Brand & Creative Strategist

Sheridan Student Union•Oakville, ON

5d•CA$60,000 - CA$65,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Brand & Creative Strategist works closely with the Director, Marketing, Communications, and Creative, and is responsible for strengthening, maintaining, and evolving Sheridan Student Union’s visual identity and brand across digital, print, facilities, swag and experiential marketing projects. This role combines strategic brand leadership with hands-on creative execution to ensure a cohesive, engaging, and student-centered brand experience across our organization. Working collaboratively across departments, the Creative & Brand Strategist supports organizational visibility, student engagement, and operational efficiency through brand stewardship, creative direction, storytelling, and scalable design. The role also provides mentorship and oversight to SSU Junior Designers, helping foster professional development and growth for student with a commitment to maintaining high-quality creative standards. This position plays a key role in translating SSU’s organizational goals, student experiences, and strategic priorities into meaningful and visually impactful communications, campaigns, and design on campus.

Requirements

Diploma or University Degree in the field of Graphic Design, or a combination of college education and industry related work experience.
5+ years professional graphic design experience.
Knowledge of production processes (printing, etc.)
Extensive knowledge in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop)
Ability to work in a fast paced, dynamic, and highly collaborative environment, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines and priorities
Ability to set overall creative tone and lead creative design process.
Working both independently and cooperatively as part of a team.
Ability to adapt and strategically manage changing priorities (flexibility is essential);
Excellent communication skills for both presentation and teamwork environment

Nice To Haves

Packaging or Apparel production knowledge is considered an asset.
Experience in 3D software is an asset but not required.
Experience with Photo / Video editing software is a plus (Premiere Pro, After Effects, Lightroom, etc.);
Student union, post-secondary, or higher education experience considered an asset.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain the Student Union's brand strategy, positioning, and identity and evaluate the impact of all brand identities within the SSU umbrella to ensure we foster a connection to student life
Develop creative strategies and initiatives for print, digital, swag, and social media marketing campaigns.
Design and produce multi-media creative assets for online and offline media channels. Including but not limited to: posters, flyers, social media visuals, digital signage, forms, website content, media kits, etc.
Research and implement advertising, graphic design, usability, accessibility trends and best practices, for internal and external communications.
Staying up to date on emerging technologies and tools and assessing their use within the organization.
Ensure SSU branding and creative output is aligned with internal policies and organizational priorities.
Provide training and feedback to departments and partners on to ensure SSU brand is clear and consistent across all marketing and branding initiatives and event materials.
Ensure consistent use of visual identity and brand standards within our organization
Work with Senior Management, internal departments, and external partners to expand SSU’s brand identity, maintaining quality and standard for all brand applications both internal and external.
Maintain the visual standard and consistency of the SSU brand and mission.
Develop, expand and educate staff on brand standards and educate staff on design best practices.
Work with all departments to create visual content that aligns with brand voice, guidelines and communications goals.
Hire, onboard, mentor, manage and provide creative direction to Junior Designers
Work with Marketing, Communications & Creative teams, as well as other departments to brainstorm, develop and manage the execution of brand applications.
Work closely with Director, Marketing, Communications & Creative to develop and execute creative strategy that maximizes the effectiveness of SSU communications.
Providing creative solutions and coordinating output for other Sheridan Student Union / Sheridan College departments when needed.
Coordinate and fulfill ordering of designed materials for the organization including, but not limited to; uniforms, swag, print materials, signage, student handbooks, promotional material etc.
Work with Director, Marketing, Communications & Creative to develop overall design and media strategies in alignment with Sheridan Student Union mission, strategic priorities and goals.
Coordinate and schedule details and deadlines for day-to-day design tasks and larger organizational projects, including design production schedules and tasks for Junior Designers
Promotes a positive team atmosphere, provides constructive feedback to the Designers and teams
Cultivate and maintain open communication and collaboration within student Creative Teams and SSU Departments on brand or design updates, changes or evolution
Lead integrated marketing and brand campaigns from concept through execution.
Ensure campaigns create awareness, understanding, engagement, and meaningful impact.
Develop strategic briefs that guide creative production and marketing execution.
Review and approve creative assets to ensure quality and consistency.
Develop and maintain templates, messaging frameworks, and brand resources.
Strengthen the organization's reputation through thoughtful brand management.
Performs other duties as may be assigned by the Director, Marketing, Communications & Creative.