Head of Marketing (mat cover) - FMCG

Head of Marketing (Maternity Cover), 12 Month FTC UK, hybrid (Richmond) | £75,000-£90,000

Our client is a premium dairy-free beverage brand with a strong US presence, now looking to bring in an experienced marketing leader to cover maternity leave and keep the UK business moving at pace.

This isn't a caretaking role. You'll own the UK marketing function for 9-12 months: leading the team, running the 2027 UK marketing plan, and making the calls that keep campaigns, launches and activations on track. You'll also pick up portfolio and innovation work, so this suits someone who thinks commercially about a product pipeline, not just someone who executes a campaign calendar.

You'll sit on the UK Leadership Team, report into the MD, and work closely with the US CMO and marketing team. Expect real autonomy and real accountability from week one.

What you'll do

• Lead the UK marketing team: direction, coaching, and enough space for people to own their projects.
• Deliver the 2027 UK marketing plan, on time and on budget.
• Manage agency relationships and the UK marketing budget.
• Guard the brand locally: translate global strategy into UK campaigns without losing consistency.
• Own UK retail and shopper thinking, and make sure innovation gets properly commercialised through the plan.
• Partner with Commercial and Sales to keep marketing activity tied to business priorities.
• Hand over cleanly: this role exists to protect continuity while someone's on leave, so a smooth, well-documented handover matters as much as the day-to-day delivery.

What you'll bring

• Senior marketing leadership experience (Head of Marketing, Marketing Director or equivalent) in FMCG, food and beverage, or consumer goods.
• Strong UK retail experience, not just brand or category marketing.
• A track record leading and developing marketing teams.
• Commercial acumen: comfortable partnering with Sales and Commercial leadership, not just marketing peers.
• Experience turning global brand strategy into local execution, and confidence acting as brand guardian.
• Experience running integrated campaigns, agencies, and budgets.
• The ability to prioritise and decide fast. This is a business that needs momentum, not deliberation.

Nice to have

• Experience with US or international stakeholders.
• Coffee, café channel, or foodservice/on-trade background.
• Challenger brand experience.