Marketing & Communications Specialist

Food Banks Mississauga's vision is a Mississauga where everyone is food secure. We lead our agency network to realize a food-secure Mississauga by providing and promoting access to healthy and appropriate food.

Accepting applications until May 9, 2024.

Job Purpose

• Are you a wordsmith? Do you have experience crafting copy for websites, press releases, social media, and digital ads? Is project management your jam? If you also have a passion for community work and want to make a difference in the food insecurity space, this Marketing & Communications Specialist role is for you!
• Food Banks Mississauga is looking for an experienced marketer to join the Marketing & Communications team. In this role, you will embody Food Banks Mississauga's brand tone and voice as you craft and lead communications for the organization while project managing shared services requests and generating leads through marketing campaigns. You will be the voice behind our brand, working collaboratively with your peers to execute and deliver results!
• Apply your marketing and communications knowledge to support campaigns that inspire people to give, grow our community of donors, and help support our agency network to ensure neighbours facing food insecurity can access the healthy and appropriate food they need.

Key Performance Areas

External Marketing & Communications (70%)

• Media Relations & Communications
  • Write press releases, media advisories, speaking notes, scripts etc. to increase brand reach and visibility in the community.
  • Lead execution and support the Marketing Coordinator in content development for web graphics, campaign materials and other print and digital promotional materials.
  • Work with the Director of Marketing & Communications to establish appropriate messaging for specific audiences on and offline, including but not limited to major campaigns (Thanksgiving, Holiday, Spring), annual impact reports, etc.
  • Execute a communications strategy that balances:
    • Support for fundraising campaigns
    • Recognition and gratitude for philanthropic gifts,
    • Information about the Food Banks Mississauga network and the need for food support in Mississauga
    • Amplification of advocacy messages and actions that improve food security for all
  • Support the Marketing Coordinator in the client stories collection process and how they are used across the organization.
  • Work with the Marketing Coordinator to track and evaluate all earned media.
  • Seek out and engage Mississauga-based content creators and public personalities to partner with to amplify Food Banks Mississauga's campaigns and initiatives.
• Website
  • Manage the website and act as the main point of contact across the organization for all website updates.
  • Work with the Marketing Coordinator to ensure the integrity of our web presence, including developing and reviewing any content that gets published.
  • Manage and optimize Google Analytics 4 and Tag Manager, producing and sharing quarterly reports to drive marketing and other organizational decisions.
  • Problem-solve digital pain points and challenges as they arise, proposing data-driven solutions.
• Social Media Strategy
  • Optimize and oversee the organic and paid social media strategy to continuously grow each platform, inform our community of supporters and generate leads.
  • Oversee the social media content calendar and work with the Marketing Coordinator to ensure all social content is on brand and reflective of Food Banks Mississauga.
  • Execute paid social media campaigns with the Marketing Coordinator:
    • Identify target audiences
    • Provide direction for content (copy and creative) and channels
    • Budget allocation
    • Ongoing testing, maintenance and optimization
    • Set reporting metrics and continually monitor results
    • Produce post-campaign reports and analysis
  • Collaborate with the Development team to ensure that social media campaign content is in line with campaign materials managed by an external direct response agency.
  • Ensure community management and engagement are carried out in alignment with strategy and in a timely manner with the Marketing Coordinator.
  • Pull and analyze organic social media data to produce reports and, working with the Marketing Coordinator, make informed recommendations on overall strategy and content to create to increase engagement on all platforms.
• Advertising
  • Recommend, plan and organize traditional and digital advertising opportunities that fit within the department budget, and work with external vendors and internal collaborators to execute.
  • Execute and manage lead generation campaigns and identify lead generation integrations and optimizations to existing platforms (WordPress, Mailchimp etc.).
• Email marketing
  • Act as the main point of contact for all mass communications going out across the organization via Mailchimp.
  • Manage email marketing subscriber list in Mailchimp in collaboration with the Development team.
  • Work with all departments to ensure all external communications are on brand and fit our organizational tone. Work with each project lead and provide strategic recommendations in regard to messaging, CTAs, audience and timing.
  • Support the Marketing Coordinator in building and developing emails.
  • Manage integrated calendar to ensure an appropriate schedule for all external communications.

Internal Communications (20%)

• Own Food Banks Mississauga's brand voice, ensuring all departments are using consistent and relevant messaging.
• Write accurate and concise organization-wide key talking points, ensure they are up-to-date, and share them with all departments to support a unified voice across all departments.
• Develop organization-wide advocacy messages in collaboration with the Strategic Initiatives team and update based on current events, changes to government policies etc.
• Project manage and act as the primary point of contact for collaborative projects with other departments, ensuring systems are upheld to ensure consistency for shared service requests while balancing department capacity.
• Draft and/or review communications created by other departments to ensure alignment.
• Based on best practices, identify internal opportunities to create systems for sharing information and the appropriate resources to support the organization (templates, talking points).
• Work with the Marketing Coordinator and the Development team to ensure that all sponsorship and grants marketing deliverables are completed on time.

Other Duties as Assigned (10%)

Education and Experience

• Required: A university degree or college diploma in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience
• Required: 5+ years of experience in a marketing and communications role. Professional, non-profit experience preferred!
• Strong project management and collaboration skills, including the ability to manage varying volumes of work and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated experience in:
  • Overseeing and using applications to support project management (Basecamp), website management (WordPress), social media reporting and management (Hootsuite, Meta Business Manager) and email marketing (Mailchimp).
  • Digital advertising, conversion tracking and analyzing and reporting on social media and digital marketing metrics with the latest analytics software (Google Analytics 4, Tag Manager and Google Ads), SEO best practices, and search engine algorithms.
  • Graphic design (Would be a bonus!)

Skills, Competencies, and Qualities

• A passion for mission-driven work and personal values aligned with those of Food Banks Mississauga. Concern for and interest in issues of poverty reduction, food security, and social justice with eagerness to continue learning.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to tailor communications to different audiences and stakeholders.
• Self-sufficient problem-solver with the desire to improve processes (not settling for “as-is”).
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to confidently and professionally engage with team members, donors, media, and other stakeholders. Flexible team player with versatile skills - highly motivated, active listener with a collaborative spirit.
• Ability to pay attention to detail, meet deadlines, and project manage multiple projects simultaneously. Exceptional organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
• Technical skills - Strong knowledge of social media platforms (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X). Understanding of digital marketing and social media metrics and analytics – web traffic, conversions, social media metrics, etc. Strong Google Workspace skills (all programs) - we are a cloud-based paperless environment. Certifications in SEO, Google Ads and Google Analytics 4 would be a bonus.
• Ability to exercise discretion and confidentiality at all times.

Why Work for Us?

• Be proud of participating in our mission to lead an agency network to realize a food-secure Mississauga by providing and promoting access to healthy and appropriate food.
• Join a fantastic culture where people laugh a lot, pitch in during those “all-hands-on-deck” times, and enjoy celebrating together. We work hard to live our values of Respect For All, Collaborative Leadership, Bold Mindset and Integrity First.
• Fair benefits and compensation including:
  • Salaries are compared to the market every two years; we offer annual cost-of-living increases, plus the opportunity for performance-based increases. We are a certified Living Wage employer.
  • Benefits and perks that include comprehensive health benefits for you and your dependents (100% employer-paid, no deductibles for drugs, dental, or vision)
  • 3 weeks of paid vacation plus 12 paid Flex days
  • Free parking, funding for professional development, equitable and culturally diverse work environment, and all the tea and coffee you can drink!

Role Details

Relationships: This position reports to the Director of Marketing & Communications.

Position Type:Full-time, hybrid. Two days a week onsite and three days a week remote. Occasional evening and weekend work required.

Compensation: Starting salary of $70,000 - 80,000

Environment:This role is based from Food Banks Mississauga, located at 4544 Eastgate Parkway, Mississauga ON

As part of its commitment to racial justice and reconciliation, Food Banks Mississauga encourages applications from those who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, and other under-represented communities. We welcome applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.