Senior Specialist, Marketing and Communications

The Fit

You like to make things happen. You enjoy translating strategy into implementation plans and being the first to action them. But you don’t want to sacrifice your chops in positioning and content development in favour of project management and seeing things through. Oh, and you dig other humans and thrive on balancing a variety of important relationships.

Sound familiar? Then this job’s for you!

The Role

This role includes research, client discovery, tactical marketing and communications planning, (traditional and digital) content management and development, as well as client communications throughout the life of a project. Project execution and timelines are held sacred by this role which means tracking progress against the plan, consistent client connection and working with the team to manage timelines. This means asking critical questions, communicating continuously with clients and the internal team and making implementation plans that help clients achieve their goals.

You are the steward of the plan, the products and the relationship, alongside a committed team of other subject matter area specialists and strategists. You work with a range of clients including large charities, corporations or public sector systems and networks as well as small and medium sized businesses.

The Responsibilities

Client Relationship Management | Key client supporter and partner, as lead on client communications, touchpoints, discovery processes and meetings;
Research & Discovery | Lead on research and discovery process development and implementation including designing surveys, running focus groups, conducting interviews, distilling themes and translating insights into recommendations;
Planning & Implementation | Key author of and driver of implementation plans, translating strategy into actionable tactics and timelines and managing overall project communications and timelines with clients, internal team members and external suppliers;
Content Development/Management | Developer of content plans and frameworks, including brand positioning, web content and ad copy, in partnership with internal subject matter experts;
Culture/Other Duties As Required | Support for sagecomm operations which may include social media, culture planning and other projects as required.

Team Relationships

Reports to: Vice President, Strategy & Operations;
Works with: Clients and our internal team in iterations that vary by project (Special Teams) and may include contract staff and suppliers.

How To Be Successful at sagecomm

Five areas that power performance, and how you’ll know you’re kicking butt:

Support The Team & Build Trust - For you, it’s second nature to pitch in, offer to take something off someone’s plate and periodically put your work aside and get someone’s back. It’s lending a listening ear to talk through a particularly meaty problem and it’s just plain showing up for everyone else.
Radical Client Empathy and Acceptance - You have the ability to, and want to lean in with empathy and understanding so that we can alleviate and solve for the challenges our clients trust us with so they feel acknowledged, cared for and understood.
Solution Orientation and Action - You have the ability and desire to live in spaces of ambiguity or uncertainty and a proactive orientation to providing strategic and practical options for moving forward.
Practical Project Ownership - You like the idea of being the knower and seer of what’s happening now, what needs to happen and even what might happen, while working with each project’s key players including the client, sagecomm team and suppliers to bring it all together.
System Management and Optimization - You thrive when working with processes and tools, from project management to communication, that support your work and your teammates. Learning, working and innovating on these might be a nerdy interest of yours. You like to see how it’s been done before, starting there, and taking it to the next level.

Skills and Expertise

Min 5-7 years progressive experience in the marketing-communications space;
Ability to think strategically about a client’s marketing and communications opportunities including creating plans that achieve goals and objectives;
Experience in stakeholder engagement including running focus groups and one-one interviews;
Killer copywriting skills that can generate a compelling core position/brand narrative, emotional web copy and remarkable headlines;
Experience building and managing relationships including, but not limited to, project or account management experience including an orientation towards consistent, compassionate follow-up and touchpoints that consider what a client might be thinking, needing or wondering about;
Desire and skills to consistently manage multiple projects with different needs and competing deadlines;
Ability to work with a multinational brand in the morning, and a near-and-dear local non-profit in the afternoon;
Willingness to get started, figure it out and take something to the next step;
Expertise in working collaboratively with other professionals to achieve goals;
Interest and desire to wear many project hats including creating work product, managing the project and associated tasks;
Above all, an unrelenting commitment to excellence on behalf of the brands, causes and communities that put their trust and confidence in us.

How We Work

You might be the person we are looking for if you jive with both independent work and digging out wicked problems with a team. If you’re looking for a job where you can contribute meaningfully to a variety of organizations doing interesting and important work and also easily be home in time to plan a healthy dinner or meet friends for drinks, we might be your ideal crew. In fact, with our remote-first approach, you might already find yourself at home on a flexible day so you can accept deliveries or walk your fur baby or have lunch with your mom/BFF/new squeeze or run your kid’s lunch down the street when they forget it.

Remote First

If you’re down with the idea of working at home, at least some of the time, you might be interested in our remote first approach, which we intend to continue offering post-pandemic. That means the option to work in an office (as health restrictions permit) and flexible work-from-home options, schedules and culture activities.

To us, remote first is about balance and wellness and flex for your life, as well as a priority on team culture and relationships. Remote first doesn’t mean being on your own, it means intentional time together as a group and one-one etc, while having the time, space and flexibility to be productive your way.

In addition to intentional breaks, sick days and vacation days (obviously), our team enjoys:

The occasional all-team bonus day off;
Modern, state-of-the art home office furniture and equipment;
Protected team time with tailored happy-maker kits and lunches delivered straight to your door as well as special events and an endless supply of your choice of various client delights;
Skill development via sponsored continuous learning including conferences, certifications and networking opportunities including a focus on mentorship, skill development, and career progression;
A culture coach (and all the awesomeness that comes with it, and we take that action seriously!)

Equity and Diversity

sagecomm welcomes applications from all qualified folx. We are committed to employment equity and diversity in our workplace and welcome applications from, but not limited to, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, persons with any sexual orientation and persons of any gender identity or expression. If you require any special accommodations throughout the recruitment process, please let us know as you apply.

While we absolutely do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or family status, we’re constantly striving to do better than that. Because ensuring equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation isn’t a destination, it’s an ongoing journey. We care about your talents, your passions, and how you treat those around you. We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind.

How To Apply

Please submit your resume and a brief on why you think your marcomm and problem solving skills would be a good fit at sagecomm, via megan@sagecomm.com. Remember, we’re just as interested in how you think as we are in your finished product.

Deadline: March 20, 2022

About sagecomm

sagecomm is a modern marketing, branding, advertising, communications and public relations agency. Specializing in strategic market research + meticulous execution, we help create brands that matter, last and move the world forward.

We don’t have advertising offices in Montreal, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Spain or Space. Just London, Ontario. ‘Cause that’s where we are, though we do work across North America.

We were named one of London Inc’s Best Places to Work in 2020 and 2021.