Senior Marketing Director – 14 Months Contract

Dedicated to telling stories and creating experiences, Indigo is always looking for bright, energetic, and customer-focused people who can help bring our exciting mission to life in one of our more than 170 Indigo, Indigospirit, Chapters, or Coles stores across Canada. We offer a variety of exciting opportunities at our retail stores, distribution centres, and home office for people who share our passions and want to be part of a dynamic and enriching culture.

WHO WE ARE

• We love books and all things beautiful
• We are Canada’s Cultural Department Store
• Books are our heart and soul, and Great Books are JUST the Beginning…

We play by the following rules:

• We exist to add joy to our customers’ lives every time they interact with us and our products
• Our job is to create joyful moments for our customers
• We treat each other the way we’d treat a valued friend
• We inspire each other to do our best work
• We seek to ignite creativity and innovation every day
• We give back to the communities in which we operate

MISSION

The Senior Director of Marketing is responsible for driving qualified traffic and sales to all channels while building awareness, engagement, and growth of the Indigo brand. The Senior Director is also responsible for overseeing the multi-million-dollar budget line and managing the relationships with our agencies (Media and creative) in the development of strategic marketing campaigns that deliver on brand and business KPIs. The Senior Director will work with and influence teams across the organization, including at the Executive level, to gain support for the overall Marketing Strategy.

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Net Sales & EBITDA
• Retail & online traffic
• Unique Customer Growth
• Brand Health (Affinity, Awareness, Consideration)
• Breakthrough creative – on strategy & brand
• Team engagement

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategic

• Lead the Indigo integrated storytelling process, ensuring Executive alignment to quarterly and annual marketing calendar priorities
• Make strategic recommendations and use influence to gain support and alignment from Senior Leadership (Chief Merchant) and cross-functional partners on the annual Promotions Calendar (planning and execution)
• Manage agency relationships (Media & Creative), including final approval of full-year marketing campaign, oversight of budget and contribution to long-term planning
• Accountable for consistency and continuity of brand voice across all channels and programs (i.e. Heather’s Picks) through the leadership of the Indigo Copy team (Creative, Site, Email, Social)
• Own quarterly omnichannel marketing programs to deliver against business (Trade, Adult GM, IndigoKids) objectives and marketing goals in the most innovative, effective and efficient manner
• Brief creative from concept & photography to campaign rollout across all channels & paid brand media
• Responsible for the management of a multi-million-dollar budget line, including the oversight of channel managers and media planning with external partners (Carat Media Agency)
• Support Indigo goals by executing short to mid-term departmental goals (1 year)
• Maintain a high level of strategic foresight by identifying customer and business needs and adjusting departmental and team objectives accordingly

Functional

• Be the lead and champion of the customer communication process, including weekly meetings with cross-functional team members, monthly meetings with Directors/VPs & quarterly meetings with the Exec team
• Motivate the greater marketing team to ensure the execution of deliverables and adapt team priorities based on changing needs
• Act as an advocate for the customer by placing them at the forefront of all design and decision-making processes
• Proactively identify and anticipate customer expectations and needs
• Challenge the status quo by consistently identifying areas for improvement, diagnosing issues and working to resolve them

People

• Accountable for the overall engagement, productivity, turnover and bench strength of the team
• Build strong teams by attracting and developing the best talent, identify high-performers and empower them appropriately
• Give authentic feedback on performance and potential
• Share technical knowledge with others and actively seek to learn from those more knowledgeable than yourself
• Encourage others to freely share their point of view and be open to feedback
• Bring out the best in others, empower and constructively stretch talent
• Ensure all team members understand where they stand and have clear performance objectives aligned with Indigo and department goals
• Collaborate with others to drive flexible and iterative solutions quickly and easily

Cultural

• Model Indigo’s beliefs and convey a positive image in everything you do
• Celebrate the diversity of thought and have an open mindset
• Take an active role in fostering a culture of continual learning, taking risks without the fear of making mistakes
• Embrace, champion, and influence change through your team and/or the organization

SCOPE

Reports to: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• Cross-functional Marketing (PR, Loyalty, eCommerce)
• Executive team
• Creative Studio
• Merchants & Planning

External:

• Media Agency
• Creative Partners
• Strategic Partnerships – Global Organizations
• Publishers
• Rally reader

QUALIFICATIONS

Work Experience / Education / Certifications

• Minimum 10 years experience in Marketing
• Minimum of 5 years of management experience with increasing leadership roles
• Post-secondary education in Marketing or equivalent
• Demonstrated record of success in Marketing (traffic, sales, other relevant KPIs)
• Experience managing a P&L or similar budget oversight
• Previous leadership of a team required
• Experience in retail marketing is preferred

Competencies / Skills / Attributes

• Curious and driven towards continuous improvement
• Change leader who inspires their team to innovate and collaborate both within the team and cross-functionally
• Inspires and influences peers, business partners, and team towards new trends and new ways of working
• Self-starter with an ability to work at the highest levels with little supervision
• Demonstrated ability to develop effective and collaborative relationships across the organization in pursuit of corporate goals
• Strategic solid aptitude – the ability to plan for long-term success while overseeing the execution of ‘in the now’ campaigns
• The willingness and ability to gain support for a Marketing strategy through formal presentations and information conversations across the organization and beyond
• Ability to see the total organization with an integrated perspective
• Ability to build strong relationships with external partners and senior leaders, including Executives
• Ability to lead and manage cross-functional teams, including direct and non-direct reports
• Strong analytical skills, both quantitative and qualitative
• A willingness to take risks and make decisions; innovative approach to problem-solving
• Service-driven with a passion for the Indigo brand
• Desire to continuously learn and improve what and how we do it

Other (travel, Bilingual, etc.)

• National and International Travel, as required
• Represent Indigo at conferences and speaking events.

Additional information

At Indigo, we are committed to our communities, customers, and each other; we can make a positive impact together. We know that fostering diversity and inclusion brings out your full potential and creates a joyful and welcoming environment for everyone. We are driven to be an equitable employer, which highly values your diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that you, in all your uniqueness, belong at Indigo. We welcome all applicants and encourage applications from individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, a person of colour, LGBTQ2+ and people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request to individuals who self-identify as having a disability or special need. Please contact Human Resources at Support-HR@indigo.ca if you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process.

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