Head of Digital Marketing

Akessa Healthcare Group is looking for an experienced, dynamic and organised Head of Digital Marketing to join our marketing team. This is an exciting time to join a highly reputable organisation and support the highest standards of care.Head of Digital Marketing appointee is to lead our digital strategy and deliver measurable growth in patient enquiries, bookings and treatment activity. This is an opportunity to shape how digital marketing works across the group, working closely with senior leadership, hospital teams and specialist partners.The appointee reports to the Group Chief Operating Officer.Please noteThis appointment is for a motivated and ambitious individual.Our colleagues lead by example.Akessa Healthcare does not support hybrid working.Akessa Healthcare is expanding, and there are ample opportunities for personal and career development in this role.Above all else, we’re committed to the care and improvement of human life. This guiding vision influences everything we do at Akessa Healthcare. From the CEO to colleagues on the wards, we all have a part to play in delivering exceptional care to our patients. Others may see this as just a marketing role, but to us you’ll be part of a wider team with a unique sense of purpose, one that helps improve lives every day. We are looking for candidates who want a long-term position and have clear career development goals.About usAkessa Healthcare Group owns and operates several boutique independent hospitals, including The New Foscote Hospital, The Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital and 107 Harley Street.The New Foscote Hospital has been established in Banbury for over 40 years and has provided services and treatments to thousands of people from across the region. We have over [number] consultants, all leaders in their specialist fields, who choose to hold their private practices here. They work alongside our friendly, highly qualified and experienced nursing and support teams.The Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital was established in Aylesbury in 1832. Ownership transferred to our management team in January 2023, and the hospital now provides clinical care to private, insured and NHS patients, with a strong ethos of caring for our staff. Since 2023 it has undergone a multimillion-pound refurbishment.107 Harley Street is an outpatient, diagnostic and day-case facility. The Group has had a presence in the Harley Street area since 2010. Treatments offered there include oral and maxillofacial surgery, dermatology, orthodontics and specialist dentistry, plastic and cosmetic surgery, general surgery and rheumatology.Akessa Healthcare is managed and run by clinicians. Our organisation has strong IT, operational, clinical governance and accountancy support, and all colleagues are encouraged to feel empowered and to have an active voice in the management of their services.The team takes great pride in what we do. The clinical outcomes at The New Foscote Hospital are among the best in the world, and the latest CQC report rated the hospital “Good” across all areas. The hospital has been rated among the top 10 hospitals in the UK, private and NHS, for patient experience.The roleYou will take ownership of our digital marketing strategy, priorities and performance. You will identify where growth should come from, decide how best to reach suitable patients and turn that strategy into a practical programme of delivery.You will have scope to review our existing channels, suppliers, tools and ways of working, and implement improvements within agreed budgets and objectives. This includes assessing whether paid advertising is best delivered through an agency, in-house or through a combination of both.This is a hands-on leadership role. You should be comfortable investigating performance yourself, consulting with the senior leadership team on commercial decisions and following actions through to results.Working with patient enquiries, bookings and clinical teams, you will build a clear understanding of the journey from initial interest to assessment, booking and treatment. You will use that understanding to improve both the quality of enquiries and the effectiveness of our patient acquisition activity.Key responsibilitiesSet the digital strategy: Develop and deliver a prioritised plan across our hospitals and clinics, aligned with service capacity, commercial objectives and the needs of self-pay and privately insured patients.Identify growth opportunities: Understand patient demand, competitors, referral routes and the factors influencing patient choice. Recommend which services, audiences and channels offer the strongest opportunities.Lead paid acquisition: Set campaign objectives, allocate budgets and evaluate targeting, search terms, bidding, messaging and landing pages. Manage agency performance or direct in-house delivery, reviewing the approach as business needs change.Grow organic visibility: Set priorities for organic search, local search and AI discovery. Work with the Website and Content Manager on content opportunities, technical improvements and website journeys that attract suitable patients.Develop the channel mix: Evaluate and test additional channels, including email, social media and relevant partnerships, where there is a clear commercial case.Improve the patient journey: Work with enquiries and bookings teams to understand enquiry quality, response times, follow-up and reasons patients do or do not proceed. Agree improvements with the teams responsible and track their effect.Establish reliable measurement: Connect advertising and website activity with enquiry, assessment, booking and treatment outcomes. Maintain consistent definitions, check tracking accuracy and investigate discrepancies across systems.Manage digital profiles and partnerships: Lead our work with Doctify and other relevant platforms. Coordinate with consultant and insurer liaison colleagues to improve the accuracy, completeness and visibility of hospital and consultant profiles.Apply AI and emerging technology: Use AI effectively in your own work, assess changes in how patients discover services and guide the commercial priorities for our internal AI visibility tools.Manage resources: Assess the value of agencies.Recommend changes where needed with measures of success.Report clearly: Give senior leadership concise explanations of performance, commercial impact, uncertainties and the actions being taken.Maintain appropriate standards: Ensure digital activity follows healthcare advertising, patient confidentiality and data protection requirements, with appropriate clinical approval of health information.What we are looking forA proven record of leading digital marketing strategy and delivering measurable commercial growth.Strong practical knowledge of paid search, SEO, website optimisation and digital measurement.Experience managing Google Ads directly, with the expertise to assess campaign performance and challenge agency recommendations.Confidence using GA4, Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, reporting tools and spreadsheets to investigate performance independently.Experience connecting marketing activity with qualified enquiries, bookings, sales or revenue, including an understanding of attribution and its limitations.The ability to prioritise opportunities, manage budgets and make sound decisions about investment and resources.Experience improving landing pages and customer journeys through structured testing.A practical understanding of AI search and emerging discovery channels, with evidence of using AI to improve your own capabilities.Strong leadership and communication skills, including the ability to influence colleagues across departments and challenge constructively.Clear written communication and the ability to turn analysis into concise recommendations and actionable briefs.Ownership, attention to detail and a consistent record of delivering agreed actions.Experience in private healthcare, another regulated sector or services involving significant customer research and decision-making would be advantageous. Familiarity with CRM or patient enquiry systems, Doctify and consultant marketing would also be useful.We welcome applications from established digital marketing leaders and experienced senior managers ready to take ownership of a group-wide function.How to applyPlease send your CV and a short supporting statement covering:A digital marketing strategy you led, including its objectives, budget, your contribution and measurable results.An example of how you investigated and improved enquiry quality or conversion to bookings or sales.How you have used AI to improve your work.Please distinguish your own contribution from work delivered by agencies or colleagues.