About National Student Esports (NSE)

National Student Esports (NSE) is the UK’s official body for university esports and are partnered with British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). Every year, 18,000 students and 2200 teams from 110+ different universities compete in our online and in-person tournaments and events.

This is an exciting time to join NSE as we enter the next stage of our growth in the UK and internationally. Our ambition is to significantly grow our community and strengthen their engagement, expand our tournaments and events, and build pathways between our community and graduate employers.

The Role

We are looking for an ambitious and creative Marketing & Community Manager to lead and deliver NSE’s marketing, communications and community growth strategy.

This role is ideal for someone with 3–5+ years’ experience, likely coming from a larger marketing team, who is ready to step into a role with full ownership, accountability, and strategic responsibility.

You will be responsible for designing, planning and executing marketing and communications activity across multiple channels, growing and engaging our student community, supporting commercial partners, and driving increased participation in NSE competitions, events and programmes.

This is not a role where you follow an existing plan—you will create and lead it.

Key Responsibilities

Marketing Strategy & Growth

Own and lead NSE’s overall marketing and communications strategy
Develop and deliver annual and campaign-based marketing plans aligned with organisational goals
Drive community growth, engagement and retention
Identify opportunities to attract new students, universities, partners and stakeholders
Use data and insights to continuously optimise performance

Social Media & Content

Own NSE’s multi-channel social media strategy (e.g. Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn, Discord)
Develop platform-specific content strategies tailored to audience behaviours
Plan, create and oversee engaging content (video, graphics, written)
Manage content calendars and campaign delivery
Maintain a consistent and compelling brand voice across all channels

Community Engagement

Build and nurture an active, engaged student community
Manage community platforms (including Discord and social channels)
Drive meaningful interaction and participation
Gather insights and feedback to inform strategy
Build relationships with student leaders, societies, and ambassadors

Commercial Partnerships

Deliver marketing activity aligned to partner and sponsorship agreements
Track, monitor and report on contractual deliverables
Ensure high-quality execution and partner satisfaction
Support stakeholder communication and relationship management

Events & Campaign Activation

Support the promotion, planning and delivery of online and in-person events
Develop campaigns to drive registrations, attendance and engagement
Attend key UK events where required
Capture and repurpose event content to maximise reach and impact

Analytics & Reporting

Monitor performance using Google Analytics and social/media insights tools
Track metrics including growth, engagement, conversion and retention
Produce reports and actionable recommendations
Establish a data-driven approach to decision-making

About You

Essential Experience & Skills

3–5+ years’ experience in marketing, social media, communications or community roles
Experience developing and executing marketing strategies and campaigns
Strong understanding of multi-channel marketing and platform-specific content
Experience building and managing online communities
Experience using Google Analytics and performance tracking tools
Experience working with external partners or stakeholders
Strong organisational and project management skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced environment

Desirable

Experience marketing to university students or Gen Z audiences
Experience in event promotion or delivery
Knowledge of esports, gaming, or digital communities
Experience in higher education, student organisations, or youth-focused brands
Experience delivering partnership activations or sponsorship campaigns

Ways of Working

Remote-first, based in UK, with flexibility to work from NSE HQ in Sunderland
Quarterly in-person team days in Sunderland
UK travel required for events and activations

What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)

A clear, measurable marketing and communications strategy delivered
Growth in community size, engagement and participation
Successful promotion of key competitions, events and programmes
Strong delivery against commercial partnership commitments
Robust reporting frameworks and performance insights established

Why Join NSE?

Take ownership of a high-impact, organisation-wide function
Play a key role in shaping the future of university esports in the UK and beyond
Work with a passionate and rapidly growing student community
Help connect students with career opportunities and employers
Join a small, ambitious team with real scope to make an impact