About Roke:

Roke is a pioneering Technology for Global Security & Future Warfare. We stand at the forefront of defence and security, delivering cutting-edge intelligence and engineering solutions that protect nations, troops, borders, critical national infrastructure and businesses. We bring the credibility of a long-standing defence and security leader, the precision of a specialist, and the agility to solve complex, high-stakes challenges with purpose and impact. Our expertise spans communications, sensors, cyber, and AI, driving innovation and creating secure, high-performance systems for the most demanding environments. We’re committed to making the world safer, and we’re looking for passionate individuals to join us on this mission.

Job Overview:

We are seeking a strategic, data-driven, and commercially focused Interim Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) to lead the continued evolution of our marketing function during a pivotal period of transformation and accelerated growth.

Operating in the B2B defence and national security sector, our organisation has ambitious commercial and brand visibility targets over the next 12–24 months. Marketing is central to this journey — strengthening our position in the market, deepening customer relationships, and directly contributing to pipeline and revenue.

This interim leadership role will support the strategic growth of the business, delivering integrated marketing that amplifies brand value, strengthens customer relationships, and drives measurable commercial impact. This role will drive strategic marketing delivery across a distributed business model, collaborating with business units and directorates, while leading a high-performing internal team and managing an external PR and content agency. It’s a hands-on, senior-level role that combines vision with execution, and transformation with impact.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Marketing Leadership:

Develop and execute a marketing strategy aligned with company growth targets, market positioning, and strategic revenue goals.
Lead marketing planning and investment decisions based on business priorities and customer opportunities.
Represent marketing at executive level, ensuring the function is integrated into wider commercial and business planning processes.
Operate as a trusted advisor to the MD, Business Unit Directors and divisional leaders, driving alignment and action across the organisation.

Brand Development & Market Visibility:

Elevate the company’s brand in the eyes of customers, partners, and the market through consistent, high-impact brand communications.
Refine and deploy brand architecture and messaging frameworks across all internal and external channels.
Manage reputation-building activities, including thought leadership, executive visibility, and industry positioning.
Oversee brand governance to ensure consistency of voice, tone, and identity across business units and regions.

Customer Insight & Value Creation:

Embed customer intelligence into every facet of marketing, using research, analytics, and feedback loops to inform strategy.
Identify and segment key customer profiles, and build propositions and campaigns tailored to their needs and decision-making dynamics.
Champion customer value delivery at every stage of the lifecycle, in collaboration with product, sales, and customer teams.

Campaigns, Content & Product Marketing:

Design and oversee integrated, multi-channel campaigns that drive awareness, consideration, and conversion.
Deliver clear and compelling messaging for the company’s suite of products and services, ensuring differentiation in competitive and regulated markets.
Manage the development of high-quality content, collateral, and assets to support campaigns, sales enablement, and thought leadership.
Work with internal subject matter experts to surface insights, stories, and proof points that build credibility in complex markets.
Ensure consistency in voice, tone, and visual identity across all customer touchpoints.

Events & Industry Presence:

Lead the planning and execution of a calendar of strategic events, trade shows, and customer engagements.
Align event participation with commercial goals, ensuring measurable outcomes such as lead generation, partner development, and market awareness.
Leverage events as platforms for executive visibility, brand storytelling, and customer relationship-building.

Marketing Performance & Data-Driven Decision-Making:

Establish and track performance KPIs aligned with brand engagement, lead generation, pipeline contribution, and marketing ROI.
Drive a data-first culture within the team, using dashboards, analytics, and campaign testing to continually refine performance.
Build feedback loops with sales and business development to improve targeting, messaging, and conversion outcomes.
Present regular reports and insights to the executive team, linking marketing activity to business impact

Functional Maturity & Team Leadership:

Lead and develop an internal marketing team of four, fostering a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing environment.
Manage and optimise the relationship with an external PR & Content agency, ensuring delivery against brand, media, and content objectives.
Continue the transformation of the marketing function, building scalable processes, governance, and capability.
Work across a distributed operating model to ensure marketing is consistently delivered and supported across business units and regions.

Candidate Profile:

Essential Experience:

Proven success in senior marketing roles in complex B2B environments — ideally with experience in transformation and growth-phase businesses.
Proven track record of driving brand growth, marketing-led revenue impact, and customer engagement.
Experience developing and executing integrated marketing strategies with measurable commercial outcomes.
Strong leadership track record, managing in-house teams and agency partners effectively.
Exposure to multi-stakeholder operating models with distributed teams and business units.
Excellent stakeholder management and the ability to navigate matrixed organisations.
Strong commercial acumen and ability to connect marketing activity with business outcomes.

Knowledge & Skills:

Deep understanding of B2B customer buying behaviours and marketing-to-sales alignment in complex, high-value sales cycles.
Strong grasp of marketing analytics, performance dashboards, and campaign optimisation techniques.
Expertise in brand positioning, product marketing, and content-driven demand generation.
Highly collaborative, adaptable, and commercially astute with excellent communication and influencing skills.

Desirable:

Experience in defence, national security, intelligence, or similarly regulated markets is a strong advantage, but not essential.
Familiarity with government procurement and public sector marketing approaches.

Skills & Attributes:

Strategic thinker with a hands-on, execution-focused mindset.
Collaborative and influential leader.
Agile, adaptive, and comfortable operating at pace.
Data-driven and outcomes-focused.

The Benefits and Perks:

Hybrid working: A minimum of 60% of your monthly hours working at Roke offices.
Flexi-time: Working hours to suit you and your life.
Annual bonus: Based on profit share and personal performance.
Private medical insurance: Includes cover for existing conditions.
Holiday: 30 days per year.

Security:

Due to the nature of this position, we require you to be eligible to achieve SC clearance. As a result, you should be a British Citizen and have resided in the UK for the last 5 years for SC and 10 years for DV.
Join us on this transformative journey! Be a driving force in shaping the future of Roke.