Director, Canadian Brand Strategy and Management

You are as unique as your background, experience and point of view. Here, you’ll be encouraged, empowered and challenged to be your best self. You'll work with dynamic colleagues - experts in their fields - who are eager to share their knowledge with you. Your leaders will inspire and help you reach your potential and soar to new heights. Every day, you'll have new and exciting opportunities to make life brighter for our Clients - who are at the heart of everything we do. Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world.

**20-month contract**

The Director, Canadian Brand Strategy and Management is a key position in the Brand and Marketing Services Centre of Excellence (COE), requiring an experienced professional who has extensive knowledge of brand strategy and brand management.

Based in either Toronto, Waterloo or Montreal and reporting to the AVP, Brand & Marketing Services, you will be responsible for establishing strategic brand frameworks, defining unique value propositions powered by Client insights, needs and emotional drivers.

You will steward and provide brand support and guidance to our business partners, sharing best practices to enhance the health and impact of the Sun Life brand in Canada.

In this position, you will also take on the role of a “strategic brand storyteller”. By building strong connections around our brand purpose, value proposition, strategy and business objectives, you will report brand metrics to increase and protect the equity of our brand. The goal is to support brand governance, to ensure we are living the brand essence and following our brand guidelines.

As the Director, Canadian Brand Strategy and Management, you will also lead or support key strategic initiatives such as product launches, new business partnerships, etc.

**What will you do?**
- Build a measurement-driven brand strategy for Sun Life in Canada
- Articulate recommendations to advance the Sun Life brand equity and work with stakeholders to ensure brand alignment across a wide range of projects and channels
- Help crafting a noticeably differentiated brand for Clients and prospects in Canada
- Actively support Brand governance, ensuring brand strategy and OneSun alignment in Client-facing material
- Develop value propositions and market positioning for the Sun Life Brand, pillars and proof points, etc.
- Support our BU partners on their UVP and market positioning exercises to create market differentiation and grow our business
- Act as the Brand health ambassador in Canada, identifying gaps and opportunities for the business and marketing initiatives
- Lead or actively support Brand strategic initiatives such as product launches and new business partnerships in close collaboration with internal/external partners
- Lead consumer and/or market research to improve brand experience, brand health, our business outcomes, and deepen our understanding of Client motivations, emotions, barriers and behaviours
- Lead the holistic brand content strategy. Lead the planning process and oversee executions for organic social and other owned channels
- Provide brand-related training opportunities to elevate our branded output, marketing results, expertise and skills set. Develop content so that it is accessible, actionable, and relevant for a multidisciplinary audience
- Support Global Marketing on Sun Life’s brand architecture model and lead the branding process for the Canadian market by providing guidance and recommendations around branding and naming requests

**What do you need to succeed?**
- At least 10 years of brand strategy & management experience. This leader brings best-in-class expertise and ensures best practice and consistency in brand management
- Experience in conceptualizing, implementing and managing a differentiating brand vision and strategy
- Strong understanding of digital marketing and Client Experience best practices
- This individual must be credible, have outstanding communication skills, be able to roll up their sleeves and participate as an active member of an energetic team
- Interpersonal skills and the ability to articulate recommended strategies and positions backed by factual content are essential
- Self-starting and self-motivating; proactive
- Understanding of the omni-channel experience with the proven ability to think through multi-channels and tie the experience together
- Initiative to engage, impact and influence stakeholders and decision-makers across the Sun Life organization
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with changing priorities, in a complex organization
- Exposure to working in highly regulated environments, with the ability to introduce innovation in this context
- Experience with agency management and advertising campaign development, from ideation to in-market executions
- As this position is posted in several locations, we specify that bilingualism (French, English, both oral and w