Job Description

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  What You&rsquo;ll Do
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 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 exclusive Owned Brands have earned a level of credibility that is on par with top industry brands and are sought after by consumers from across the country.
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 Brand Management is at the core of what we do within the Consumer Brands team. It serves as a fundamental training ground for individuals looking to build their 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.
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 The portfolio of brands that the Associate Brand Manager position will oversee has a keen focus on cycling and wellness (bicycles and accessories, exercise, fitness, sport and more). As an Associate Brand Manager, you will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and understand what it takes to be a Brand Manager and lead strategic initiatives centred around understanding our brands, the role they play in the lives of consumers and how best to drive the business forward. Understanding the culture and subtle nuances within the recreational industry is an asset to building a connection with the end consumer while guiding the portfolio to develop desirable programs within Sport Chek, Sports Experts, and Canadian Tire retail stores. The Associate Brand Manager 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. Key brands that the Associate Brand Manager will support include Raleigh, Diamondback and Evoke.
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  Responsibilities
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 The Associate Brand Manager leads the development and execution of annual and multi-year brand plans, including shared growth and financial targets designed to build equity and strengthen the brands&rsquo; financial contributions. This role reports to the Brand Manager and plays an integral role within the Consumer Brands Division. Key accountabilities include brand strategy and architecture, business planning, brand development, financial management and reporting, new product launches, and overall brand governance and stewardship as products are brought to market. Key responsibilities in this role centre around five key areas:
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  Strategic Brand Planning
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 : Lead the development of brand and marketing strategies (in partnership with key cross functional teams) through insight analysis, marketing plan development to deliver brand and category metrics in sales, penetration, NPS, and profitable growth. Key focus areas include:
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   Demonstrate a deep understanding of the CONTEXT, CATEGORY, COMPETITION, CONSUMER, CHANNEL, and COMPANY analysis as well as PRODUCT, PRICE, PLACE and PROMOTION
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   Develop key insights leveraging multiple data sources, contributing to the development of a multi-year and annual roadmap for the brand(s). In this role, the ABM will need to demonstrate a firm grasp of different types of qualitative and quantitative research (Consumer panel and concept testing, performance metrics etc.) to garner insights, understand measures of brand health, and leverage consumer segmentation as a tool in building brand strategies and tactics.
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   The evaluation of brand health and portfolio architecture to facilitate the prioritization of investment options and resource allocation that will drive brand portfolio growth.
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   On select portfolios, lead the creation of brand(s) with foundational development, acquisition integration support, brand framework and guidelines to support expansion opportunities and guardrails against competitors.
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   Evaluation of brand foundational elements (positioning, consumer target, brand DNA, competitive set etc.) and necessary refinements to ensure brand relevance for the future.
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  Business Management
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 : Leverage knowledge of the business, Canadian Tire Retail (CTR) and Sport Chek / Sports Experts (FGL) economics and processes to make informed recommendations that result in maximizing brand and financial health. Key focus areas include:
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   Develop and lead the brand growth agenda by working with cross-functional teams such as Merchandising, Strategic Marketing, Product Development, Store Operations, Quality Assurance, and others to support in the achievement of short-term and long-term performance targets.
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   Understand the key leverage points of the P&amp;L (sales, margin, operating expenses etc.) and support the implementation and management of tactics to enable the brand to deliver financial plan.
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   Monitor brand performance through identification of key drivers in collaboration with business partners, including identifying action plans to mitigate risks and capitalize on opportunities to deliver short and long-term financial goals (ex. gap and contingency planning through monthly Integrated Business Reviews).
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   Assess consumer experience brand health measures (Quality, Post-Purchase Program, Ratings &amp; Reviews etc.) to identify risks and opportunities to the business and strategic recommendations and action plans as required.
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   Effectively manage payment processing and tracking to align with operating expense management (monthly actuals, accrual tracking, reforecasting).
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  Product / Packaging Innovation and Commercialization
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 : In collaboration with key cross-functional partners, identify, develop, prioritize and execute effective product, packaging and merchandising innovation to drive customer and channel growth opportunities. Key focus areas include:
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   Help define innovation strategy (with alignment from Merchandising and Product Development) to determine pipeline mix and prioritization of initiatives to deliver the category, brand and corporate objectives and innovation guardrails.
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   Conduct needs assessments, opportunity identification and concept development based on insights and system knowledge in order to facilitate the Owned Brand Assortment Plan (OBAP) for future seasons in collaboration with Merchandising and Product Development with supportive research as required.
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   Depending on project complexity (New Product Development vs. Turnkey), take ownership of the OBAP through the milestone and line review process, aligning with key stakeholders and escalating as appropriate on risks to the business.
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   Develop the packaging strategy brief and align with internal packaging on execution and adaptive requirements to maintain brand consistency and communicate to consumers effectively (Packaging guide, brand adaptation etc.).
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   Maintain and evolve the Visual Brand Identity for application to product and packaging design in partnership with Product Development and Packaging.
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   Work in partnership with Product Development, Quality Assurance, Legal and Insights to define compelling claims for packaging and other strategic channels.
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  Brand Communications &amp; Promotional Planning
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 : Partner with Strategic Marketing, Communications, and Digital teams on Integrated Brand Communications Strategy and initiatives to ensure high quality, effective communications that delivers the intended message to the target audience in the order to build brand equity and support long-term financial performance. Key focus areas include:
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   Lead, develop, and support the presentation of the Integrated Brand Brief, and align with Strategic Marketing on seasonal pushes. Identify the strategic objective(s) for the brand(s) relative to the brand strategy and positioning, including core elements needed to support the communications brief to the agency and internal partners with mandatories and considerations.
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   Identify the target channels and asset requirements to support brand objectives.
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   Engage with Cross-Functional partners in post campaign tracking/results to gain learnings in the refinement of Communications Strategy for future application.
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   Work in partnership with relevant cross functional partners to determine the promotional strategy to meet brand, consumer, category and channel objectives to drive retail activity, distribution and financial goals.
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  System Alignment
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 : Establish effective working relationships with key stakeholders (i.e. internal functions, Dealers/Store Committees, Distributors) and understand the formal and informal communication processes in order to effectively gain alignment and create momentum and excitement to drive brand initiatives. Key focus areas include:
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   Build and nurture strong working relationships to gain alignment, support and excitement in the execution of brand strategy.
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   Ensure effective internal and external communication of program details, brand objectives and results among key stakeholder groups.
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   Help support the creation of targeted &ldquo;sell stories&rdquo; for Merchandising, Dealers, and International Partners (where relevant) that demonstrate an understanding and conviction of the brand business goals while maximizing the CTR/FGL organization's strategic plan.
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   Gain insights on consumer pain points and opportunities through market tours, store visits, competitive shops, etc.
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   Demonstrate effective project management skills by leading multiple projects and initiatives and rallying teams to achieve measurable results for each brand.
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  What You Bring
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   Post-secondary education in business and/or a related field.
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   3-5 years of Brand Management, Marketing, or Category Management experience, ideally with a Tier 1 Packaged Goods organization or within a Mass Retailer.
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   Solid business acumen, experience working with a P&amp;L and/or financial business cases.
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   Proven ability to formulate recommendations based upon robust amounts of data and provide a strong assessment of risk/opportunities that consider multiple variables.
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   Demonstrated ability in analytical thinking and data-driven decision making.
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   Strong project management skills and/or experience.
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   Proven ability to collaborate and influence key stakeholders.
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   Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships.
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  Hybrid
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 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.
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  About Us
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 Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (&ldquo;CTC&rdquo;) is one of Canada&rsquo;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.
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  Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
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 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.
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  Accommodations
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 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.
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