Manager, Brand

Armstrong Collective is the parent company of Rocky Mountaineer and Canyon Spirit, unforgettable rail experiences in Western Canada and the American Southwest. Since 1990, we have grown to become the largest privately-owned luxury rail company in the world, having welcomed over 2.4 million guests onboard. We are committed to living our values: Create Meaningful Moments, Be One Team, Achieve Extraordinary Outcomes. We foster a work environment of respect, integrity, and honesty; where diversity is valued, and talent is developed to support the growth of our team members and our company.

Purpose

The Manager, Brand & Content Marketing plays a critical role by leading integrated brand and content marketing strategies and initiatives to elevate Armstrong Collective and its portfolio of brands, including Rocky Mountaineer and Canyon Spirit. This role is responsible for building and maintaining a strong, clear brand presence across the entire customer journey, and all paid and owned channels, change to support in the planning and development of projects for Armstrong Collective and/or projects that span multiple Armstrong Collective brands

Key Areas of Accountability

Brand & Content Marketing Strategy and Planning

• Translate of strategic initiatives and imperatives into actionable brand and content marketing strategies aligned to target metrics and business growth.
• Lead the execution of brand strategy, including sub-brand positioning and identity development, and asset planning and management.
• Drive storytelling and content strategies that bring the brand to life through meaningful and emotive content across all paid and owned channels.
• Monitor trends, competitive activity, and content performance, leveraging insights to ensure brand relevance, differentiation, and continuous optimization of strategies.
• Identify innovative ways for the brand's purpose to be experienced by guests and partners.
• Leverage best practices and data-driven insights to evolve content strategies, increase engagement, and deliver measurable growth.
• Manage the execution of SEO strategies to maximize visibility, optimize content performance, and drive organic traffic across owned channels.
• Work closely with the Social Media team to integrate any brand or content initiatives to ensure maximization our reach through social media accounts.
• Support in the planning and development of Armstrong Collective brand projects as required.

Integrated Marketing Campaigns

• Lead the creative development and execution of integrated brand and promotional campaigns, from creative brief to launch.
• Build and manage relationships with external partners, including creative agencies, writers, and designers.
• Oversee brand and content strategies for owned channels including website and email, ensuring alignment with brand voice and SEO best practices, in partnership with cross-functional partners, to drive revenue growth.
• Provide direction on social media integration to maintain campaign continuity across all platforms.
• Work with the Media team to develop and execute annual strategic sponsored content partnerships.
• Foster a data-driven culture by working with external and internal research partners, and Media team to analyze performance, measure effectiveness, and optimize campaign initiatives.

Content Development

• Lead the internal team and external partners in creating meaningful, emotive content including long- and short form video and blogs that brings the brand to life and drives awareness and consideration.
• Provide training and oversight to a team that creates high-quality and engaging blog content pieces that follow platform best practices, are optimized for search, drive engagement and reach
• Oversee internal team and external writers to ensure editorial and copywriting support across all owned marketing channels

Owned Channel Collaboration

• Collaborate with the Digital Marketing team to shape and guide website content strategy and development through a brand-led lens, ensuring consistency and impact across the customer journey.
• Partner with Digital Marketing to support the development of email nurture streams, bringing a strong brand and storytelling perspective to drive engagement and conversion.
• Work closely with the Social Media team to provide compelling, brand-aligned content that enhances channel performance.

Brand and Guest Experience Initiatives

• Champion brand consistency in all touchpoints across the end-to-end customer journey.
• Collaborate with the Customer Insights team to identify opportunities to enhance the end-to-end customer journey and embed insights into the brand and content marketing plans.
• Oversee development of content that supports guests at every stage of the customer journey, enhancing engagement and understanding of the end-to-end experience.
• Work collaboratively with the Guest Experience team to continually optimize our brand experience, including the delivery of our annual guest experience program.

Product Development and Optimization

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams within the organization to develop new products.
• Lead a cross-functional marketing team to execute go-to-market marketing strategies for new product launches.
• Work collaboratively with the Product Operations team to continually optimize our product offering
• Maintain a pulse on trends and opportunities and track competitors to ensure our brand stays meaningful and relevant to our current and future guests

Budget Management

• Manage the $1 million+ brand and content marketing budget, including invoice management, expense reconciliation and monthly forecasting.
• Develop plans that identify spending requirements for operational budgets on an annual basis.

Stakeholder Relations and People Management

• Hire, lead, and develop a high-performing Brand & Content marketing team, fostering a collaborative and innovative culture to deliver high-impact work.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships to ensure alignment and successful delivery of initiatives.
• Serve as a brand and content subject matter expert, providing guidance on enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Champion the Brand & Content marketing team's work across the organization through clear, timely communication.
• Continuously optimize processes and systems to improve efficiency and business outcomes for the team.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, or related discipline (education in design is an asset).

Experience

• 8+ years in brand and content marketing, with experience in B2C and B2B environments.
• 5+ years of people leadership and project management experience.
• Proven track record in developing successful integrated marketing campaigns, and brand and content strategies.
• Experience in travel/tourism sector and with creative and media agencies is an asset.

Skills

• Adept at developing people and building and managing teams, with a team-first mindset.
• Strong strategic thinking and enterprise mindset.
• Intermediate design skills or knowledge and a sharp, experienced creative eye.
• Excellent storytelling, copywriting, and editorial skills.
• Strong business acumen, analytical skills, and budget management experience.
• Ability to negotiate win/win solutions with external creative partners on budget, deliverables, and timelines.
• Strong guest-first mindset.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Effective multi-tasking and prioritization.
• High proficiency in MS Office.
• Knowledge of media planning and buying is considered an asset.
• Familiarity with marketing and design tools such as Marketo, Salesforce, content management systems and Adobe Creative Suite, is considered an asset.

Attributes

• People-first leadership
• Collaborative team player with a positive, professional demeanor
• Creative and critical thinker with confidence in expressing ideas
• Detail-oriented and proactive, with pride in delivering high-quality work
• Comfortable in fast-paced, agile environments
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability

Work Environment

• Must be legally entitled to work in Canada
• Corporate Office – Vancouver based; hybrid role with a minimum 3 days / week in the office

Compensation

The base salary offered for this role is $92,000 to $112,000 per annum and can vary based on job-related expertise, qualifications, experience and internal equity. Eligible for Armstrong Collective's discretionary bonus program.

Eligible Benefits

Armstrong Collective supports our team members' health and wellness by providing a comprehensive medical plan with 100% employer paid premiums, some of which includes:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance
• Short term disability, long term disability benefits
• Travel emergency assistance
• Vacation time and sick time
• Up to 5% RRSP and/or TSFA match
• Two complimentary annual train tickets after first year of employment

The company is an equal opportunity employer, driven by our values of Creating Meaningful Moments, Being One Team, and Achieving Extraordinary Outcomes. Our strong company culture supports our vision of a diverse, open, safe, and respectful workplace. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members. If you require any accommodation during the application process or throughout your employment, please let us know. We will work with you to ensure your needs are met and to create a supportive environment.

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This job description is not exhaustive of all duties and will encompass additional duties assigned. Responsibilities, title, reporting structure and duties may be changed in response to business requirements.