contributes to driving long term strategic brand development in line with our vision.

Oversee & Govern Global Marketing Execution

1. Provide high-level strategic oversight, ensuring that brand marketing, trade marketing, PR, and partnerships are aligned with commercial objectives and 5-year plan.
2. Ensure all marketing functions are operating at the highest standards, balancing creativity with commercial impact.
3. Establish and enforce best-in-class processes for campaign measurement, ensuring strong ROI and continuous improvement.
4. Govern the brand’s creative and messaging framework, ensuring global consistency while allowing for local market nuance, working with in-market leadership teams to achieve.

Build & Elevate a High-Performing Team

1. Inspire, develop, and mentor a senior leadership team, ensuring best-in-class marketing capability.
2. Set the cultural tone for the marketing function—fostering collaboration, creativity, and commercial excellence.
3. Embed a data-driven, performance-oriented culture where insights drive marketing decision-making.
4. Create a strong internal marketing function that adds strategic value to cross-functional business units and ensures that our brand heritage and strengths lead our approach.

Skills and Experience:

1. Proven leadership at CMO, SVP, or Global Marketing Director level within a premium fashion, lifestyle, or luxury brand, leading a global marketing function of similar scale during periods of significant revenue growth.
2. Experience of developing and executing multi-market brand strategies, including Asia, North America, and Europe.
3. Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to align marketing investments with business growth and commercial targets.
4. A track record of influencing executive stakeholders and shaping company-wide strategy.
5. Expertise in brand storytelling, digital transformation, and customer engagement in an omnichannel environment.
6. A leadership style that inspires, motivates, and develops engaged and high performing teams.

Additional Information:

1. This role will require travel both in the UK and Internationally.

Benefits:

1. Discretionary Company bonus scheme
2. Staff discount
3. Staff shop
4. Healthcare cash plan
5. 25 days holiday as standard increasing with length of service plus bank holidays
6. Free onsite parking
7. Subsidised canteen

Note: In the event that a sufficient volume of suitable applications are received, the post may close prior to the specified closing date. Please apply as soon as possible if interested.