Marketing Director - Government & Public Sector

About us

We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future.  

As strategies, technologies, and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity. 

Our teams of interdisciplinary experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results. 

We are over 4,000 strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers, and technologists. And we have deep expertise in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport.  

Our teams operate globally from offices across the UK, Ireland, US, Nordics, and Netherlands. 

PA. Bringing Ingenuity to Life. 

Become part of the team

This is a senior leadership opportunity to lead marketing and public affairs for Government & Public Sector – one of PA’s most strategically important areas, helping shape our position in markets being transformed by changing citizen expectations, geopolitical uncertainty, rapid technological change, complex policy challenges and growing pressure on public services.

Governments, public sector organisations and the Defence industry are being asked to deliver better outcomes in an increasingly uncertain world. They must strengthen national security and resilience, improve essential services, respond to rapid technological change and make investment go further. PA works with leaders across Defence & Security, Public Services and Healthcare to navigate these challenges; bringing together deep sector expertise, innovation and technology to turn ambition into lasting impact.

We’re looking for a curious, commercially minded marketing leader who understands how policy, reputation and market engagement come together to create growth. You’ll turn complex business priorities and market shifts into a focused strategy and compelling programmes that influence senior decision-makers, strengthen client relationships and create measurable commercial impact. You’ll bring the judgement and confidence to advise senior leaders, alongside the ability to build alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.

Leading a small but experienced marketing and public affairs team, you’ll work alongside sector leaders, policy specialists, account teams and marketing colleagues across PA and the wider Jacobs enterprise. Drawing on the expertise of our consultants and best-practice campaigning, you’ll shape distinctive market narratives, lead flagship thought leadership and support growth in the UK and Europe – including new opportunities across joint accounts and capabilities.

What you’ll be doing

Strategy, growth and market positioning

• Set the marketing strategy – own the integrated marketing and public affairs strategy for Government & Public Sector, translating business priorities into clear audiences, propositions, programmes, investment choices and measurable growth outcomes.
• Shape go-to-market priorities – partner with sector and account leaders to identify market opportunities, sharpen propositions and build marketing plans that create demand, deepen client relationships and support pipeline growth.
• Develop new markets and audiences – lead marketing support for international growth, particularly for Defence & Security across Europe, using segmentation, targeting and market insight to build priority audiences and opportunities.
• Bring an outside-in perspective – use geopolitical, policy, competitor, client and buying-behaviour insight to inform market positioning, propositions, campaign choices and investment.

Campaigns, thought leadership and public affairs

• Lead integrated marketing programmes – develop and direct flagship campaigns across thought leadership, content, PR, digital, social, events, partnerships and account-based marketing, creating a sustained journey from reputation and engagement to demand and pipeline.
• Turn expertise into influence – work with senior experts to shape distinctive, evidence-led points of view and market-facing content that strengthen PA’s authority, equip client conversations and raise the profile of senior leaders.
• Build and convert priority audiences – use digital marketing, CRM, automation, events and account insight to engage and nurture priority contacts, identify buying signals and connect marketing activity to timely follow-up by Partners and account teams.
• Lead public affairs – integrate political and policy insight, reputation management and stakeholder engagement into marketing programmes across government and the Defence industry.
• Drive marketing performance – set KPIs across reach, engagement, qualified demand, account progression, pipeline and return on investment; use performance data to optimise programmes and reallocate investment.

Leadership and collaboration

• Advise senior leaders – act as a trusted marketing adviser to sector leaders and Partners, bringing clear counsel and constructive challenge on market positioning, audience strategy, policy, reputation and growth priorities.
• Lead the team and investment – set clear direction for a high-performing multidisciplinary team, develop senior talent and prioritise budgets, resources and agency partners against the strongest strategic and commercial opportunities.
• Orchestrate specialist marketing expertise – bring together colleagues across content, PR, digital, events, design, data and marketing operations to deliver coherent programmes against a shared commercial brief.
• Connect the enterprise – align marketing, business and account teams across PA and Jacobs to unlock joint accounts, capabilities and market propositions while maintaining a consistent client experience.

Hybrid working - our approach is to be in the office or on client site a minimum of 2 days per week. However, the actual time you spend and where you spend it will vary by role or assignment, including up to 5 days per week on a client site.

You will be an established marketing leader with the credibility to influence at the most senior levels and the breadth to lead across strategy, reputation, demand generation and market development. You will be comfortable operating in a complex, matrixed and evolving organisation, making clear choices, navigating competing interests and translating ambiguity into focused action.

• Significant leadership experience in B2B marketing, public affairs, corporate affairs or a closely related discipline, ideally within professional services, consulting or another complex knowledge-based organisation.
• A strong record of shaping and delivering strategies that build reputation, create demand and contribute to measurable commercial growth.
• Deep understanding of the UK government and public sector landscape, including geopolitical, policy and regulatory dynamics; experience across Defence & Security or the Defence industry, Public Services or Healthcare would be valuable.
• Proven ability to advise, influence and constructively challenge senior executives, Partners and other demanding stakeholders.
• Experience leading integrated, multi-channel campaigns and thought leadership programmes, with a clear understanding of how marketing activity supports client engagement, account growth and pipeline.
• Strong political judgement and experience of senior stakeholder engagement across government, industry and policy communities.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing multidisciplinary teams, managing senior talent and creating clarity across a broad portfolio.
• Commercial and financial acumen, including prioritising significant budgets and resources, managing risk and holding teams and partners to account for outcomes.
• Evidence of working successfully across organisational boundaries, alliances or post-acquisition environments; the ability to build alignment across PA and Jacobs will be important.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the judgement to simplify complex issues and represent PA credibly with senior internal and external audiences.

We know the skill-gap and ‘somewhat need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today by completing our online application

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Life At PA encompasses our peoples' experience at PA. It's about how we enrich peoples’ working lives by giving them access to unique people and growth opportunities and purpose led meaningful work.

We believe diversity fuels ingenuity. Diversity of thought brings exciting perspectives; diversity of experience brings a wealth of knowledge, and diversity of skills brings the tools we need. When we bring people together with diverse backgrounds, identities, and minds, embracing that difference through an inclusive culture where our people thrive; we unleash the power of diversity – bringing ingenuity to life.

Find out more about Life at PA here.

We are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial well-being of our people. Check out some of our extensive benefits:

• Health and lifestyle perks accompanying private healthcare for you and your family
• 25 days annual leave (plus a bonus half day on Christmas Eve) with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
• Generous company pension scheme
• Opportunity to get involved with community and charity-based initiatives
• Annual performance-based bonus
• Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)

We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief, veteran status, or any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We are on a journey towards ensuring our workforce is diverse at all levels and that our firm is representative of the world around us. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

Adjustments or accommodations - Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us.