Marketing & Community Manager

About National Student Esports

National Student Esports (NSE) is the official esports organisation for UK universities and works in partnership with British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). Each year, its tournaments and live events bring together 18,000 students and 2,200 teams from more than 110 universities.

NSE is expanding rapidly in the UK and overseas, with a focus on growing its community, deepening engagement, increasing the reach of its competitions and events, and creating stronger connections between students and graduate employers.

Role Overview

NSE is seeking a driven and imaginative Marketing & Community Manager to take ownership of its marketing, communications, and community growth efforts. This position suits someone with 3–5+ years of experience, likely gained within a larger marketing function, who is ready for a role with end-to-end responsibility, clear accountability, and strategic influence.

The successful candidate will plan and deliver marketing and communications activity across several channels, strengthen student community engagement, support commercial partners, and help increase participation in NSE competitions, events, and programmes. This is a build-and-lead role rather than one focused on following an established plan.

What You Will Do

You will shape strategy, manage execution, and use performance data to improve outcomes across marketing, social media, community engagement, partnerships, events, and reporting.

Marketing Strategy & Growth

• Take full ownership of NSE’s marketing and communications strategy.
• Build and roll out annual plans and campaign plans that support organisational priorities.
• Increase community size, participation, and long-term engagement.
• Spot opportunities to bring in more students, universities, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Apply insights and performance data to refine and improve results over time.

Social Media & Content

• Lead NSE’s strategy across multiple platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, and Discord.
• Create channel-specific content approaches based on audience habits and preferences.
• Plan, produce, and oversee compelling content in video, design, and written formats.
• Run content schedules and coordinate campaign execution.
• Keep the brand tone clear, consistent, and engaging across every channel.

Community Engagement

• Develop an active and loyal student community.
• Oversee community spaces such as Discord and social platforms.
• Encourage interaction, participation, and ongoing involvement.
• Collect community feedback and insights to guide future strategy.
• Build strong links with student leaders, societies, and ambassadors.

Commercial Partnerships

• Deliver marketing activity that aligns with partner and sponsorship commitments.
• Track contractual outputs and ensure deliverables are met.
• Maintain a high standard of delivery and partner satisfaction.
• Support communication and relationship management with stakeholders.

Events & Campaign Activation

• Assist with the promotion, planning, and execution of online and on-site events.
• Create campaigns that boost sign-ups, attendance, and engagement.
• Attend important UK events when needed.
• Capture event material and reuse it to extend reach and impact.

Analytics & Reporting

• Measure performance using Google Analytics and social/media insight tools.
• Track growth, engagement, conversion, and retention metrics.
• Prepare reports with practical recommendations.
• Build a data-led approach to decision-making.

About You

You should be confident working independently, comfortable taking initiative, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment. The role needs someone with strong planning, communication, and execution skills, plus a genuine interest in community building and digital engagement.

Essential Experience

• 3–5+ years of experience in marketing, social media, communications, or community-focused roles.
• Proven ability to design and run marketing strategies and campaigns.
• Solid grasp of multi-channel marketing and content adapted to each platform.
• Hands-on experience building and managing online communities.
• Experience using Google Analytics and other performance measurement tools.
• Background working with external partners or stakeholders.
• Strong organisation and project management capabilities.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
• Ability to work autonomously in a fast-paced setting.

Desirable Experience

• Experience marketing to university students or Gen Z audiences.
• Exposure to event promotion or event delivery.
• Knowledge of esports, gaming, or digital-first communities.
• Experience in higher education, student groups, or youth-oriented brands.
• Experience delivering partnership activations or sponsorship activity.

Ways of Working

• Remote-first working arrangement, with the option to use NSE HQ in Sunderland.
• Quarterly in-person team days in Sunderland.
• UK travel will be needed for events and activations.

Pay and Benefits

The salary range for this position is £35,000 to £45,000 per year.

• Company pension.
• Private medical insurance.
• Work-from-home flexibility.