Director, Brand

Job Description - Director, Brand & Communications
Job Title:
Director, Brand & Communications

Department:
Marketing & Communications

Reports To:
President & CEO

Overview
: The Director, Brand & Communications is a senior strategic leader responsible for strengthening, protecting, and evolving the Edmonton Elks brand across all touchpoints. This role oversees brand strategy, communications, public relations, content development, creative governance, and reputation management.

The Director provides strategic leadership of football communications through the Manager, Football Communications & Player Relations, ensuring football storylines and personalities are integrated into the broader brand narrative.

This role works as an equal partner to the Director, Marketing & Revenue Development to ensure brand integrity and revenue generation are mutually reinforcing. Together, they collaborate on unified campaign development, shared creative alignment, enhanced fan experience, gameday storytelling, data-informed planning, sponsor activation, and partnership integration.

Key Responsibilities
Brand Leadership & Reputation

• Develop and evolve brand strategy to strengthen relevance, reach, and affinity.
• Maintain and enforce brand standards (visual + verbal) across all channels.
• Ensure storytelling and messaging align with Club values and enhance reputation.
• Monitor brand sentiment and lead proactive reputation management.
• Align brand direction with organizational goals and strategic priorities.

Communications & Public Relations

• Lead Club-wide communications strategy, including earned media and press engagement.
• Serve as spokesperson or designate spokespeople as appropriate.
• Build and maintain strong media relationships locally and nationally.
• Oversee development, timing, and quality of press releases, media kits, and organizational announcements.
• Lead crisis and issue communications planning and execution.
• Oversee internal communications to support alignment, culture, and engagement.
• Provide editorial oversight to ensure strategic, consistent storytelling across platforms.

Content & Storytelling Strategy

• Guide editorial frameworks highlighting players, coaches, alumni, fans, partnerships, and community impact.
• Oversee strategic planning and governance of annual content and storytelling themes.
• Ensure content appears consistently across web, social, broadcast, print, and gameday environments.
• Partner with Marketing/Digital to ensure content supports audience and engagement growth.
• Ensure Club history, key narratives, and data are accurately integrated.

Leadership & Operations

• Provide strategic directions to the Manager, Football Communications & Player Relations.
• Ensure football-related messaging aligns with overall brand strategy.
• Support major football announcements and sensitive communication situations.
• Oversee integration of football storytelling across digital, social, broadcast, and community platforms.
• Establish KPIs and reporting frameworks.
• Oversee departmental budgeting, planning, and resource allocation.
• Champion cross-departmental collaboration.
• Support Club-wide revenue, data integration, and fan engagement goals.

Fan Experience, Partnerships & Community Integration

• Ensure brand storytelling enhances fan experience throughout the customer journey.

• Collaborate with Partnerships + Marketing & Revenue Development to:

• Integrate sponsor storytelling + messaging

• Support partnership value delivery

• Align commercial initiatives with brand voice

• Strengthen sponsor activation + integration

• Amplify community initiatives through strategic content + media

Collaborative Partnership with Director, Marketing & Revenue Development

To Ensure Brand And Revenue Work In Tandem

• Unified campaign planning and execution
• Shared creative alignment
• Gameday storytelling and promotional execution
• Fan experience design and enhancement
• Data-driven insight sharing and planning
• Sponsor integration and activation

Qualifications & Experience

• 7+ years in brand, communications, PR, and/or marketing; sports/entertainment an asset.
• Proven experience developing and executing brand and communications strategies.
• Demonstrated success as spokesperson, strong media relationships.
• Experience in crisis + issues management.
• Leadership experience managing staff and external partners.
• Exceptional storytelling, writing, and narrative development.
• Cross-functional collaboration supporting major announcements and events.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong business and brand acumen
• Excellent written and verbal communicator
• Strong editorial judgment
• Creative, detail-oriented, innovative
• Organized, proactive, adaptable
• Able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Leadership presence and integrity

Working Conditions

• Full-time; evenings, weekends, and holidays required during games and events.
• Occasional travel for away games and community activations.