Program Specialist - Contract

Loblaw Agency is our newly minted, in-house creative agency within our Marketing team and we are hiring many new exciting roles! At Loblaw Agency, we expertly translate our customers’ needs into real, engaging work that speaks to Canadians and drives brand love. Join our growing team and come dream up original creative for some of Canada’s most loved and trusted brands!

Loblaw is Canada's food and pharmacy leader, and the nation's largest retailer. Loblaw provides Canadians with grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, financial services and wireless mobile products and services. With more than 2,400 corporate, franchised and Associate-owned locations, Loblaw, its franchisees and Associate-owners employ approximately 200,000 employees, making it one of Canada's largest private sector employers.

Loblaw's purpose – Live Life Well® – puts first the needs and well-being of Canadians who make one billion transactions annually in the company's stores. Loblaw is positioned to meet and exceed those needs in many ways: convenient locations; more than 1,050 grocery stores that span the value spectrum from discount to specialty; full-service pharmacies at nearly 1,400 Shoppers Drug Mart® and Pharmaprix® locations and close to 500 Loblaw locations; PC Financial® services; affordable Joe Fresh® fashion and family apparel; and a couple of Canada's top brands in President’s Choice and no name®.

We are looking for an experienced Program Specialist to join our team. Reporting to the Sr. Program Manager, the position will collaborate with internal and external partners to plan and implement 360° campaigns from conception to delivery. The chosen candidate will play an integral role in our Loblaw Agency Team to develop ideas in support of our famous President’s Choice® and PC Optimum™ brands.

The Program Specialist will both plan for and run the critical path of major marketing initiatives through the creation of project plans. This role will help organize the project through dependencies, major turning points and partner check-ins, in addition to coordinating input from all chipping in parties. If you are excited about working on President’s Choice, Canada’s number 1 and most trusted CPG brand and PC Optimum, the #1 loyalty program in Canada and if you thrive in an engaging, fast-paced environment, we’d like to meet you. Like now.

Key Responsibilities - Planning, brand collaboration and communication

• Project intake and planning; assessing project requirements including key dates/achievements, tasks, budget, resources and hours estimation to prepare the project plan
• Resourcing; working with subject area leads to define, schedule and bring in the key players to build an effective cross-functional team
• Ensure meetings are outcome driven with clear decisions and next steps
• Lead weekly status meetings across tactical phases with respective partners, leading brand team deliverables against schedule
• Work with brand managers to understand the overall business goals, dependencies and creative objectives to resolve how to support the project through a streamlined delivery process and drive administrative accountability

Key Responsibilities -Project management

• Actively lead the day-to-day project progress and communicate team updates as necessary to ensure the integrated knowledge of project status and next steps
• Risk management; proactively flagging risks/issues to scope, budget, timing or resourcing to key players and find solutions to bring project back on track
• Develop key communication and project documents, lead the distribution, upload and maintenance of all files within the central platform (Workfront)
• Schedule project development tasks and updates; anticipate changes and pivot plan accordingly to propel project forward
• Track project health; monitor hours and approvals against budget, project completion rates and scope and report on progress

Key Responsibilities - Creative and production management

• Lead the integration amongst various marketing, advertising and PR partners to ensure brand consistency, compliance, legal, marketing and trademark rules are adhered to
• Develop task briefs and creative documentation, communicate clear asset requirements, translations, feedback and deadlines. Book internal meetings, quality control check, review and run revisions and partner approvals
• Understand the development, specifications and production of assets per media plan including, social, digital, OOH, print and broadcast. Working with media partners to build and traffic assets into market
• Lead the planning, development and output of tactical creative elements from the creative team. Run assets and versions control
• Production oversight; collaborate with creative leads and producers, internal and external throughout all stages, communicating deliverables, brand requirements and budget management from concept to execution (video, photo, animation and social content)

What You'll Need

• Ability to lead exercise leadership, motivate collaborates with all team members, building trust and camaraderie
• Knowledge and curiosity of the growing technology landscape
• Bachelor's degree in related field
• 2+ years’ experience in an integrated project management/producer role in an agency environment with client-facing experience a plus
• Strong problem-solving skills, can address issues with immediate and creative solutions while keeping the big picture in tact
• Able to work in an agile environment, adapting to change and comfortable working with the unknowns, prioritizing and pivoting where needed to propel project forward
• Effective multi-tasker with strong critical thinking and attention to detail
• Highly organized, you have experience and understand the creative process of multi-channel production from concept to execution
• Proven experience in handling cross-functional teams effectively, you remain focused, calm and efficient under pressure
• Proficient with project management tools and methodologies

At Loblaw Agency, we seek great people to continually strengthen our culture. We believe great people model our values, are authentic, build trust and make connections.

Come and join a winning team who demonstrates innovation, energy, creativity and vision. We recognize the importance of a diverse workforce and we therefor encourage applications from Aboriginal Peoples, women, members of a visible minority and persons with a disability. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.