Interim Head of Marketing & Communications (14 month maternity cover)

We’re looking for an experienced, commercially minded marketing generalist to lead Marketing & Communications during a period of growth. This is an expansive, hands-on leadership role that touches every area of the business and involves working directly with external clients and partners. The role will be a 14 month fixed term maternity cover.

You will turn business priorities into practical delivery that supports customer engagement, commercial opportunities, and growth. You will bring broad marketing and communications experience, operational discipline and sound judgement, working across Sales, Commercial and the wider business to set priorities and get work delivered.

You are not expected to do everything yourself or be a specialist in every discipline. Success means knowing when to roll up your sleeves, what to delegate and where to bring in specialist expertise, balancing cost and capability as the business grows. As a trusted adviser to the CEO and senior leadership team, you will connect strategy with day-to-day delivery.

Because of the nature of this work:

• You will be required to travel to our Summertown, Oxford office regularly, ideally 1-2 times per week, attend client sites and attend events both in the UK and internationally.
• You will need to hold existing or be eligible for UK Security Checked Vetting (SC), details of which can be found on the Gov UK website.

Key responsibilities:

Marketing strategy, planning and performance

• Deliver Mind Foundry’s marketing and communications strategy in support of company and commercial priorities.
• Translate business objectives into focused plans, campaigns, budgets and measurable outcomes.
• Establish clear priorities for the function and direct resources towards activity with the strongest strategic and commercial value.
• Monitor and report on campaign effectiveness, audience engagement, website performance, lead quality and contribution to commercial opportunities.
• Manage the marketing budget, external suppliers, and agency relationships, and maintain an effective operating rhythm for the function.

Brand, positioning and external communications

• Own Mind Foundry’s brand, positioning and messaging architecture.
• Ensure communications are clear, credible and appropriate for Defence and National Security customers, partners, investors, government, and prospective employees.
• Lead PR, media engagement, thought leadership, and product marketing.
• Maintain brand consistency across digital channels, presentations, events, partner materials, recruitment activity, and internal communications.
• Coordinate sensitive external comments, interviews and information requests, ensuring claims are evidenced, and customer or partner confidentiality is protected.

Content, digital channels and campaigns

• Lead high-quality content including website copy, case studies, partner marketing, thought leadership, and social content.
• Own the website as a strategic marketing, commercial and employer-brand channel.
• Develop integrated campaigns for priority capabilities, markets, partnerships, and events.
• Ensure customer stories, programme evidence, and operational proof points are used appropriately and with the necessary permissions.

Internal communications and organisational alignment

• Own Mind Foundry’s internal communications approach, working closely with People and Operations teams, so employees understand company priorities, decisions, progress and upcoming activity.
• Continue to drive clear communication rhythms across leadership updates, company meetings, Teams, email and internal content.
• Plan and run quarterly all-company onsites, coordinating agendas, workshops, and logistics, alongside summer and Christmas parties that bring the team together.
• Run regular employee surveys and feedback opportunities, translating insights into practical improvements, and communicating the actions taken.
• Partner with People on employer brand, recruitment marketing and onboarding communications.

ESG

• Oversee Mind Foundry’s ESG programme, ensuring commitments are planned, delivered, measured and communicated credibly.
• Maintain an achievable roadmap for environmental, social, and governance activity.
• Continue to drive credible ESG evidence for bids, customer engagement, investor materials and partnerships.

Team leadership and function development

• Lead and develop a blended team of permanent employees, interns, consultants, and agencies.
• Provide clear priorities, effective delegation, constructive feedback, and professional development.
• Assess capability and capacity needs as the business grows, and lead recruitment and resourcing decisions to build the most effective mix of permanent employees, contractors and specialist support within agreed budgets.
• Balance hands-on delivery with effective delegation, making clear decisions about priorities, ownership and where specialist expertise will have the greatest impact.

Core Experience

• Marketing and communications leadership experience in B2B technology, Defence and National Security, and/or Government.
• Broad, hands-on marketing experience spanning operations, events, brand, content, digital channels and integrated campaigns.
• A track record of turning business strategy into prioritised plans and measurable growth outcomes.
• Strong operational experience managing budgets, suppliers and cross-functional delivery, adapting priorities and resources as business needs evolve.
• Experience leading a small blended team and making effective hiring, delegation and specialist resourcing decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, editorial judgement and stakeholder management, with confidence advising senior leaders and translating technical expertise into clear communications.
• Experience delivering internal communications and employee engagement, including company events, feedback, and employer-brand activity.
• Sound judgement in handling sensitive communications and producing credible, evidence-led messaging, including ESG-related content.

While we think the above experience is important, we’re keen to hear from people that believe they have valuable skills, ideas, or perspectives that will make an impact in this role. If our team and mission resonate with you, but you do not necessarily meet all of our requirements, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Mind Foundry?

At Mind Foundry, people have the opportunity to work on problems that are technically challenging, operationally important and genuinely meaningful. We are a close-knit, multidisciplinary team working on complex problems where advanced AI has the potential to make a meaningful difference in the real world. Our work sits at the intersection of research, engineering, product, customer need and operational impact, which means everyone can contribute beyond their job title.

What makes Mind Foundry different is the way we combine technical excellence with pragmatism, responsibility and partnership. We are ambitious about what AI can achieve, but thoughtful about how it should be designed, deployed and trusted. Our teams work closely together, challenging ideas constructively, learning quickly and staying focused on building capability that is useful, credible and operationally relevant.

As a growing business, we offer the opportunity to have visible impact. You will be close to the customers, the technology and the decisions that shape our direction. We value people who ask good questions, bring others with them, and take ownership.

This is an exciting time to join Mind Foundry. Demand for trusted, deployable AI capability is increasing, our products and partnerships are maturing, and our work is helping to shape how advanced machine learning can support Defence and National Security in challenging operational environments. If you are motivated by meaningful work, collaborative teams and the chance to help build something with real-world importance, Mind Foundry is a place where you can make a genuine contribution.

Our Values

• We are one team: We share goals, responsibility and success. We support one another, value what fuels people and ensure no one is left behind.
• We work with purpose: We focus our effort where it matters most, we work hard, think smart and deliver meaningful results for our team, shareholders and customers.
• We laugh: We protect a positive environment. We have fun, feel safe, learn, grow and achieve more together.
• We move forward: We learn from setbacks and frustration, we support each other, solve problems together and don’t dwell on the past.
• We act with integrity: We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are trusted, discreet and reliable. We represent our clients with the same care as we represent ourselves.

What do we offer?

We believe in investing in our people by encouraging career and personal development that aligns with your goals and ambitions. We make sure all staff have the tools, time and support they need to shape their own professional development. We want to help you excel at what you do and support your growth within the company.

You’ll enjoy a competitive compensation package and great benefits such as:

• 25 days of annual leave, plus Bank Holidays
• Salary Sacrifice Pension scheme
• Private Healthcare (including dental and optical cover)
• Group Life Cover
• Enhanced Parental and Sickness Leave
• UK Armed Forces Reservists Policy
• Workplace Nursery Scheme
• Volunteering Days
• Dog-friendly office

Interview Process:

• Initial discussion with the People team
• 60-minute interview with the Head of Marketing & Communications
• 45-minute interview with members of the Management Team, including a 10-minute presentation, followed by a 30-minute 'meet the team' (in-person at our offices in Summertown, Oxford)