Group Marketing Manager Jobs

The Group Marketing Manager is the commercial engine behind how a franchised dealer group finds, engages and retains customers at scale. Responsible for brand representation, campaign delivery, digital lead generation, manufacturer co-op programme management and aftersales retention marketing across multiple sites, the Group Marketing Manager ensures that the group's marketing investment generates measurable return in the form of showroom footfall, online enquiries, service booking volume and customer lifecycle revenue.

In automotive retail, marketing is both a significant cost and a direct commercial driver. The Group Marketing Manager who can demonstrate the link between campaign activity and qualified lead volume, understand how manufacturer digital standards affect search performance and manage a CRM programme that meaningfully improves aftersales return rates is operating at the commercial centre of the business. As digital channels dominate automotive customer journeys, manufacturer digital standards become increasingly prescriptive and EV adoption creates new customer education requirements, the Group Marketing Manager role is one of the most strategically influential positions in an automotive retail group.

Venatu recruits Group Marketing Managers for permanent and contract roles across multi-site franchised dealer groups, large used vehicle retailers and automotive fleet and technology businesses throughout the UK. This role sits within our car dealership and operational support recruitment divisions. For Marketing Director and Chief Marketing Officer appointments, visit Venatu Executive.

Who We Recruit For

We place candidates with:

• Multi-site franchised car and commercial vehicle dealer groups
• Large-volume independent used vehicle retailers and used car supermarket operations
• Automotive fleet, leasing and mobility businesses with multi-channel customer acquisition requirements
• Manufacturer-owned or captive retail networks
• Automotive technology, EV charging and connected vehicle businesses
• Private equity-backed automotive retail portfolio businesses requiring marketing function build-out

Roles We Place

• Group Marketing Manager
• Head of Marketing (Dealer Group)
• Automotive Marketing Manager (Multi-site)
• Digital Marketing Manager (Dealer Group)
• CRM and Retention Marketing Manager (Automotive)
• Interim Group Marketing Manager
• Marketing Director (Automotive) - see also Venatu Executive

Who Can Apply

Strong Group Marketing Manager candidates typically come from:

• Experienced Group Marketing Managers or Heads of Marketing at franchised dealer groups who want to move to a new group, a larger or more ambitious portfolio, a better-resourced marketing function or an improved package
• Digital Marketing Executives at franchised dealerships or dealer groups who have been running multi-channel digital campaigns, managing PPC and SEO budgets and optimising lead generation performance and are ready to step into a group marketing management role with broader strategic scope, budget accountability and team leadership responsibility
• Brand Managers at dealer groups or manufacturer marketing teams who have managed manufacturer co-op programmes, brand compliance requirements and multi-channel campaign coordination and want to broaden into a full Group Marketing Manager role with commercial accountability for marketing return on investment
• E-commerce Managers from automotive retail businesses who have built strong digital lead generation track records across vehicle product pages, search campaigns and online enquiry conversion and want to expand their remit to include aftersales CRM, offline marketing, manufacturer co-op and group-wide marketing strategy
• Marketing managers from automotive-adjacent sectors including financial services, retail, property or hospitality with multi-channel marketing P&L experience who want to apply their skills in an automotive retail group context and can demonstrate relevant digital campaign management and agency relationship management capability
• Marketing executives at individual dealerships or smaller independent operations who want to scale their career into a multi-site group marketing leadership position and have developed skills in PPC, SEO, social media, email marketing and CRM that provide a strong technical foundation for group marketing management

Understanding of automotive retail customer journeys, manufacturer digital and brand standards, used vehicle classified platforms and the fundamentals of automotive CRM and service retention marketing is the most valued sector-specific knowledge for this role. Venatu confirms the specific channel mix, manufacturer relationships and budget scope with each employer before presenting candidates.

Group Marketing Manager Salary Guide

Packages often include a car allowance, discretionary bonus linked to lead volume and cost per acquisition targets and a marketing technology and tools budget. Larger dealer groups and private equity-backed businesses typically pay towards the higher end of each band. Venatu benchmarks total package expectations with each employer before beginning a search. Visit the HR Hub for broader context on automotive marketing and commercial support role remuneration.

What the Role Involves

Digital Marketing and Lead Generation:

• Managing the group's digital marketing channels including PPC (Google Ads, Bing), SEO, paid and organic social media, display, email marketing and video to deliver qualified leads for new vehicle sales, used vehicle enquiries, service bookings and finance enquiries across all group sites
• Managing the group's PPC and digital media budget, allocating spend across sites and franchises based on lead cost efficiency and commercial priority, and reporting performance against cost per lead, lead volume and lead-to-sale conversion targets
• Overseeing the group's website or microsite portfolio, managing dealer management system integration with lead capture forms and digital inventory management and ensuring manufacturer digital standard compliance across all franchises
• Managing SEO strategy across the group's digital properties, working with internal resource or external agencies to maintain and improve organic visibility for vehicle search, service booking and location-based queries across all sites

Manufacturer and Brand Management:

• Managing the relationships with manufacturer marketing teams across all franchises in the group's portfolio, ensuring the group maximises co-op marketing fund entitlements, meets manufacturer digital compliance requirements and participates in national campaign activity at local level in ways that are commercially effective
• Maintaining manufacturer brand standards across all group marketing touchpoints including digital, physical showroom, event and out-of-home materials
• Coordinating new model launches, manufacturer marketing campaign activations and dealer event programmes across all group sites

CRM and Customer Retention:

• Managing the group's CRM programme in partnership with the Aftersales Manager or Head of Aftersales, developing and executing lifecycle marketing communications that drive service booking return rates, MOT and tyre upsell and customer loyalty programme participation
• Managing the group's outbound communication platforms including email, SMS and digital retargeting, ensuring all customer communications are GDPR compliant and optimised for engagement and response
• Overseeing the group's review and reputation management programme, managing customer review generation and response standards across Google, Trustpilot and manufacturer consumer feedback platforms

Team and Agency Management:

• Leading the group's marketing team where one exists, managing internal marketing executives, coordinators and content creators against objectives and developing their skills and capability
• Managing external agency and supplier relationships including creative agencies, media buyers, SEO partners, website developers, photographer and videographer suppliers and social media management partners
• Managing the marketing budget across the full year, reporting monthly spend versus forecast and adjusting channel investment to optimise return on investment against the group's commercial priorities

How the Process Works

For employers:

1. Submit a vacancy with the group size, franchise portfolio, marketing budget scope, team structure and any specific channel expertise or manufacturer digital standards requirements.
2. We confirm candidate availability and present a pre-screened shortlist within five working days.
3. Candidates are assessed for automotive marketing experience, digital channel competency, budget management track record and team leadership capability.
4. Interview and offer supported by Venatu throughout.

For candidates:

1. Register your CV with your current or most recent marketing role, the channels and budget managed, the scale of the operation and any manufacturer marketing programme experience.
2. A Venatu consultant will review your background and contact you directly.
3. Roles are matched to your marketing specialism, preferred group type and geography.
4. Venatu manages the process and advises on package expectations ahead of offer.

Browse current vacancies or create a job alert to be notified when relevant roles become available.

FAQ

What does a Group Marketing Manager do in a franchised dealer group? A Group Marketing Manager leads the brand, digital and CRM marketing function across all sites in a franchised dealer group. Responsibilities include managing digital lead generation channels, overseeing manufacturer co-op programme participation, developing CRM and aftersales retention marketing, managing the group's digital properties and brand standards compliance, and leading the group's agency and supplier relationships. The role is commercially accountable for the quality and volume of marketing-generated enquiries and the cost efficiency with which they are produced.

What digital channel knowledge does a Group Marketing Manager need in automotive? Core channel knowledge expected includes Google and Bing Ads campaign management, SEO fundamentals for automotive inventory and local search, paid and organic social media across Facebook, Instagram and increasingly TikTok, email marketing platform management, digital retargeting and Google Analytics or equivalent web analytics interpretation. Understanding of automotive-specific platforms including Auto Trader, Car Guru and Motors.co.uk is valued for used vehicle marketing roles. Venatu confirms the specific channel requirements with each employer before presenting candidates.

How do manufacturer co-op marketing programmes work? Most franchised manufacturer partners provide a co-op marketing fund for their dealer network, typically calculated as a percentage of new vehicle sales volume. Dealers can claim back a proportion of qualifying marketing spend against this fund, provided the marketing activity meets the manufacturer's brand standards and uses approved materials or approved creative. Managing the group's co-op fund entitlements, submitting claims correctly and ensuring all activity qualifies for reimbursement is a significant commercial component of the Group Marketing Manager's role. Venatu confirms the specific manufacturer programme requirements with each employer before presenting candidates.

What does a Group Marketing Manager earn in the UK? Experienced Group Marketing Managers at mid-size dealer groups typically earn between £48,000 and £65,000. Head of Marketing roles at larger national groups earn between £58,000 and £78,000. Digital performance specialists and interim roles sit between £42,000 and £58,000 base or £300 to £500 per day. Venatu benchmarks package expectations with each employer before beginning a search.

What is the progression from Group Marketing Manager? Common progression routes include Head of Marketing, Marketing Director and Chief Marketing Officer within automotive retail. Group Marketing Managers who develop strong commercial partnerships with the sales and aftersales leadership teams and can demonstrate clear return on marketing investment are also well positioned for broader commercial management roles including group operations management and managing director tracks. For Marketing Director and CMO appointments, visit Venatu Executive. Read about how digital channels and customer expectations are reshaping automotive retail in The Evolution Of Automobiles.

Register or Enquire

Candidates - Register your CV with your marketing background, channels and budget managed, the scale of the operation and any manufacturer programme experience. Venatu will match you to current Group Marketing Manager vacancies across franchised dealer groups and automotive retail businesses, including roles not publicly advertised. Browse live vacancies or create a job alert.

Employers - Submit a vacancy or visit the client hub to discuss your group marketing requirements. Our team will respond within one working day.