Marketing Director (UK)

The Ascend Group is looking for a Marketing Director to be responsible for developing and executing strategic marketing initiatives that drive brand awareness, customer engagement, and revenue growth. This role requires strong leadership, an understanding of the viral vector market, organizational and analytical skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively across various teams to achieve our mission.

About Ascend Advanced Therapies

Ascend Advanced Therapies is a Gene to GMP (AAV) contract, development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) built on decades of expertise with industry veterans in multiple roles from therapeutics companies and global CDMO’s. The company’s brand is relatively new with the 2023 acquisition of Freeline Therapeutics team in Munich which leads process and analytical development activities for the company and our clinical manufacturing group in Alachua, Florida purchased from Beacon Therapeutics in 2024. Combined, we are a group of over 120 people focusing on development and manufacture of life-changing therapies for our clients and their patients through viral vectors. We are pioneers in the space with unique IP and platform assets. Our goal is to grow our brand amidst 50+ competitors and have a growing presence in the Cell and Gene Therapy market that is a dominating voice.

About ABL

Advanced BioScience Laboratories (ABL) is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) dedicated to advancing therapeutics, vaccines, and other biological products. ABL joined Ascend with over 60 years of experience working with diverse organizations including industry, government, and academic entities. ABL provides manufacturing capabilities for the development and production of virus-based oncolytic therapies, gene therapies and viral vaccines. GMP facilities are in Rockville, MD with services including bulk drug substance, live virus fill/finish, process, and assay development for clinical products

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning:

• Build and develop a marketing plan outlining the implementation of comprehensive marketing strategies aligned with our business plan, goals and objectives.
• Analyze and work with the strategy team on market trends and industry insights to identify growth opportunities and differentiating opportunities in a highly competitive sector of viral vector manufacturing.

Team Leadership:

• Manage any outside marketing contractors, PR, Social Media or design teams, fostering a culture of creativity and collaboration and developing a unique brand.

Campaign Management:

• Manage multi-channel marketing campaigns, including digital, print, social media, and events whether executed internally or with vendors
• Evaluate outreach campaign performance and adjust strategies as needed to optimize results using HubSpot or other CRM tools

Budget Management:

• Develop and manage the marketing budget, ensuring optimal allocation of resources
• Monitor the marketing budget spend and report on financial adherence quarterly and annually

Brand Management:

• Ensure consistent and fresh brand messaging and positioning across all channels at sites, teams and employees.
• Develop and refine branding initiatives to enhance brand equity through collateral, booth design, PR messaging and timing, unique tools and messaging through conferences, video or other techniques to increase share of voice

Content Development

• Collaborate with internal teams and technical SMEs to develop and refine both business and technical marketing pieces to support brand development
• Understand key drivers and customer needs within the viral vector manufacturing to refine brand positioning of marketing pieces and drive value oriented content

Stakeholder Collaboration:

• Collaborate with sales, strategy teams, SME’s in development, executive team leaders, and other departments to ensure alignment on marketing initiatives.
• Build relationships with conference brands in the space that help expand the brand.

Market Research:

• Collaborate with strategy team to conduct competitive analysis and market research to inform marketing strategies and educate teams
• Build an understanding of differentiation and key drivers in the viral vector market to ensure brand alignment with ongoing business strategy
• Identify and leverage new marketing technologies and platforms as needed.

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or related field (Master’s preferred).
• Relevant degree in scientific field (ie. Biotechnology, life-sciences) is a strong plus
• Range of 7-10 years of experience in marketing
• Proven track record of successful marketing campaigns and brand development.
• Strong analytical skills and data-driven decision-making.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in digital marketing tools and platforms (CRM, Hubspot and others).

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Increase in brand awareness metrics.
• Growth in market share and customer acquisition.
• Improvement in campaign ROI and engagement rates.

• Annual bonus
• Pension plan
• 25 days Holiday
• Help@Hand
• More to come as we grow!

Company Values:

Aim Higher – Our motto and values. 

• Quality by integrity - We set high standards, putting quality and evidence first to seek the best solutions.
• Adaptability is in our DNA - We are forward-thinking problem solvers, driven by the developing science and to deliver the best medicines.
• Serving patients by serving our partners - We can depend on each other, and on the organisation, to deliver goals and services.

To start your journey with us at Ascend, kindly submit your resume and a cover letter showcasing your qualifications and interest in the role. We value diversity and oppose discrimination. While we eagerly await all applications, we'll only reach out to selected candidates for interviews. Thank you for considering joining our team as we shape the future together!