Brand Communications Specialist - Walton-On-Thames, England - Kia UK Limited

Description

(Permanent, Full-Time)
Welcome to Kia UK

About Us
Kia UK is a leading automotive brand offering one of the industry's largest range of models across multiple vehicle segments and was the fourth most popular UK car brand in 2024. With 190 Kia Dealers across the country, Kia is now widely known for its advanced electrified products offering the technology of tomorrow, today. Spearheading this charge are award-winning products including the fully electric EV6 – Kia's first dedicated electric vehicle, the 2024 World Car of the Year the EV9 and the 2025 World Car of the Year the all new electric compact SUV the EV3

Kia UK has consistently grown for over 30 years, supported by bold design, quality products and ever-evolving customer service. By 2027, the brand aims to offer no less than nine fully electric vehicles in the UK, a positive step towards becoming a leading global sustainable mobility solutions provider.

People are central to Kia UK and every day is an opportunity to learn something new and to grow personally and professionally. This was recognised with Kia UK named as one of the UK's Best Workplaces 2025 by Great Place To Work, and also ranked in the 2025 Best Workplaces for Development and Wellbeing. Kia employees reported positively on areas such as working atmosphere, trust in management, corporate strategy, pride in working for the company, benefits, facilities and much more

The Role
The Brand Communications Specialist will play a pivotal role in shaping how the brand connects with audiences nationwide. You'll be the driving force behind development and implementation of 'In-Market' national campaigns, including In-Market, Secondary Model Support and Handraisers, as well as Paid Search, while supporting the Brand Communications Manager (BCM) across a wide spectrum of exciting projects from Product Placement to Brand Partnership to delivering a full funnel marketing strategy.

In-Market Strategy

• Planning: Support the BCM to develop a full-funnel digital strategy, building media and creative roadmaps, and acting as our in-house digital expert. Stay ahead of the latest trends while fostering strong relationships with key digital partners.
• Implementation: Own the rollout of In-Market campaigns, from agency briefing, media and creative execution to legal approvals, ensuring seamless delivery across all channels and within budget.
• Social: Work with the Social Media Lead and agencies to generate high performing creative assets, tapping into innovative formats on platforms.
• Programmatic: Lead programmatic campaigns to target in-market buyers, optimising creative and targeting to achieve measurable results.
• Affiliates: Expand and manage affiliate partnership programme to boost lead generation, ensuring compliance and performance.
• Paid Search: Drive Kia's Paid Search (PPC) strategy, increasing visibility among active car buyers and Kia products across the search landscape, while exploring new search opportunities. Coordinate with key stakeholders to ensure accuracy of information and campaigns.
• Performance Monitoring & Optimisations: Set measurable KPIs and continually optimise campaigns for efficiencies and conversions, with a focus on lead and traffic quality. Review performance data, implement test-and-learn initiatives, and feed insights into future campaigns for continuous improvement.

Supporting Brand Power

• Champion Kia UK's business objectives, brand purpose, and electrification leadership strategy.
• Support the BCM in the delivery of Kia Europe's (KEU) digital priorities and new digital strategies propositions.
• Contribute to launch planning and performance reporting (including monthly performance and quarterly evaluation), ensuring data accuracy and actionable insights.
• Lead Product Placement project, liaising with agencies, reviewing placement opportunities and managing logistics.
• Support Brand Partnerships and other brand initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Social Media Lead to maintain consistency and continuity across digital touchpoints.

About You
Education:
Educated to degree or equivalent level.

Skills (Essential)

• Self-starter, ready to take ownership, drive initiative and see projects through.
• A strategic focus with the ability to balance a big picture vision with operational detail
• Strong agency and project management skills, comfortable handling multiple priorities at once.
• Commercially astute with an ability to spot opportunities in existing and new media channels.
• Evaluation driven and planning skills with an ability to think creatively.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to engage with stakeholders at all levels.
• Highly numerate and digitally fluent, with confident use of MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
• Detail orientated, organised, and committed to delivering excellence.

Experience (Desirable)

• Knowledge of digital paid media and programmatic channels (incl. Paid Search) from planning to activation.
• Familiarity with Data Privacy Agreements, Adobe Analytics and SEO.

We recognise that there may be a number of ways to meet our requirements. We are looking for the best candidate for the job and encourage you to apply even if your experience or qualifications don't exactly match what we've outlined in the role description. If you think you could be a good fit for this role, we'd love to hear from you
The Benefits
Flexible working hours (core hours between 10:00am-3:00pm)

Hybrid working (up to 2 days a week remote working pro rata)

Employee Car Scheme (car lease + insurance all included from £85/month)

Onsite Chef -> free lunch every day

Private Medical Care (Vitality)

Annual Health Checks and free flu jabs offered onsite

Private Dental Care (Denplan, £0 excess)

Pension with enhanced employer contribution

Income Protection & life Assurance

Critical Illness Protection

24 days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays

Wellness benefits including cycle to work scheme, free eye tests, employee assistance programme, Mental Health First Aiders and more

Financial hub providing free financial guidance and support

Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave (up to 6 months
full
pay)

Enhanced Paternity Leave

Free weekly yoga, football, and badminton clubs

Pool tables, dart board, and massage chairs onsite

Opportunity to get involved & give back via our charity partners

Birthday Vouchers

Celebrations such as our Spring Ball, Christmas events, Social Club and much more

Location/Travel
The Kia UK Head Office is based in Walton-on-Thames, just a 5-minute walk from the station. We also have plenty of on-site parking for drivers, including EV charging ports.

There is step-free access throughout the building, but please let us know if you require any additional accessibility support and we will cater to your needs as best we can.

Interview Process
Step 1: CV review

Step 2: Teams interview

Step 3: Face-to-face interview

We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We understand that every candidate is unique, and we welcome the opportunity to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that all individuals can fully participate in our interview process. If you require any adjustments or support to facilitate your interview, please do not hesitate to reach out to Georgia Hope ). We are happy to discuss your needs and make arrangements that support your participation to best showcase your skills and qualifications.

At Kia, we are committed to employing the best-qualified people and provide equal opportunity for the advancement of employees including promotion and training and thereby not discriminating against any person because of gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief or disability.