CIM Marketing Leadership Programme

Professional Academy are proud to be one of a select group of organisations appointed by the CIM not only to deliver and support the new Marketing Leadership Programme but to have also been involved in the research and consultation stages for the course's development.

The CIM Marketing Leadership Programme has been developed to respond to both industry and individual needs within the marketing profession. Extensive global, employer-led research across a range of industry sectors and organisational size has been undertaken to identify the skills and competencies industry requires to fully develop a marketing professional into an advocate for leading change within a dynamic organisation. The programme has been scoped through discussions with a range of connected stakeholders, and compared with other professional awarding organisations to ensure the programme content and structure fits with the demands of the marketing role at this level.


Not sure if this is the right level for you? Try out our quick and easy Entry Level Assessment to see which Level is best, book a call with a qualifications adviser to discuss, or send us a message today!


Qualification overview

This programme sits alongside the qualification suite offered by CIM and its emphasis is upon development of aspiring individuals to facilitate and implement change rather than achieving a qualification.

They will be ambitious, seeking to advance their career through study which will have a positive impact on their career and performance within the workplace. The opportunity to build knowledge and skills within a professional network of like minded marketing professionals will be an important aspect of the programme.

The programme has been structured to reflect the researched need for a flexible and bite sized approach to meet the needs of today's professional marketer. Each module can be achieved as a distinct, self-contained award or combined into the full qualification which will comprise of two mandatory modules and one elective.

Qualification breakdown

CIM Marketing Leadership Programme Qualification Structure

Who is the CIM Marketing Leadership Programme for?

The programme is for experienced marketers aspiring to work at a strategic marketing or management level or who need to back up their expertise or refresh their modern marketing knowledge. It is also for consultants looking for professional recognition and status whether working in large organisations or as independent business owners.

"For me, the Marketing Leadership course provided by Professional Academy and the CIM is second to none. This is a practical, hands on course focusing on the application of marketing techniques rather than just the theory itself. The course has certainly made think more critically about the tools and strategies I use on a daily basis and how they can be applied in a more effective way. It has also challenged my perception of value that marketing can bring to an organisation and the critical role it can play in leading organisational change. The support from Professional Academy and the CIM and the quality of content provided by the guest lecturers and supporting tutors has been outstanding, allowing me to effectively balance my work commitments and studies. I highly recommend this course for any senior marketing manager looking to take the next step in their career development." - Deryn Gilbey, Marketing Manager, Monsanto UK Ltd.

When can you start?

You can register for your CIM course anytime at the Professional Academy Store, or get in touch today to discuss your study plan on 01223 365 505.

Entry criteria

  • Level 6 qualification held or a Bachelor's or Master’s degree
  • Career progression evident – past, present and future
  • Experience working at marketing management level
  • Scope of current role is sufficient to allow engagement with assessment tasks
  • IELTS 6.5 and above
  • Must be able to attend UK based workshop sessions

How will assessments work?

There will be three assessment sessions per year taking place in: December, March/ April and June. Assessments for all modules will be an organisational based assignment designed to allow the candidate to address a specific real-life business issue. It is essential the candidate works within/on behalf of an organisation that offers the scope to demonstrate their skills across the content of the individual modules.

A high level of individual tutorial support and peer to peer support will be required to ensure the learners intended approach fulfills the demands of the assessment in terms of content and level of skills utilised. Some assignments may include an element of self-directed assessment to ensure maximum applicability to the organisation and relevance of the assessment process to the employer and learner.

Some degree of presentation preparation will form part of the assessment for the elective modules. Assignments will be restricted to taking the learner to the implementation stage of recommendations – full implementation of recommended solutions may not be possible within the learner organisations during the assessment period.

How will I be supported with Professional Academy?

Participants on the CIM Marketing Leadership Programme with Professional Academy will not only receive core text books and a 2-day intensive workshop per module but will allocated monthly online support hours where the participant and the tutor will be able to discuss the module projects in great depth, solving challenges and queries as they arise via Professional Academy's advanced Learning Management System (The Refinery).

This additional level of support is on top of the Professional Academy 2-year support guarantee which allows any course participant to run questions by their support tutor via the messaging systems inside The Refinery.

What modules will you study?

Click on a module title for more information.

Work-based assignment

Senior level marketers need to be able to identify the key influences on the future drivers of the organisation and match those with organisational resource to determine future direction. This module will enable you to evaluate the potential impact of emerging contemporary marketing challenges and apply strategic thinking to develop future strategies.

Module structure

Part 1: Dynamic marketing environment: Critically analyse the changing dynamics of an organisations' environment, Determine key business drivers for organisational success.

Part 2: Develop creative thinking: Evaluate the relevance of emerging marketing challenges to the organisation’s future direction –– Critically assess the contribution of the challenges to the value creation of an organisation.

Part 3: Create insight, vision and direction:Demonstrate a clear understanding of how the organisation can develop a positive response to emerging challenges, Recommend resource-led innovative approaches to contemporary marketing challenges.

Work-based assignment

A key aspect of a senior marketer's role is leading and managing change within an organisation. This module will enable you to meet the challenges of change by providing a platform for supporting future responses through harnessing organisational potential and sustainable innovation. In addition you will develop an understanding of how the organisations' assets can be managed to build and sustain a clear market position to guide, support and implement market-led change within an organisation.

Module structure

Part 1: Building the case for change: Develop critical understanding of how to harness organisational potential to generate and sustain value for all stakeholders, Use insight to develop sustainable innovation relevant to the direction and resources of the organisation.

Part 2: Creating a change culture: Appraise the role of brand equity and corporate reputation in directing and sustaining change within the organisation, Demonstrate how a customer-facing organisational structure and culture can support strategies to optimise corporate capability.

Part 3: Implementing change: Recommend the use of contemporary practice in effectively leading, managing and influencing others to deliver organisational change, Appraise the process and environment required to implement, review and reflect on the effectiveness of organisational change.

Work-based assessment

Senior marketers often gain experience across different organisational types and sizes over the course of their career, giving them a detailed insight into a range of marketing related issues and problems. This experience, within the heart of an organisation, can be developed into a consultancy role either within a large organisation linking in with key clients or as an independent consultant within a marketing specialism.

Module structure

Part 1: Building and developing client relationships: Critically assess the components of a sustainable and clearly defined consultancy proposition, Develop the personal brand

Part 2: Scoping the potential service: Critically assess the contributing factors to a clients' business issue, Evaluate how to facilitate change within the clients' organisation, in response to the clients' business issue

Part 3: Delivering the client outcome: Critically appraise how to develop and implement the agreed solution, Design and implement systems, processes and procedures to embed the agreed solution

Work-based assignment

Growth is a key driver within any organisation and developing both a structured and creative approach to determining where potential or existing opportunities exist is an essential skill for senior marketing professionals.

The size, type and form of the organisation can help or hinder this process so an in depth knowledge of the complexities of the organisation and its context is critically important to facilitate decision making at the strategic level. This module is designed to enable the marketer starting with a wider view of organisations to focus down onto a specific area – ideally the one they work in or interact with in their current role, and to facilitate solutions which maximise strategic fit.

This module can also be delivered in one of two ways, dependent on the learner profiles:

EITHER specific to an organisational type e.g. B2B or SME organisations are plentiful across both the UK and international markets

OR as a generic module

Module structure

Part 1: Dynamics for business growth: Critically appraise the market dynamics and business drivers relevant to the organisation and the industry sector –– Understand the customer dynamics relevant to the organisation and the industry sector.

Part 2: Determining direction: Recommend how organisational competence can be developed to deliver future objectives –– Critically evaluate how organisational characteristics influence the market positioning of the organisations' products/ services.

Part 3: Building relationships : Critically assess which connected stakeholders are fundamental to the future success of the organisation –– Demonstrate how to utilise strategic partnerships to leverage organisational success

To find out more about the CIM, visit the CIM website today.

Why not download our CIM marketing prospectus to learn more?

If you are unable to download a prospectus using this form, please contact one of the team either via the webchat, by emailing enquiries@professionalacademy.com, or by calling 01223 365 505, and a qualifications adviser will send you a prospectus.