Marketing Principal

Punchcard Systems•Edmonton, AB

2d•CA$80,000 - CA$100,000•Remote

About The Position

Punchcard is a digital transformation studio that helps organizations modernize operations, decision-making, and service delivery through custom digital systems and AI-enabled transformation. We work with clients who want to do things differently, and we build teams that reflect that same standard. We are looking for a Marketing Principal to lead Punchcard’s marketing strategy and growth initiatives. This is a senior individual contributor role with no direct reports, but full ownership of strategy, positioning, and the systems that drive growth. You will work directly with the CEO to shape how Punchcard is positioned in the market, how its services are packaged and communicated, and how the company generates pipeline. Several execution partners are in place to support marketing. Your job is not to replace them; it is to lead them. You set the strategy, own the brief, and hold the results. This role succeeds by prioritization, leverage, and orchestration; not by personally producing every asset. Punchcard has a strong referral base and a respected brand in its market. You are not starting from zero. You are building a modern, scalable marketing function on top of a foundation that already works. Success is measured in qualified organic leads per month: a number you will help set in your first 30 days, and own from there. This role will be evaluated first and foremost on its ability to generate qualified pipeline and consistently increase inbound lead volume over time.

Requirements

7-10 years of B2B marketing experience, with at least a portion in technology, professional services, or a digital agency
Demonstrated experience owning positioning and messaging for a complex service or product, not just executing someone else's strategy
Experience working as a senior individual contributor with broad functional ownership
Strong understanding of SEO, content strategy, and digital analytics; genuine curiosity about LLM-based discoverability as an emerging channel
Experience managing external agency or vendor relationships at a strategic level
Comfort with paid search and social at the briefing and accountability level; you do not need to execute, but you need to lead
You think strategically and execute precisely. You can develop a positioning framework in the morning and write the blog post that expresses it in the afternoon.
You are AI-native. You use Claude, Perplexity, n8n, or equivalent tools as a normal part of how you work. You build workflows and systems, not one-off prompts.
You have driven measurable B2B pipeline from content or organic channels. You can point to the work, explain the strategy behind it, and show the result it produced.
You write with authority. You can take a complex idea, find its core, and express it in language that lands with a senior buyer.
You hold vendors accountable. You know how to brief an agency, evaluate their output, and have the hard conversation when the work is not good enough.
You are comfortable with ambiguity. Punchcard is building something new. You will not always have a clear playbook and that should excite you, not slow you down.

Nice To Haves

You have worked in a company where the sales cycle is long, relationship-driven, and complex, and you have found ways to shorten or supplement it through marketing
You have done ICP or market segmentation work and can describe what the business did differently as a result
You publish under your own name: a newsletter, a LinkedIn presence, a blog, or something that demonstrates how you think in public
You have an informed point of view on how AI is changing marketing operations, not just content creation

Responsibilities

Define and maintain Punchcard's positioning: who we are for, what problem we solve, and why we are the right choice
Develop and refine ideal client profiles (ICPs) based on data, client interviews, and market research
Lead competitive and market analysis to surface opportunities and threats
Own the annual marketing plan and ensure it connects directly to business objectives
Bring a point of view on where the market is going and what Punchcard should be saying about it
Translate Punchcard's capabilities into clearly articulated service offerings that buyers can understand and act on
Develop the language, framing, and narrative for each offering across all channels
Identify gaps between what Punchcard delivers and what the market is asking for, and surface those as strategic inputs
Ensure pricing, packaging, and positioning are coherent and competitive
Own content strategy across blogs, case studies, white papers, newsletter, and LinkedIn
Drive SEO and LLM-based discoverability: Punchcard should surface when the right buyers are asking the right questions, in search engines and in AI-assisted research
Build and manage email nurture sequences that move prospects from awareness to conversation
Oversee website strategy, content, and performance in partnership with the development team
Orchestrate AI workflows (Claude, Perplexity, n8n, and equivalents) to produce and distribute content at a scale and speed a traditional one-person function cannot match
Track funnel performance and iterate relentlessly based on what the data shows
Own brand management: voice, visual standards, and consistency across all touchpoints
Lead Category Communications (PR agency): strategy, briefs, media relationships, and results
Own campaign planning and management across organic and paid channels
Brief and manage paid search and social execution through external partners
Manage awards submissions and recognition programs
Oversee Clutch, Google Reviews, and other social proof channels
Support the development of sales collateral, one-pagers, and presentation materials in collaboration with BD
Build content that helps prospects understand Punchcard's process and what working with us looks like
Create a feedback loop with sales to understand recurring objections and questions, and turn those into content and collateral
Own internal communications: ensuring the team is aligned on positioning, offerings, and market narrative
Support speaking engagements, events, and webinars as needed