Content Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Content Designer

Company: Crescent Purchasing Consortium

Location: Salford, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Marketing / Communications Operations

Date Posted: 2026-04-29

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is pivotal in enhancing digital presence and member engagement through strategic content design and digital marketing initiatives.

• Focuses on user-centred design principles to create high-quality, engaging content for websites and email campaigns, driving continuous improvement.

• Involves collaborative work within a multi-disciplinary communications team and liaison with internal and external stakeholders to support organizational goals.

• Responsible for evolving the Group's service offer through rich, brand-building content aligned with the Five-Year Strategic Plan and Communications and Marketing Strategy.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Content Designer," the responsibilities heavily lean into digital marketing operations, content strategy, and communications management. The role requires a blend of creative content creation, user experience focus, and data-driven marketing execution, particularly with email campaigns and website improvements. This is not a typical UX design role but rather a content-focused marketing operations position.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver continuous improvement initiatives for the organization's websites and digital email marketing campaigns using platforms like Mailchimp.

• Create, evaluate, update, and review content across the entire user journey, ensuring it is engaging, informative, and aligned with brand messaging and strategic objectives.

• Conduct thorough research on industry-related topics to inform content strategy and identify new content opportunities.

• Proofread and edit all content to ensure the highest standard of quality, accuracy, and adherence to the brief before publication.

• Collaborate effectively with multi-disciplinary team members and liaise with internal and external stakeholders to gather requirements and ensure content alignment.

• Develop rich, brand-building content that supports the organization's Five-Year Strategic Plan and Communications and Marketing Strategy.

• Utilize content design skills for group-wide research, surveys, and direct email marketing activities.

• Support the broader Communications Team with day-to-day business activities and projects.

• Ensure content is optimized for various digital channels, platforms, and diverse user needs, utilizing different formats effectively.

• Manage the content lifecycle, from ideation and creation to review and archiving, ensuring evidence-based content design principles are applied.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core responsibilities highlight a blend of content creation, strategic planning, and operational execution within a communications and marketing context. The emphasis on "continuous improvement," "user journey," and "digital marketing campaigns" suggests a strong need for data interpretation and optimization, aligning with operations functions.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Formal education in Marketing, Communications, English, Journalism, or a related field is beneficial but not explicitly stated as a strict requirement, with emphasis placed on practical experience.

Experience: Proven experience in content design, user-centred design for digital products/services, and digital marketing campaign management. A minimum of 2-5 years of relevant experience is implied by the "Mid-Level" experience classification.

Required Skills:

• Expertise in user-centred design principles for digital products and services.

• Proficiency in writing for various digital channels, platforms, and diverse user audiences, employing different content formats.

• Demonstrated experience with digital email marketing systems, specifically Mailchimp.

• Familiarity with working with marketing lists within a CRM system.

• Strong understanding of content lifecycle management and evidence-based content design methodologies.

• Excellent research, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

• Exceptional copywriting, editing, and proofreading skills.

• Ability to collaborate effectively in a multi-disciplinary team environment.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising campaigns.

• Experience with LinkedIn marketing strategies.

• Understanding of procurement services within the education sector.

• Familiarity with content management systems (CMS) beyond email marketing platforms.

• Knowledge of SEO best practices for content optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements clearly point towards a candidate who can bridge the gap between creative content and marketing operations. Skills like Mailchimp, CRM, and understanding digital channels are crucial for operational execution. The "2-5 years" experience level suggests a need for someone who can independently manage projects and contribute strategically.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase examples of digital content created for various platforms (websites, emails, social media, etc.) demonstrating user-centred design principles.

• Include case studies of successful digital marketing campaigns, particularly email marketing, highlighting strategy, execution, and measurable results (e.g., open rates, click-through rates, conversions).

• Evidence of website content optimization and improvement projects, detailing the process from research to implementation and impact.

• Examples of research conducted for content development and how insights were translated into actionable content strategies.

Process Documentation:

• Documented workflows for content creation, review, and publication processes, emphasizing efficiency and quality control.

• Examples of how content performance is measured and analyzed, linking back to organizational objectives and user engagement metrics.

• Evidence of involvement in content lifecycle management, including updating, archiving, and repurposing existing content.

• Case studies detailing how user feedback or data analytics informed content design decisions and iterative improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role like this, a portfolio is crucial. It should not just display creative output but also demonstrate a structured approach to content strategy, user engagement, and measurable impact. Operations professionals will look for evidence of process improvement and data-driven decision-making in content design.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £32,000 - £36,000 FTE per annum. This range is based on the provided information for a Content Designer role in Salford, UK, with 2-5 years of experience. Salary benchmarks for similar roles in the North West of England typically fall within this bracket, considering the responsibilities and the organization's sector.

Benefits:

• Generous yearly discretionary bonuses upon successful probation.

• Access to a Local Government Pension Scheme, including death-in-service and ill-health benefits.

• 41 days of holiday per year (including Christmas closure and bank holidays).

• Paid time off for volunteering opportunities.

• Enhanced leave packages: paid sickness, carers leave, bereavement, compassionate leave, and maternity pay.

• Support for wellbeing, including access to 8 mental health first aiders and an Employee Assistance Programme.

• Opportunities for professional development through in-house programs and external learning, with support for MCIPS.

• Travel expenses paid for any required travel outside the contracted place of work.

• Involvement in working groups (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Wellbeing, Sustainability).

• Access to employee support networks (Women's, Men's, Carer's).

• Social and employee events.

• Participation in the organization's 'giving back' program.

Working Hours: Full-time position, likely around 40 hours per week, with a hybrid work arrangement allowing for remote work. Specific daily hours are not detailed but are expected to align with standard business operations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is explicitly stated. The benefits package is comprehensive and includes elements that support employee wellbeing and professional growth, which are attractive to operations professionals seeking stability and development. The mention of "discretionary bonuses" suggests a performance-oriented aspect to compensation.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Procurement Services Charity within the Education Sector.

Company Size: The provided data does not specify company size, but the mention of a "Communications Team" and "multi-disciplinary team members" suggests a moderately sized organization with dedicated departments. Given it's a consortium and charity, it likely has a structured but potentially collaborative and mission-driven culture.

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but the company has a history, evidenced by its established 'Giving Back' initiative which has re-invested over £2 million.

Team Structure:

• The Content Designer will be part of the Communications Team, working alongside other specialists.

• Collaboration is expected with "multi-disciplinary team members" and "internal and external stakeholders," indicating a cross-functional approach.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The role emphasizes "evaluating" and "reviewing" content and using "evidence-based content design," suggesting a data-informed approach to content strategy and optimization.

• User-Centricity: A strong focus on understanding and catering to the needs of "members, partners and wider stakeholders" through user-centred design.

• Continuous Improvement: The role is tasked with leading "continuous improvement" in digital platforms and campaigns, indicating a commitment to ongoing optimization and evolution.

• Strategic Alignment: Content creation is directly linked to supporting the "Five-Year Strategic Plan and Communications and Marketing Strategy."

Company Website: https://www.thecpc.ac.uk/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's mission as a "not-for-profit charity that gives back to the education sector" is a significant cultural driver. This implies a mission-oriented team culture where efficiency and impact are valued, but also a strong sense of purpose. The "Great place to work" certification further suggests a positive and supportive work environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level Content Designer, requiring 2-5 years of experience. It's a key player in the Communications Team, responsible for leading significant improvements in digital content and marketing campaigns. The role involves a degree of autonomy and strategic input, bridging creative execution with operational marketing.

Reporting Structure: The Content Designer reports into the Communications Team and will work collaboratively with other team members and potentially a Communications Manager or Head of Department. The exact reporting line isn't specified but is within a dedicated communications function.

Operations Impact: The Content Designer's work directly impacts member engagement, brand perception, and the effectiveness of digital communication channels. By improving websites and email campaigns, this role contributes to the organization's mission of providing outstanding procurement services and fostering relationships within the education sector. Their output is critical for supporting the organization's strategic growth and its 'giving back' initiatives.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in user-centred content design, advanced Mailchimp functionalities, CRM integration for marketing, and potentially SEO, PPC, or LinkedIn marketing.

• Strategic Contribution: Opportunity to influence content strategy, contribute to marketing plans, and play a key role in achieving the organization's strategic objectives through effective communication.

• Professional Development: Access to in-house development programs and external learning, with specific support for achieving MCIPS (Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply) qualifications, indicating a path towards broader procurement or strategic management roles if desired.

• Leadership Potential: With proven success, potential to take on more complex projects, lead content initiatives, or mentor junior team members in the future within the communications or marketing functions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The inclusion of MCIPS support is a strong indicator of the company's investment in employee growth, suggesting a structured development path that could lead to broader operational or strategic roles within the procurement and education sectors.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, with a primary office location in Salford. This allows for remote work with required visits to clients onsite or to the office as needed. The organization is described as a "Great place to work," suggesting a positive and collaborative office atmosphere.

Office Location(s): Head office is in Salford, M6 6AJ, United Kingdom. This location is accessible and serves as a hub for the organization's operations.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role emphasizes working collaboratively with a multi-disciplinary team and liaising with various stakeholders, suggesting an environment that values teamwork and open communication.

• Digital Tools: Access to essential digital tools for content creation, email marketing (Mailchimp), and CRM systems will be integral to the workspace.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities exist for interaction with the Communications Team and other departments, fostering knowledge sharing and a sense of community, even with a hybrid setup.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week. The hybrid arrangement offers flexibility, allowing for remote work while maintaining connectivity with the team and attending necessary in-person meetings or events.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the role, combined with the "Great place to work" certification, suggests a balanced work environment that prioritizes employee well-being and productivity through flexible arrangements and a supportive culture.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application Review: Screening of CVs and cover letters for essential skills and experience.

• First Interview: Likely with hiring managers from the Communications Team. This stage will assess technical skills, content design approach, and understanding of user-centred design and digital marketing.

• Portfolio Review/Presentation: Candidates will likely be asked to present their portfolio, showcasing specific projects, their process, and the impact of their work. This is a critical stage for demonstrating practical abilities and strategic thinking.

• Second Interview (Potentially): May involve meeting with broader stakeholders or senior management to assess cultural fit, communication style, and strategic alignment with the organization's mission and values.

• Final Offer: Based on overall assessment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your skills in user-centred content design, digital marketing campaigns (especially email), and website content optimization.

• Showcase Process, Not Just Product: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role, the strategy you employed (user research, content planning), the tools you used (Mailchimp, CRM), your contributions, and the measurable results or impact achieved. Use storytelling to make it engaging.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your content. For email campaigns, mention open rates, click-through rates, conversion improvements. For website content, discuss engagement metrics, user feedback, or SEO improvements.

• Tailor to CPC: Highlight any experience in the education sector, charity work, or procurement. Emphasize your understanding of their mission and how your skills can contribute to their goals.

Challenge Preparation:

• Content Audit/Critique: Be prepared to analyze a piece of existing content (from CPC or a similar organization) and suggest improvements based on user-centred design principles and communication strategy.

• Content Creation Task: You might be given a brief to create a piece of content (e.g., an email draft, a website snippet) for a specific audience and objective, demonstrating your writing and strategic thinking under time constraints.

• Scenario-Based Questions: Be ready to answer questions about how you would handle specific content challenges, such as low engagement rates, conflicting stakeholder feedback, or the need to adapt content for different platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily rely on evaluating practical skills and strategic thinking through portfolio review and potential practical exercises. Candidates should prepare to articulate their process, demonstrate quantitative results, and align their approach with CPC's mission and user-centric values.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Email Marketing Platform: Mailchimp (explicitly mentioned). Proficiency in campaign creation, list management, segmentation, A/B testing, and performance analytics is crucial.

• CRM System: Experience working with marketing lists in a CRM system is required. Specific CRM names are not mentioned, but familiarity with common platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar is beneficial.

• Website Content Management System (CMS): While not explicitly named, experience with common CMS platforms (e.g., WordPress, Drupal, Joomla) for content updates and management is highly probable.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Website Analytics: Familiarity with tools like Google Analytics to track website content performance, user behaviour, and conversion rates.

• Email Marketing Analytics: In-depth understanding of Mailchimp's reporting features to analyze campaign performance (open rates, click-throughs, conversions).

• Reporting Tools: Ability to synthesize data from various sources into clear, actionable reports for stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Data Management: Understanding how to leverage CRM data for audience segmentation and personalized content delivery.

• Marketing Automation (Basic): While Mailchimp is primarily an email platform, an understanding of basic marketing automation workflows within it or other systems would be advantageous.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tech stack focuses heavily on content delivery and marketing operations. Proficiency in Mailchimp and CRM systems is non-negotiable. Candidates should highlight their ability to integrate these tools for effective campaign execution and performance tracking.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• People First: The organization strives to provide a caring, inclusive, and supportive environment. This translates to valuing collaboration, respecting individual needs, and fostering a positive team dynamic where everyone can contribute their best.

• Customer Always: All efforts are directed towards benefiting the members of the education sector, helping them serve their learners better. This means a strong focus on user needs, delivering value, and ensuring communications are clear, helpful, and relevant.

• Excellence: A commitment to delivering the highest quality services that exceed expectations, with continuous improvement integrated into all activities. This aligns with the role's responsibility for enhancing websites and campaigns and maintaining high content standards.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The role requires close collaboration with a "multi-disciplinary team" and "internal and external stakeholders," indicating a need for strong communication and partnership skills.

• Process Review & Feedback: The emphasis on "continuous improvement" and "evaluating content" suggests a culture that welcomes feedback and iterative refinement of processes and output.

• Knowledge Sharing: As part of a team, sharing insights from content research, campaign performance, and user feedback would be encouraged to collectively enhance the organization's communication efforts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of "Vision, Mission and Values" and specific descriptions of "People First," "Customer Always," and "Excellence" provides a clear framework for understanding the company culture. Candidates should demonstrate how their work ethic and approach align with these core values.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Multiple Stakeholders: Managing content needs and feedback from various internal departments and external members requires strong communication and prioritization skills.

• Evolving Digital Landscape: Keeping content strategies and tactics current with rapid changes in digital marketing best practices and user expectations.

• Measuring ROI for Content: Demonstrating the tangible impact and return on investment of content design and email marketing efforts, especially within a charity context focused on service improvement.

• Fixed-Term Contract: Adapting quickly to a new environment and delivering significant impact within a 12-month maternity cover period.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Gain hands-on experience in advanced email marketing automation, CRM data utilization for targeted campaigns, and website analytics interpretation.

• Industry Exposure: Opportunity to work within the education procurement sector and understand its unique communication needs and challenges.

• Professional Certifications: Support for achieving MCIPS, a valuable qualification for career progression in procurement and operations management.

• Content Strategy Development: Contribute to and learn from the development of strategic communication plans, enhancing skills in strategic thinking and planning.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fixed-term nature of the role presents a challenge but also an opportunity for high performers to make a significant impact quickly. The MCIPS support is a standout growth opportunity, offering a path beyond pure content design.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Content Strategy & Methodology: "Describe your process for developing content for a new digital product or campaign. How do you ensure it's user-centred and aligned with strategic goals?" (Prepare to discuss research, persona development, content mapping, and performance metrics).

• Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: "How would you manage conflicting feedback from different stakeholders on a piece of content? Give an example of a time you successfully navigated a challenging stakeholder relationship." (Focus on communication, negotiation, and prioritizing based on user needs and organizational objectives).

• Problem-Solving & Efficiency: "Imagine our website's bounce rate has increased significantly on a key landing page. What steps would you take to diagnose the issue and propose content-based solutions?" (Demonstrate analytical thinking, data interpretation, and practical content improvement tactics).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about working for a procurement services charity like CPC, and how do you see your role contributing to our mission?" (Research the CPC's 'Giving Back' initiative and their focus on the education sector. Align your passion with their mission).

• "How do you foster a collaborative environment within a communications team, especially in a hybrid work setting?" (Discuss your communication style, experience with team tools, and approach to feedback).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• The STAR Method: Structure your project walkthroughs using the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) method. Clearly define the context, your specific responsibilities, the actions you took, and the measurable outcomes.

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, highlight the problem you solved and the positive impact your content had – e.g., increased engagement, improved user satisfaction, higher conversion rates, cost savings, or contribution to strategic goals.

• Demonstrate Tool Proficiency: Briefly mention the tools you used (Mailchimp, CRM, analytics) and how they enabled your success.

• Highlight User-Centricity: Emphasize how user research, feedback, and data informed your design and content decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a blend of creative content skills, operational marketing execution, and strategic thinking, all grounded in a user-centric and data-driven approach. The ability to articulate your process and quantifiable results will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided application link on the CPC Recruitee portal.

• Customize your CV and cover letter: Tailor them to highlight your experience in user-centred design, Mailchimp, CRM usage, and content creation for digital channels, using keywords from the job description. Emphasize any experience in the education or charity sector.

• Prepare your portfolio: Curate your best work, focusing on projects that showcase your ability to design engaging content, manage email campaigns, improve website content, and achieve measurable results. Be ready to present specific case studies using the STAR method.

• Research Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC): Understand their mission, vision, values, and their 'Giving Back' initiative. Prepare to articulate how your skills and passion align with their goals and the education sector.

• Practice your interview responses: Rehearse answers to potential strategy, behavioural, and situational questions, particularly those related to content design, digital marketing operations, and stakeholder collaboration.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

---