OUR PLACEMENTS

Placement summary

A unique, exciting opportunity for a recent graduate (within four years) to consolidate their marketing skills. We are seeking an accomplished Marketing Graduate to take the lead on all aspects of a marketing strategy, campaign and business re-brand with this one year Graduate placement with Mallaig & District Swimming Pool.

Mallaig & District Swimming Pool is a community leisure centre on the cusp of change and developing an energising new range of products and services. We want to position the centre as the ‘hub’ for multi-purpose fitness, health and wellbeing.  As our Marketing Manager you will help identify our market, promote our new services, and be a key business driver. You will create, devise and execute the creative re-branding of the centre, and you will reposition customer understanding of the centre’s offering by implementing a comprehensive, cohesive message across the marketing lexicon, helping to increase both footfall and revenue.

Job description

Project Description

Mallaig & District Swimming Pool is based in a beautiful rural location on the west coast of Scotland. It is literally a life-saving resource for the community on many levels. We provide a high standard swim instruction for young people helping to keep them safe in and around local waters. We provide fitness, aerobic and aqua aerobic classes to promote fitness as a lifestyle choice.  We help keep older people in the community active for longer. We work with a range of organisations including Scottish Swimming, Youth Highland, Age Scotland and the NHS to develop services and products to support the health and wellbeing of the community. We are passionate about health and are seeking a dynamic and energetic Marketer who will work with us to take our business forward. 

We want to raise the profile and awareness of the Centre and its offering by delivering an invigorated marketing strategy to draw in all user groups and improve our appeal across a broad demography. You will work closely with the Manager to deliver our vision for the centre, with support from the Board of Directors.  We expect you to forge community relationships, deliver a complete re-branding of the organisation including name and positioning, the creation of a new logo to be rolled out across published materials, the re-launch of our subscription scheme, and with particular emphasis on developing a co-ordinated social media campaign across all electronic information portals.

The team at Mallaig Pool are committed, welcoming, supportive and passionate about the job they do.  Our desired outcome is that the whole team work to deliver increased income, and with the addition of this new Marketing role, the sign-posting of newly introduced services, including fitness classes and outdoor activities will be critical to achieve this. You will raise the profile of the facility, help change the community perspective of the centre, increase footfall and income, and improve the success of our organisation. If you’re not afraid of hard work, if you’re a skilled Marketer wanting to put all your flair to the test and are motivated by a challenge, then we want to hear from you.

Specific tasks of the placement will include:

1. Work closely with the Manager to review and develop the current annual marketing plan which will happen within the first four weeks of the appointment.

2. Work with the Board to re-brand the organisation and develop mechanics to launch and communicate the re-brand. This will be a six month process and although it will not meet a deadline for the centre’s peak tourist season, it is essential that the process is not rushed, but comprehensive and thorough. The re-brand must stand the test of time.

3. Integrate the re-branding with a comprehensive upgrade of the organisations website, and expand social media avenues and on-line presence. This will be a six month process to run in conjunction with the centre re-brand.

4. Re-launch new subscription opportunities, loyalty programmes and referral schemes. Our ambition is to have this completed to roll-out by November 2015 in time for Christmas sales and January promotions, historically a busy time for the centre.

5. Produce supporting marketing and promotional materials/templates within a timeframe to work with task/activities no. 2 & 3.

6. Introduce a brand new monthly newsletter to support customer retention with news, offers and features. This will begin within the first four weeks of the appointment and will act initially as a platform to soft launch the centre re-brand and to communicate and solicit feedback on marketing initiatives.

7. Organise and support the marketing and delivery of specific fitness, health and wellbeing events. These events take place throughout the year on a month to month basis.

8. Develop community relationship and third party promotions to help raise awareness, but also drive revenue through advertising. At the conclusion of the 12 month period we would expect to have in place one major centre sponsor, as well as smaller advertisers taking advantage of advertising boards around the facility.

9. Deliver throughout the year key marketing initiatives as identified in the marketing plan.

This position is part funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund.

Qualifications

Open to applicants with a HND/undergraduate/postgraduate degree in Marketing, Media or Communications.

Skills / Experience

Essential Skills

• Excellent writing skills, good attention to detail and a flair for communication.

• Creative thinker with a clear understanding of marketing process and outcomes.

• Good IT skills with excellent experience of social media and website design.

Desirable Skills

• Interest in health, fitness and leisure industry.

• Self-starter with the ability to work independently or as part of a team.

• Good negotiation skills.

Benefits

Company benefits

• Free use of the facilities
• Free relocation advice

Placement benefits

As part of this ScotGrad Graduate Placement Programme, the candidate will benefit from support from a team within Highlands and Islands Enterprise and also access a four day residential course focussed on employability and business skills.

Additional information

Location: Mallaig

Preferred start date: 13/07/2015

Company information

Mallaig and District Swimming Pool (MDSP) opened in 1993 as a community led sport social enterprise operated for the benefit of the local and wider community by a committee of volunteers and staffed by permanent, trained personnel. This was made possible by the generosity of the local community and others including Sir Cameron Mackintosh, the Lochaber District Council, Lochaber Limited and Highland Council. The day to day running of the facility, which has both “wet” and “dry” programmes, is the responsibility of the manager, who reports to a board of directors drawn from the wider community.

The facility also benefits from a dedicated fundraising group, The Friends of MDSP. They work closely with the board of directors and manager to generate funds, mainly for small capital projects. The facility aims to provide opportunities for all members of the community and the remote outlying island communities around Mallaig to participate in a variety of physical activities including swimming instruction, fitness assessments, fitness classes, gym instruction, GP referrals, as well as a range of aquatic skills.

The facility opened 21 years ago primarily to teach all young people to swim. As a fishing port, where families through the generations worked at sea, there was a need to deliver swimming instruction. Prior to that time, there was no access to swimming instruction. Over the years we have upgraded and expanded our offering. Our swimming lesson instruction programme is line with the national standard for Scotland. We continue to evolve and grow, with success in providing all pupils from the local High School with a comprehensive health assessment to identify and meet areas for fitness development in young people. We now provide a range of fitness classes and circuit training, aqua aerobics, swimming for over 50s, and a mobility hoist to enable those with reduced mobility to swim. Last year we introduced a play days scheme to encourage pre-school early year’s fitness in babies and toddlers. The scheme also serves as a meeting place for young, potentially isolated, parents and carers to provide support on a regular basis. We have also had success in providing both first aid and lifeguard courses, particularly for young people.

Company sector: Other

Company website: www.mallaigswimmingpool.co.uk

Placement contact details: Brian O'Rourke
01687 462229