Senior Manager, Public Relations

Dedicated to telling stories and creating experiences, Indigo is always looking for bright, energetic and customer-focused people who can help bring our exciting mission to life in one of our more than 170 Indigo, Indigospirit, Chapters and Coles stores across Canada. We offer a variety of exciting opportunities at our retail stores, distribution centres, and home office for people who share our passions and want to be part of a dynamic and enriching culture.

WHO WE ARE

• We love books and all things beautiful
• We are Canada's Cultural Department Store
• Books are our heart and our soul and Great Books are JUST the Beginning…

We play by the following rules:

• We exist to add joy to our customers' lives each and every time they interact with us and our products
• Our job is to create joyful moments for our customers
• We treat each other the way we'd treat a valued friend
• We inspire each other to do our best work
• We seek to ignite creativity and innovation every day
• We give back to the communities in which we operate

The Senior Manager of Public Relations is responsible for building and managing Indigo's brand awareness and corporate reputation through a mix of earned and paid external communication strategies. This role leads proactive, accurate, and meaningful conversations regarding Indigo and guides public relations efforts to amplify brand and product news.

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Manage the execution and delivery of communications campaigns on target, on time, and within budget.
• Deliver brand recognition, product placement and media coverage goals
• Quantity and quality of media coverage for key Indigo messages and events
• Successfully represent Indigo's brand and vision in all public opportunities
• Drive team engagement
• Media hits, impressions & sentiment
• Book influencer reach, impact, and cost-per-impression (CPI)

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategic

• Develop and implement an integrated communications strategy for the organization that builds and maintains Indigo's positive brand and corporate reputation.
• Lead proactive, accurate and meaningful conversations with Canadian media and cultural tastemakers to amplify Indigo's mission to inspire reading credibly
• Lead corporate communications strategy across external channels
• Guide impactful public relations and influencer strategy and team
• Maintain a high level of strategic foresight by identifying customer and business needs and adjusting departmental and team objectives accordingly
• Develop and manage media business relationships and co-promotions to support Indigo's positioning strategy

Functional

• Deliver integrated communications strategy across all channels, internal and external:
  • Corporate Communications - Develop and continually refresh an annual external corporate communication strategy and plan for key business initiatives through numerous channels, including digital, print, email, interactive, video, influencers and others that may not yet be used.
  • Public Relations - Guide team to positively position Indigo brand and products in the market and amongst tastemakers
• Craft press releases, talking points and other media materials
• Manage PR agency of record
• Oversee Indigo.ca press room
• Support crisis communications, issues management and messaging
• Collaborate with the team on seasonal storytelling angles to maximize interest in brand and product releases
• Partner with internal subject matter experts to write and edit high-impact, on-brand communication content
• Secure media interviews with key Indigo stakeholders
• Act as corporate spokesperson and responds to members of the media in a timely manner
• Develop and maintain positive professional relationships with various members of the press, influencers and their agencies, and thought leaders
• Oversee Public Relations activities and initiatives, including:
  • Develop and present briefs to the agency, providing strategic direction and oversight of campaigns
  • Manage day-to-day PR activities internally and with the agency
  • Develop media programs and materials that support ongoing marketing activities (including media previews, product launches, events, calendar opportunities, Love of Reading, influencer and media relations)
  • Identify new opportunities for team members through placements in media, managing scheduling and briefing
• Oversee adult lifestyle influencer marketing activities, including:
  • Serve as primary contact for adult lifestyle influencer marketing programs cross-functionally, overseeing content creation across multiple platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and more
  • Responsible for all communications with influencers, including content management, contract negotiations, program ideation and briefing, data collection
  • Conduct post-campaign evaluation process/management, identifying key learnings and opportunities for improvement, keeping abreast of emerging trends and technologies.
  • Manage influencer marketing technology platform and database
• Set/adhere to team budgets, as applicable
• Act as an advocate for the customer by placing them at the forefront of all design and decision-making processes.
• Embrace and seek out technology that creates high-tech and high-touch solutions for Indigo's customers.
• Proactively identify and anticipate customer expectations and needs
• Challenge the status quo by consistently identifying areas for improvement, diagnosing issues and working to resolve them

People

• Build strong teams by attracting and developing the best talent
• Bring out the best in others, empower and constructively stretch talent
• Give authentic feedback on performance and potential
• Ensure all team members understand where they stand and have clear performance objectives aligned with Indigo and team goals
• Collaborate with others to drive flexible and iterative solutions quickly and easily
• Share technical knowledge with others and actively seek to learn from those more knowledgeable than yourself
• Help others see the impacts of their efforts and proactively engage other functions to get input
• Encourage others to freely share their point of view and be open to feedback

Cultural

• Model Indigo's beliefs and convey a positive image in everything you do
• Celebrate the diversity of thought and have an open mindset
• Take an active role in fostering a culture of continual learning, taking risks without the fear of making mistakes
• Embrace, champion, and influence change through your team and/or the organization

SCOPE

Reports to: Chief Marketing Officer

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• Marketing Leadership Team
• Chief Administration Officer
• Chief Financial Officer
• Chief Customer Officer
• Merchants
• Marketing/Events
• Retail Operations
• Social Media/Content
• Creative Studio
• Legal

External:

• PR Agency of Record
• External Partners, i.e. Governor General's Literary Awards, Writers' Trust of Canada
• National, Regional and local media, influencers and bloggers, and their agencies

Work Experience / Education / Certifications

• Minimum 8 years experience in a communications function with a focus on communications that inspire people
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; exceptional ability to craft messaging to reach and engage diverse audiences
• Post-secondary education in Communications, Journalism, English/Writing, or a related discipline
• A portfolio that confirms strong writing skills, impeccable proofreading skills, and proven ability to leverage print, digital, and video mediums to support communication goals, aesthetic and creative flare

Competencies / Skills / Attributes

• Strong understanding of the Canadian media landscape, traditional and social media
• Complete comfort level with working "the entire communications vertical" - from strategy development to content creation to implementation coordination and administration
• Strong understanding of brand positioning implications with a professional and polished approach
• Strong existing relationships with key media and social influencers
• Excellent judgment regarding what is newsworthy and promotable and how to position news as relevant to the media and their audience
• Relationship-building skills that influence thinking and outcomes through professional credibility
• Ability to effectively manage multiple time-sensitive projects with grace
• Ability to work with and within cross-functional teams to manage work-load and meet deadlines
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills

#LI-Hybrid

At Indigo, we are committed to our communities, our customers, and each other; together we can make a positive impact. We know that fostering diversity and inclusion brings out your full potential and creates a joyful and welcoming environment for everyone. We are driven to be an equitable employer, which highly values your diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that you, in all your uniqueness, belong at Indigo. We welcome all applicants and encourage applications from individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, a person of colour, LGBTQ2+ and people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request to individuals who self-identify as having a disability or special need. Please contact Human Resources at Support-HR@indigo.ca if you require an accommodation at any time during the recruitment process.

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