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about 9 hours ago
Assistant Product Manager Staffordshire- 3 days in the office/2 days from home £doe Pitch is absolutely delighted to be working with this fantastic leading distributor of interior furnishings. Following an exciting period of growth, they are looking for an Assistant Product Manager to join the team and support one of their key categories. You will be working in a product or brand role currently and perhaps looking for your second role to take that next step in your career. In this role you will be required to: Manage the performance of a portfolio from cradle to grave. Conduct continuous market and competitor research to inform range reviews and planning for NPD. Monitor trends and commercial performance across your portfolio. Liaise with factories in the Far East to discuss sourcing requirements and scope out costs. Manage the NPD process through to commercialisation. Liaise regularly with customers, the sales team and cross functional colleagues, including some customer facing work. To be considered for this role you will need to be able to demonstrate: Previous experience within a product or brand role. Some understanding of the NPD process from beginning to end. Some exposure of supporting the delivery of new ranges to market. Some experience of managing obsolete products out of a category. An excellent commercial acumen. A background ideally within consumer product development in industries such as homewares, gifting, interiors, baby or FMCG. This company is a fantastic business to work for. They genuinely support their team and love to allow them the autonomy to develop and grow. If you are truly driven and passionate about product management and want to move into a role that will allow you to grow the experience you already have, this could be the role for you. Ref 50238 AA123
about 9 hours ago
Assistant Merchandising Manager Staffordshire £doe Exclusive to Pitch, this is a brand-new role that has been created to support the product management team within this leading distributor of interior furnishings. This is a highly commercial and data-driven role where you will have responsibility of monitoring critical paths to ensure that stock and launch deadlines are managed effectively and on time and work closely with buyers, supply-chain, product managers and the retail merchandising team to ensure that promotional activity is effective, stock levels are correct and ensure that discontinued lines are managed out profitably. Key elements of the role include: Update weekly stock reports and identify risks. Nurture close relationships with suppliers and Far East factories. Actively trade products and analyse sales patterns and ensure that stock levels are maintained to hit sales and stock targets. Commercially analyse potential promotional activities- seasonal, end of line etc and fully evaluate the commercial impact and successes post promotion. To be considered for this role, you must have the following experience: You’ll have worked in a similar role such as merchandising, category management, commercial analyst, product analyst etc. You’ll be happy working in Excel day to day at an advanced level. You must be highly data-focused and able to analyse information and draw insight from it. You’ll be able to demonstrate strong communication and relationship building skills where you have managed relationships with suppliers and customers. You’ll have worked within a consumer-focused business who sell products through retail channels. Ref 50239 AA123
1 day ago
PR Account Manager Birmingham £30,000 - £35,000 Pitch is excited to be exclusively partnered with a truly brilliant integrated marketing agency that’s looking for a superstar PR Manager to join its team. This ambitious agency is one to watch, they have built a brilliant business with a fantastic culture and their client base is second to none, brimming with high profile consumer brands within travel, retail, sports and FMCG sectors. The campaigns they create push the boundaries of creativity, they create events that cause a stir, digital campaigns that hit their audience hard, video that can’t be missed and content that stops people mid scroll. You get a great team environment with this agency, a collaborative approach where everyone’s ideas count, from Exec to Director it doesn’t matter where you sit, everyone plays an equal part in continuing to build on the agency’s success. There’s a great benefits package on offer as well as a fantastic flexible working model that inspires a team approach and allows a great work/life balance, with 2 days a week on-site and true flexibility. Within this role you’ll be: Working on a range of big brand consumer clients along with a couple of brilliant up and coming brands. Managing client relationships, working in true partnership with your clients as a key part of their team. Working on strategy and delivery for a huge variety of PR activities, including digital PR, press and media relations, stunts and activations and influencer campaigns. Copywriting engaging and creative content that lands with the media and drives web activity and brand engagement. Pitching to national consumer press securing online and offline coverage. We’re looking for a candidate who: Is brilliantly talented PR with a creative approach, able to pull together an impactful PR strategy and who still loves being hands on with delivery. Is keen to mentor and support less experienced members of the PR team. Is keen to work in a varied and creative PR role that encompasses traditional and digital PR activity. This really is one not to be missed. If you’re a consumer PR and you’re looking to work on some of the biggest consumer brands get in touch to hear more! Ref: 50258 AA123
1 day ago
PR Account Manager Birmingham £28,000 - £32,000 Pitch is proud to be partnered with a leading PR and communications agency based in Birmingham city centre to recruit a brilliant new PR Account Manager to manage some of their high profile consumer and B2B accounts. This business works across a broad range of clients in various sectors including food and drink, education, public sector, property and charity. They have a client base brimming with exciting brands and are doing some great work both regionally and nationally. They are a brilliantly talented team of specialists, they spend their office days in a beautiful space with state of the art facilities and encourage a hybrid home/office mix long term to allow team collaboration along with a great work/life balance. Culture really is key for this agency – they have shared goals and values and genuinely love what they do. They actively encourage professional development at all levels and offer an individual training budget to support this as well as an annual weekend away, 25 days holiday and a flexible approach to the working week. Within this PR Account Manager role you’ll be: Working on a coupe of the agencies biggest clients with a consumer and B2B remit. Leading client relationships, working closely with senior stakeholders to create PR and content strategies that drive results. Writing compelling content for a range of channels. Managing media relations with both national and regional press, in the UK and internationally. Extremely creative in your approach - the work this agency do isn’t run of the mill, you’ll be able to push the boundaries of creativity every single day. We’re looking for a candidate who: Has a strong background in agency side PR and media relations. Is a brilliant client manager, creative and ideas focused. Loves being hands on - writing, selling in and working to support the wider team. If you’re looking for an agency that can offer you the opportunity to work with a range of exciting brands as part of a brilliantly talented team along with a great work/life balance and freedom to shape your role please get in touch to hear more about this fab opportunity. Ref: 50254 AA123
1 day ago
PR & Social Account Manager Nottingham £33,000 - £38,000 Pitch is excited to be supporting a Nottingham based PR agency that is looking for a talented new PR Account Manager to join its team! This agency works on a portfolio of B2B and consumer clients that range from up and coming SME businesses through to high profile global corporates. They have client service at the heart of everything they do, each and every member of their team is supported to deliver excellent output that is both engaging and focused on delivering results. This longstanding agency offers some great benefits including 25 days holiday (plus Christmas and an extra day off to celebrate your birthday!) aswell as the opportunity to work from home a couple of days a week and a healthy training allowance too. Within this role you’ll be: Managing PR and social activity for a range of B2B and trade clients. Working as your clients lead, defining the campaign strategy and delivering PR campaigns that achieve great results. Writing a range of content including press releases, case studies and thought leadership pieces. Working closely and building great relationships with trade media contacts to secure coverage and raise brand awareness. Leading a small team; managing, developing and nurturing. We’re looking for: An experienced B2B PR candidate with agency experience currently working at PR Account Manager level currently. A brilliant writer and strong relationship builder with great media relations skills. Think you could be this agency’s brilliant new recruit? Get in touch to hear more! Ref: 50259 AA123
2 days ago
+ Account Manager + Leicester based offices + £25,000 - £35,000 depending on experience This East Midlands based team is looking for a dynamic, creative and engaging Account Manager to join their team and support on a range of high-profile clients. Despite the team being on the smaller side their client roster is anything but little. They’re stacked full of big brand names across food, drink and retail. Joining this team will ensure your career never sees a dull moment and you’ll have the opportunity to meet some big brand names, delivering some big budget work and always be hands on with the clients. As an Account Manager you’ll join the agencies’ flat structure and hit the ground running delivering through the line advertising campaigns for large names in the consumer retail. No day will ever be the same - you’ll go from covering brand and creative strategy in one meeting, to finalising TV ad campaigns in another. If successful you will: Work closely with the client to the scope and create briefs. Work with creative and digital teams to project manage workflow. Work effectively with strategy, creative and studio departments to get work done on time and budget and to client satisfaction. Responsible for the timely delivery of estimates, invoicing, and status reports. Working with external suppliers, clients and other agencies, as required, to build strong working relationships. This a role for a go getter, someone who wants to learn, grow develop and move their career forward. This role will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the world of creative brand and advertising, upskilling yourself daily– what’s not to love about the role?! Sound like your cup of tea? Send your CV today for immediate consideration: Rebecca@pitchconsultants.co.uk Ref - 50257 AA123
3 days ago
Marketing Sales Support Executive Belper – 3 days office/2 days home £dep on exp + benefits This is a lovely opportunity for a confident and driven individual to join this busy marketing team within a well-known global manufacturing business based in Derbyshire. This role operates like an account executive within a marketing agency. You’ll be the first point of contact for the sales team who will brief you on any marketing support that they need to attend meetings, trade shows, events etc and you will then create a brief for the internal marketing team and ensure that the requirements are delivered on time. What you’ll be doing: Daily communications with the sales team to understand what assets they need delivered by the marketing team. Develop the brief for the marketing team that deliver assets and sales tools that support the required activity such as leaflets, posters, POS, merchandise, sales tools etc. Order merchandise and arrange product training for installers. Liaise with agencies and third-party suppliers. What experience do you need? Previous experience within a marketing or sales support role - 12 - 18 months experience. Experience within a marketing agency or in-house role from any sector will be considered. Could suit someone who has worked in a trade marketing role previously. Excellent communication and relationship building skills. A high level of organisation and attention to detail. Strong project management experience is essential. The opportunities for growth and development within this business are endless, so if you want an exciting new challenge with a business who will support and develop you, get in touch today lara.l@pitchconsultants.co.uk Ref – 50255 AA123
3 days ago
Account Manager - Brand & Marketing Birmingham £28,000 - £35,000 A brilliantly creative and hugely ambitious, central Birmingham based marketing consultancy is looking for an exceptionally talented Account Manager / Project Manager to join it’s talented team. This agency’s approach is unlike any other. They have a model that allows them to uncover the detail of a brand, their audience, what it stands for and then create a powerful brand proposition, brand assets and campaign work that makes it stand out far above the competition. This agency is about doing things differently, boldly and without boundaries. They’ve experienced huge growth over the past few years and have recruited and developed a team of strategists, marketeers and creatives who really are two steps ahead of the game. If you want to work on exceptionally creative campaigns that hit the mark and be proud of every single campaign you’re involved in, this could be the perfect agency for you. As their new Account Manager, you’ll be: Overseeing the delivery of projects – from planning to managing delivery you’ll ensure that all projects are delivered on time and within budget. Responsible for managing internal teams to ensure that priorities are adjusted where needed to ensure the projects run smoothly. Managing all project documentation, reports and communication, ensuring accuracy across the board. Working on branding and marketing campaign activity – from photoshoots and TV ads to social production and advertising assets. We’re looking for a candidate who: Has an agency background and experience in project management or production, used to delivering marketing, film and activations. Is a really strong project manager, able to manage and lead the delivery of complex campaigns. This is an exceptional opportunity to join one of Birmingham’s most ambitious agencies, they work collaboratively 4 days a week in the office so you do need to be commutable to Birmingham. If you want to join a business that does things differently pushing the boundaries of creativity day in and day out get in touch! Ref: 50247 AA123
3 months ago
Writing a job advertisement can seem like the easiest thing in the world… You just write what you’re looking for right?Wrong!The job advert is one the most important parts of the hiring process. It’s how you’re going to hook in all those amazing candidates… so why would you want to give them a bunch of red flags at stage 1?We recently asked our candidate community what their biggest red flags are when applying for a job. The kind of things which make them think “no thank you”. Here’s what they said …+ No salary displayed64% of our community said that not displaying a salary is a huge red flag. Whilst there could be a valid reason for not displaying one, for job seekers it implies either you’re underpaying your staff or you’re not certain about what you’re looking for.If you consider it from a job seekers perspective, you could have the best job and advert ever, but without a salary how are they going to know if their financial needs could be met by the business? This paves the way for less applications and more time wasted during the interview stages if potential candidates are looking for a higher salary than you’re willing to offer.+ Dual rolesA Graphic Designer/Account Manager or a Marketing/Business Development Executive. Though some roles have cross overs, advertising an opportunity as a dual role can be a turn off for many candidates, especially at a more senior level.Dual roles promote the idea that the business doesn’t quite know who they’re looking for and makes potential applicants question whether they’ll be stretched across the two disciplines.+ Confusing language and terminologyKeep it simple. If applicants have to Google what it is you’re promoting or asking for, then you’re not communicating your needs in the right way.+ Overused phrases“A good sense of humour”“Hit the ground running”You could mean well by these phrases. But honestly, they’re overused and often conjure up negative thoughts about the company.A good sense of humour – What does this even mean? I’m sure no one ever thinks they have a bad sense of humour!Hit the ground running – Does this mean a new starter gets little training and support and is simply left to crack on?Try to steer clear of these phrases if you don’t want to raise red flags to potential candidates about your business and company culture.Image credit:Header: Image adapted from photo by Zachariah Garrison: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-traffic-light-1959841/
4 months ago
Did you know...According to the CIPD on average in the UK over a third of employees leave their organisations each year! This is pretty high if you ask me and I don’t believe it’s necessarily reflective of the marketing, pr and creative industries, but, we have seen candidate confidence return to the market so there is more movement out there.Whilst employees leave roles for a variety of reasons, the effect their departure has on internal teams can be damaging and have a significant effect on long-term corporate performance.Whilst firms seek to retain lost talent, 72% of employers consider skill shortages in the market to be negatively impacting the hiring process, causing the average recruitment time to lengthen. We can most definitely vouch for this, process are taking much longer in the current market. This timeline can negatively impact business functionality, where a loss of key figures combined with an over reliance on less skilled employees means the quality of work produced may decline, adding additional stresses to an already stretched workforce. So what can you do!?Organisations may do this by introducing a temporary/interim staff member to fill the gap, which though may be seen as an extra cost in the immediate period, may help reduce stress levels for your permanent members of staff. As you are taking into consideration their already heavy workloads, it may also help staff look favourably on the organisation. The skills shortage has been shown to impede the hiring process, especially when searching for senior figures with specialist skillsets. If this role is urgent, you may only hire permanent talent which fulfils part of your criteria, creating a short-term solution to your wider issue. This can be avoided by utilising a temporary staff member, who will enable you to make more deliberate decisions regarding who you hire, which is likely to have a positive long-term effect on your business. Losing an employee can be disruptive to project schedules. Replacing previous talent with an individual who requires training and additional support has been shown to increase the amount of time invested into a project, causing projects to go off budget and over-schedule. Hiring a temporary member of staff who is used to working to short deadlines and is an expert in their field is a useful way to ensure your projects remain on track, whilst you source more permanent talent to fulfil all your criteria. How can we help?Here at Pitch we can offer a range of freelance, temp, fixed term and perm solutions so whatever your situation, budget or skills gap we can help. Contact our freelance team to find out how we can help today 0121 270 4080Temp@pitchconsultants.co.uk
5 months ago
Pitch Talk…We were enjoying some sunnier days until today but that doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom! Here’s a little market update from our Managing Director, Rebecca Thomas.Market UpdateNews on the job-hunting or talent-searching front has also been a little sunnier of late. There is movement in the market, candidates are looking, and clients are hiring, which is positive for everyone! So, what’s the catch…… Truth be told, it’s a bit of a messy market right now, if you’re recruiting at the moment, you may know exactly what we mean. If you’ve not been on the lookout recently then let me give you an idea of what the landscape is like.It’s no secret that recruitment has got harder and harder over the years. When I first joined the Pitch team way back when in…(goes to check LinkedIn for her start date) 2011 recruitment was a much simpler process.Clients had simple briefs, candidates had straightforward expectations, everyone went for face-to-face interviews, worked 5 days a week and most of the time negotiation was focused on salary expectations. Which, if I’d done my job right when I qualified and sent the candidate was limited because we were all on the same page. There were less layers of complexity in offers and the pace of recruitment was quicker.Fast forward to now; We have a much wider range of skills to recruit for, many specialists, some more niche, and lots of them pretty hard to come by. PR is still PR but it could also encompass, content, social, paid, and organic. Making the search bigger, broader, and not quite so straightforward.Not only have skill profiles evolved the variables of benefits, flexibility and working hours are vast now making qualification and candidate management a whole new level of difficulty. This means recruitment is more time-consuming, takes longer to deliver, and can cause a ripple effect of challenges for many businesses.If you know the Pitch team, then you know we like a challenge and we’re totally here for it! Our product offering will always provide you with a solution tailor-made to whatever you need, ensuring we can find you what you’re looking for. We just might need to factor in a little more time, a few more variables and put our awesome negotiation and qualification skills to the test!We’re in the process of bringing out our brand new How to Recruit Guide, this will give hints and tip on how to hire better in this challenging market! This would guide you on how to do it yourself as well as how you can use an agency more effectively and overcome some of the above-mentioned issues.Pitch TalentOn the Pitch news front, we have a new starter….Natasha Price, is our newest Pitch team member and to say we’re delighted to have her would be a total understatement! Natasha joins us with a wealth of creative and marketing recruitment experience, temp and perm knowledge as well as being an ideal fit for our Pitch Culture. We love her and we know you will too. If you want to find out more about Tash, feel free to reach out to her – Natasha.p@pitchconsultants.co.uk If we’re not already in touch with you as a candidate or client give us a buzz we’d love to chat 💚
9 months ago
You can never tell what a new year is going to be like! January is sometimes busy, sometimes crazy and other years it’s been hit and miss. This year, for once it’s been pretty steady…Here are our top 5 January take aways so far….1. Thoughtful permanent hiring.Gone is the gung-ho hiring attitude of 2021/22, we seem to be back in an era of thoughtful, considered and commercial hiring plans. Clients are seeking more information on hiring trends, skill set reviews and there is more consideration being given to finding the best possible talent with the most potential rather than a somewhat rushed process to get a bum on a seat. This approach is right up our street and lends itself perfectly to our retained offering. You can find out more about how a retained partnership works here2. Sales, business development, new business, client acquisition.Call it what you want, bringing new revenue into the business is pretty high on most of our clients agendas so appointing someone to lead this, deliver this, progress this or simply kick this off is a hot topic.We’ve seen a marked increase in the number of clients looking for new business talent to join their teams, in particular at a senior level. You may not know this but commercial and sales recruitment is a core skill within the Pitch team and as recruitment consultants, we like to think we know a thing or two about a sales profile too. Don’t take our word for it, check out what our clients say about us here3. Freelance solutions.Hiring permanent resource into your team is a big commitment and one that can take a great deal of time and investment from you as an employer. Plus, an uncertain market can leave you questioning if the time is right. Our freelance service has been a popular solution in January and looks to be equally busy moving into February. Whether you’re looking for a short-term fix or a longer-term solution to your hiring challenge we have talent on our books able to cover every eventuality and who can also be available to you at short notice. Our temp solution is quick, slick and painless. Give our dedicated freelance consultant a call to get the details4. Internal upskilling and training.With some hiring plans on pause, department heads are looking at how they upskill and retain their team members, allowing them to grow expertise whilst maintaining a steady head count. This approach plays a huge part in team retention.5. Apprenticeships and junior talent acquisition.We’re seeing and hearing more about apprenticeships and the hiring of junior talent with brands investing in growing their own and developing the next generation. This is something we are hugely passionate about at Pitch and something we have historically invested in via our B-Hive initiative. Hopefully this way of thinking is here to stay!If you’re looking to make a hire in Q1 now is the time to contact us. With a range of competitive commercial solutions to suit every hiring budget there is a way to find the talent you’re looking for. Sign up for more job market insight, hiring tricks and candidate tips. We put our heart + soul into every role at Pitch 💚
over 1 year ago
Let’s take ourselves back to 4th January 2021, an eager new recruit walks into the Pitch offices, optimistic and positive about the next step in her career, being back in a vibrant office environment with her brand new team and getting back to normal in a post covid world… Seven hours later we’re back in lockdown – what a start!Two and a half years on and things look very different – for me and for the world. But as the time has passed I haven’t taken the time to reflect on my journey with Pitch, we don’t do we? We crack on because life is busy. So when I was asked to take a look back it seemed almost impossible to remember the highs and the lows, the challenges and the wins, the twists and turns in the journey – there have been many and I’ve never learnt so much, been out of my comfort zone so much, or doubted myself so much. But my overriding feelings are of pride and gratitude – I’m proud of my achievements, my perseverance when things have felt hard and I’m beyond proud of the business that I’m a part of. I’m grateful to my team, an exceptionally talented bunch of brilliant recruiters who have my back as I have theirs and I’m grateful beyond words to Reb and Rob, who took a risk in the midst of a pandemic and hired me. They gave me a chance and the promise of an opportunity that was too good to turn down, and that promise stood firm through the good times and the more challenging times. They welcomed with me open arms to what was a pretty tight leadership team and gave me the space to carve out my place, they pushed me so far out of my comfort zone that there were many times I felt completely out of my depth, but they were always there to catch me if I looked like I was about to fall (flat on my face at times!), and they supported me to grow and develop as a leader. And now, the next chapter begins… as a director and shareholder of Pitch! And I can’t wait to see what the twists and turns of the journey look like. What advice would I give thinking back on my journey? Take the risk, push yourself out of your comfort zone, try to enjoy every day and take the positive learns from the challenging times but celebrate the wins however small they are. But most importantly, surround yourself with the right people, they are worth their weight in gold.
over 1 year ago
I signed my contract as a Director and shareholder of Pitch way back when in 2016, a fresh faced 29 year old I didn’t have a clue what I was getting myself into….for all I knew my shareholders agreement gave Rob access to my house, bank accounts and hopefully made him take responsibility for my credit card debt. Fast forward 7 years and include events such as an office closure, exit of a valued director, world pandemic, senior hires, senior fires, staff changes, economical highs and lows, plus an eventual maternity leave it’s fair to say I have experienced a lot in what I’d consider a short period of time. I’m not sure I was ever qualified for the role of a Pitch Director, let alone shareholder. I gained my stripes via commitment to the business, blood sweat and tears of the recruitment and a love of the team and what we do. In comparison, our new Pitch Shareholder, Heidi Moreby is quite the opposite… Heidi joined us in Jan 2021 – she was (and still is) polished, professional, experienced, capable, committed, organised, invested in her career and well networked. She was everything we’d been searching for and a whole lot more. Did I develop imposter syndrome when she walked through the door? 100%. Heidi made a grand entrance and without even realising it she pushed me beyond my boundaries. Heidi’s appointment made me better at my role, shifted my focus, encouraged my development and made my fire to succeed burn even brighter. I did try to compete with recruitment sales, but once she started there was no stopping her, she was quite simply much better than me. Heidi’s ability to drive sales and push activity created a new path for me. Allowing me to sharpen my skill set and focus my energy in a new direction. 2.5 years in and Heidi joins Rob and I as shareholder of Pitch. I feel incredibly lucky that Heidi chose Pitch as her next career step. Post pandemic we weren’t exactly standing tall with a team of 50 behind us. We were small but, in my opinion mighty and I’m glad she saw the potential Pitch has. Now as an official member of the board I am incredibly excited at what the future holds for Heidi and I. As Rob takes a step back from the day-to-day, Pitch enters a new chapter of its journey: a 100% female leadership team, a new focus and a team who are equally as engaged and committed as we are. As our new leadership takes its form, I’m motivated and nervous all at the same time. We will face new challenges, practice new skills, deal with issues we’ve not dealt with before and hopefully experience new highs we’ve not yet had the chance to reach. I’m realistic that our journey together wont all be sunshine and rainbows. There will be tough moments and even tougher decisions to be made but when the going does get tough I know for sure Heidi will have my back, and I’ll be right there to have hers. Heidi – Thank you for the dedication and commitment you invest into Pitch and for the love, heart and soul you put in daily. We have ambitious plans for this little recruitment agency and with Heidi on the board with the green team there’s no stopping us!