Sales & Marketing Lead

SUMMARY:
Sales & Marketing Lead | Student Accommodation | Occupancy Management | Sales & Marketing | Fixed-Term Contract | Stellenbosch, Western Cape

SALES & MARKETING LEAD – STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

Drive Occupancy. Convert Leads. Deliver Results.

Are you a commercially driven Sales & Marketing Manager, Sales Lead or Marketing Operations professional with a proven ability to generate leads, increase sales conversions and deliver measurable business results?

An established Student Accommodation Property Management Company is seeking an experienced, hands-on Sales & Marketing Lead to support its growing student accommodation portfolio.

Based in Stellenbosch, this is an exciting fixed-term opportunity for a results-oriented professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys combining sales leadership, digital marketing, occupancy management, campaign execution and stakeholder engagement.

The successful candidate will take ownership of sales and marketing delivery across designated student accommodation properties, ensuring strong lead generation, effective enquiry management, improved booking conversions and successful student intake campaigns.

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, you will play a key role in driving occupancy performance, coordinating sales and marketing activities, supporting portfolio onboarding and ensuring that operational deadlines and commercial targets are achieved.

About the Role

As the Sales & Marketing Lead, you will provide dedicated leadership across a student accommodation portfolio, managing the complete sales and marketing journey from lead generation and student enquiries through applications, admissions, bookings and occupancy.

You will work closely with sales teams, call centres, residence operations, admissions teams, marketing agencies and external stakeholders to improve conversion rates and ensure a seamless experience for prospective students and parents.
This position requires someone who is both strategic and operationally hands-on — a professional who can develop marketing plans, execute campaigns, analyse sales performance, resolve conversion challenges and deliver results against occupancy targets.

The portfolio includes properties and onboarding activities across multiple locations, requiring effective stakeholder coordination and occasional travel.

POSITION INFO:
Key Responsibilities

Sales Management, Occupancy & Revenue Performance

• Take responsibility for day-to-day sales delivery against approved occupancy, application and booking targets.
• Drive student accommodation occupancy and booking conversion performance.
• Monitor sales pipelines, student enquiries, applications, waiting lists, offers, bookings and cancellations.
• Ensure effective lead follow-up and enquiry management across sales, call-centre and residence teams.
• Identify underperforming sales channels, residences or stages of the conversion funnel.
• Implement corrective action plans to improve lead conversion and occupancy.
• Monitor available accommodation inventory and booking progress.
• Support engagement with students, parents, schools, tertiary institutions and bursary stakeholders.

• Translate commercial objectives into practical sales and marketing strategies.
• Plan and coordinate integrated marketing campaigns across digital, direct and on-campus channels.
• Drive qualified lead generation for student accommodation properties.
• Coordinate student recruitment campaigns, campus activations, school engagement and promotional events.
• Prepare marketing briefs, campaign messaging and promotional material requirements.
• Work with digital marketers, creative agencies, designers and external suppliers.
• Monitor marketing campaign performance, competitor activity and market trends.
• Evaluate campaign effectiveness and recommend improvements to lead quality and conversion.
• Ensure marketing communications and promotional material comply with approved brand standards.

• Coordinate the student enquiry, application, admissions and booking journey.
• Improve conversion rates from initial enquiry through to confirmed student check-in.
• Monitor application progress, waiting lists and booking turnaround times.
• Ensure prospective students and parents receive accurate and timely information.
• Identify barriers within the application and admissions process.
• Coordinate corrective actions to improve the student and parent experience.
• Maintain accurate lead, application and booking information.

• Support sales and marketing onboarding across student accommodation properties.
• Coordinate the transition of marketing assets, digital platforms and customer-facing communication channels.
• Ensure websites, social media accounts, online listings, application links and databases are accurate and operational.
• Coordinate marketing collateral, photography, content and brand material.
• Manage onboarding workstreams, deadlines, dependencies and action plans.
• Work closely with internal departments and external stakeholders to ensure smooth portfolio transitions.
• Identify operational risks and escalate potential delays.

• Develop and coordinate student intake readiness plans.
• Prepare sales teams, call centres and residence staff for peak student intake periods.
• Coordinate sales activations, showrooms, promotional material and student communication.
• Ensure accommodation pricing, product information and application processes are accurate.
• Prepare enquiry scripts, frequently asked questions and application guidance.
• Monitor service standards and resolve operational challenges affecting conversion.
• Ensure sales and marketing activities are aligned with intake timelines and occupancy objectives.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate digital marketing agencies, creative suppliers and service providers.
• Work closely with residence management, operations, finance and admissions teams.
• Support relationships with schools, universities, tertiary institutions, students and parents.
• Monitor supplier deliverables, campaign deadlines and budget commitments.
• Ensure clear communication and accountability across multiple workstreams.

• Prepare accurate weekly and monthly sales and marketing performance reports.
• Track occupancy performance against approved targets.
• Monitor lead generation, application progress, booking conversions and campaign results.
• Analyse sales funnel performance and identify improvement opportunities.
• Prepare target-versus-actual reports and recommendations.
• Monitor marketing expenditure and approved budgets.
• Maintain accurate campaign records, approvals and performance trackers.
• Provide regular progress reports and recommendations to the Managing Director.

• Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in Sales, Marketing, Business Management, Communications or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years' relevant Sales and Marketing experience.
• Proven experience managing sales targets, marketing campaigns and performance reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects, workstreams or cross-functional teams.
• Strong experience in lead generation, sales pipeline management and conversion optimisation.
• Experience managing applications, admissions processes or customer conversion journeys.
• Proven ability to coordinate marketing agencies, suppliers and internal stakeholders.
• Strong numerical, analytical, presentation and written communication skills.
• Experience preparing sales reports, analysing performance and implementing corrective actions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and relevant business systems.
• Valid driver's licence and willingness to travel between residences, campuses, schools, events and stakeholder locations as required.

• Student Accommodation Sales & Marketing
• Student Housing Occupancy Management
• Higher Education Marketing
• Student Recruitment & Admissions
• Education Sales
• Residential Property Marketing
• Hospitality Sales & Marketing
• Hotel Sales & Revenue Management
• Property Portfolio Marketing
• Digital Marketing & Lead Generation
• CRM & Sales Pipeline Management
• Portfolio Onboarding & Business Integration
• Call Centre & Enquiry Conversion Management
• Marketing Analytics & Campaign Performance

• Sales & Marketing Manager
• Sales & Marketing Lead
• Student Accommodation Sales Manager
• Student Housing Marketing Manager
• Occupancy Manager
• Student Recruitment Manager
• Admissions & Marketing Manager
• Higher Education Marketing Manager
• Regional Sales & Marketing Manager
• Property Sales & Marketing Manager
• Hospitality Sales & Marketing Manager
• Hotel Sales Manager
• Marketing Operations Manager
• Business Development & Marketing Manager
• Sales Conversion Manager

• Take ownership of sales and marketing delivery within a dynamic student accommodation environment.
• Work directly with senior executive leadership.
• Drive measurable occupancy, lead generation and conversion results.
• Contribute to student accommodation portfolio onboarding and growth initiatives.
• Coordinate integrated sales and marketing campaigns across multiple channels.
• Work with diverse teams across sales, marketing, property operations and student services.
• Apply your commercial expertise in a growing and evolving sector.