About the role

Kernel is growing! We’ve grown 100%+ year on year for the past six years. With over 40K customers today, 2.75b in funds under management, and growth on track to reach 100K customers by the end of next year. We’re on the lookout for a Marketing Manager to help drive our marketing and growth efforts forward.

The Marketing Manager plays a central role in shaping how Kernel shows up in the market. This person leads the delivery of integrated campaigns, events, sponsorships, content, and social media, ensuring every initiative is purposeful, well-executed, and aligned with Kernel’s broader strategy.

Reporting our Head of Marketing, you’ll work alongside a future Marketing Executive and collaborate with the wider marketing team alongside our Product and Sales teams. Together, you’ll drive acquisition, build brand presence, and support business growth.

Success in this role means leading campaigns with confidence, maintaining a sharp focus on brand and compliance, and delivering work that contributes directly to commercial outcomes. It’s a hands-on position with scope to influence, create, and connect, ideal for someone who thrives on variety and impact.

About Kernel

We're a 100% Kiwi owned and operated fintech on a mission to make wealth accessible for every Kiwi. Our investment platform takes the guesswork out of investing – offering KiwiSaver, Managed Funds, US shares & ETFs, and Smart Saver accounts, all in one place with some of the lowest fees in the market.

We're at an exciting stage. Scaling fast, expanding our team of globally experienced financial professionals, and building the foundations for what's next. Our culture is collaborative, hands-on and ambitious – built on trust, innovation and saying it like it is. We value diverse perspectives, empower individuality, and believe the best ideas come from thinking together.

Things move quickly here, and every person plays a key role in shaping our future.

What you’ll do

• Marketing strategy and planning
  • Work with the Head of Marketing to develop and lead quarterly and annual marketing plans that align with Kernel’s growth targets and product roadmap.
  • Define integrated campaign strategies, messaging frameworks, and audience segmentation priorities.
  • Set the strategic direction for events and sponsorships, including themes, audiences, and success measures.
• Campaign execution
  • Lead go-to-market initiatives across product, brand, and engagement campaigns, coordinating with Product, Sales, and Customer Success.
  • Guide and support the Marketing Coordinator across events, content, social media, and podcast workflows.Collaborate with the Lifecycle team to align communications, segmentation, and measurement across campaigns and events.

• External partner and media management
  • Manage relationships with creative, media, and production partners, setting clear briefs and performance expectations.
  • Oversee the paid digital strategy, including channel mix, budget allocation, and testing plans, with execution supported by media partners.
• Brand stewardship and compliance
  • Ensure consistent brand application across all public-facing materials, maintaining quality and compliance with NZ financial promotion standards.
  • Approve key content themes and editorial priorities, ensuring alignment with SEO, accessibility, and Kernel’s brand voice.

• Event and sponsorship impact
  • Approve the event calendar, formats, speaker strategy, and sponsorship selections.
  • Define KPIs for events and sponsorships (e.g. attendance, NPS, qualified leads, cost per attendee, pipeline influence) and lead post-event reviews.

• Performance reporting and optimisation
  • Own marketing performance reporting across campaigns, events, brand metrics, and contribution to pipeline and Funds Under Management (FUM).
  • Foster a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement across all marketing channels, working closely with the Lifecycle Marketing Manager and Marketing Executive.

You’ll be great if you bring

• Proven experience in marketing, ideally within financial services, fintech, or a regulated industry, though that’s not essential.

• A strong track record in campaign management and multichannel execution.

• Confident content creation and copywriting skills, with the ability to adapt messaging for different audiences and formats.

• Experience planning and delivering customer-facing events or managing sponsorships.

• Commercial awareness, with the ability to measure, analyse, and report on marketing performance.

• Solid project management skills, with experience juggling multiple stakeholders and timelines.

• Familiarity with digital platforms, analytics tools, and social media management.

• Sharp attention to detail, especially when working in regulated environments.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with a proactive and open working style.

Bonus things you could bring along to the role

• Experience working in financial services or another regulated industry.

• A strong interest in personal finance and helping people make informed decisions.

• Hands-on experience planning and delivering events.

• Exposure to marketing automation and CRM platforms like Braze, HubSpot, or Salesforce.

• Understanding of SEO, paid media, and content marketing best practices.

Why You’ll Love it at Kernel

• Connecting Kiwis with investment products that are designed in a way no other fintech in New Zealand is approaching, connecting everyday financial goals with intuitive, customer-first experiences.

• Contribute to a platform trusted by tens of thousands of Kiwis, helping them feel more confident and in control of their money.

• Own and shape Kernel’s marketing function from the inside out, with the freedom to test ideas, learn from results, and scale what works.

• Join a team built on trust, collaboration, and flexibility, where feedback is constructive and everyone has a voice.

• Competitive compensation package

• Flexible hybrid work and support for remote setups

• Health insurance, parental leave top-up, and professional development support

• Extra staff holidays, office snacks, coffee, and a dog-friendly environment

Join our team

Not sure you meet every requirement? We encourage you to apply. We value growth, impact, and mindset just as much as specific experience. If this opportunity sounds like you, send us your cover letter explaining why you’re excited about the role and working at Kernel, along with your CV.

Visit our careers page for more on working at Kernel and follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram. to stay connected.