Associate Brand Manager, Woods & Outbound

What You’ll Do

The Consumer Brands team at Canadian Tire Corporation is a great example of our retail evolution, bringing together all the owned brands from across our family of companies, to drive our growth strategy further. We are providing Canadians with unprecedented innovation, value, and excitement through great new brands such as Forward by Design and Diamondback, and the renovation of long-established brands such as Helly Hansen, Woods, Sherwood Hockey and Ripzone. Many of our Owned brands have earned a level of credibility that is on par with National brands and are sought after by consumers from across the country.

Brand Management is at the core of what we do within the Consumer Brands team, and a fundamental training ground for those looking to build their Brand/Marketing careers, and leadership capabilities. The strategic components that are required to build and manage our Owned Brands are an essential part of differentiating Canadian Tire and Sport Chek as a retailer in the Canadian marketplace and beyond. Given the General Management nature of Brand Management, there is significant interaction with key cross-functional partners, notably Customer Insights, Product Development, Content, Merchandising, E-Commerce, International, Strategic Marketing and Quality Assurance.

The portfolio of brands that the Associate Brand Manager position will oversee has a keen focus on the outdoors (camping, hiking, kayaking, adventure travel, and more). At the core, this category has an innate energy and passion that needs to be matched and harnessed by the successful candidate. Understanding the culture and subtle nuances within the outdoor industry will help the Associate Brand Manager connect with the consumer on an intimate level, while building/protecting/evolving their brands into desirable product families within Sport Chek, Atmosphere, Sports Experts, and Canadian Tire retail stores. The Associate Brand Manager position is categorized as a Connector, which means that the incumbent will be working with a variety of colleagues and partners to achieve business outcomes that require a hybrid approach of remote and in-office CTC campus presence (currently 1 day a week but this is subject to change). Key brands that the Associate Brand Manager will support include Woods, Outbound, and McKinley.

Other Key Responsibilities Include

The Associate Brand Manager will support the development and execution of multi-year and annual brand plans, including shared growth and financial targets designed to build equity and strengthen the brands’ financial contributions.

• Support new product launches by leading and developing go-to-market strategies, key storylines and messaging, and owned channel marketing tactics (in-store, digital, social, print, ecommerce, etc.)
• Write or coordinate the writing of packaging, ecommerce, and marketing copy
• Coordinate and attend brand photoshoots, providing creative direction on set to achieve the desired look and feel of content per brand
• Spearhead legal (Intellectual Property) claims as relevant across the portfolio in support of marketing objectives and related to the respective portfolio.
• Coordinate and manage product samples including shipping, receiving, and inventory management
• Provide brand support and content to retail marketing teams to ensure the brand is properly represented online and in-store
• Guide packaging execution to ensure brand standards are met, while delivering break through of key features and benefits in support of a better customer experience
• Proactively coordinate and communicate with cross-functional teams including Product, Design, Merchandising, and Strategic Marketing to develop and execute seasonal marketing initiatives, product launches, and special projects
• Write creative briefs and coordinate with external contractors such as agencies, photographers, producers, graphic designers, and copywriters
• Support the development of brand management processes and capabilities, including competitive analysis, architecture mapping, planning, measurement, standards, and governance
• Act as a brand steward, helping to protect and communicate the brands and their respective guidelines both internally and externally
• Analysis of market, competitive, retail sales and consumer data to generate insights and provide recommendations in support of annual and multi-year strategic brand planning
• Manage a brand ambassador program, community initiatives, and strategic partnerships
• Manage stand-alone brand website, working with the Digital team to refresh websites seasonally and create online resources, while identifying opportunities for improvements to design, user experience and content
• Monitor brand financial performance through identification of key drivers to support financial planning efforts and brand reporting
• Develop brand and product training content to support courses and programs for retail training teams

What You Bring

• Demonstrated ability to think creatively and strategically, with a strong business acumen and mindset
• Experience in the outdoor industry and/or a passion for the outdoors (you live and breathe it)
• Strong presentation skills with ability to adjust style, content, and format as required to suit the audience
• Proven ability to formulate recommendations based upon robust research, and assessment of risk/rewards
• Strong financial planning, analytical and data-driven decision-making skills
• Customer focused, with a drive for action and results.
• Adobe Creative suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) experience is preferred but not required
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Solid project management experience, with the ability to lead multiple cross-functional projects and budgets
• Post-secondary education in business, marketing and/or a related field
• Ability to work well cross-functionally; demonstrated ability to collaborate, influence and negotiate.
• 2-5 years brand management, marketing, category management, or consulting experience, ideally with a Tier 1 Packaged Goods organization or within a Mass Retailer
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; experience writing marketing copy is a plus

Hybrid

At Canadian Tire we value flexibility. We have adopted a hybrid work model whereby employees use a combination of working in office and virtually in service of outcomes. Each leader is empowered to decide what work is best achieved in person based on the unique needs of their team.

About Us

Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (“CTC”) is one of Canada’s most admired and trusted companies. With more than 90 Owned Brands, 1,700 retail locations, financial services, exemplary e-commerce capabilities, and exciting market-leading merchandising strategies. We dream big and work as one to innovate with purpose for our customers at every level of our business, investing in new technologies and products, and doubling down on top talent to drive the company forward. We offer competitive salaries and wages to CTC employees, as well as store discounts, supported learning through our Triangle Learning Academy, Canadian Tire Profit Sharing, and retirement and savings programs for eligible employees. As part of our enhanced flex benefits program, we offer mental health benefits in the amount of $5,000 per year for benefits-eligible employees and their families, including total well-being, and mental health tools and resources for all employees. Join us in helping to make life in Canada better through living and working our Core Values: we are innovators and entrepreneurs at our core, outcomes drive us, inclusion is a must, we are stronger together and we take personal responsibility. It is an especially exciting time to join CTC and its family of companies where career opportunities are wide-ranging! Join us, where there's a place for you here.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

We are committed to fostering an environment where belonging thrives, and diversity, inclusion and equity are infused into everything we do. We believe in building an organizational culture where people are consistently treated with dignity while respecting individual religion, nationality, gender, race, age, perceived ability, spoken language, sexual orientation, and identification. We are united in our purpose of being here to help make life in Canada better.

Accommodations

We stand firm in our Core Value that inclusion is a must. We welcome and encourage candidates from equity-seeking groups such as people who identify as racialized, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, women, people with disabilities, and beyond. Should you require any accommodation in applying for this role, or throughout the interview process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to help meet your needs.