Senior Marketing Manager

University of Toronto Press•Toronto, ON

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role leads a team to drive continued retail growth across all University of Toronto Bookstore locations and uoftbookstore.com. The position integrates marketing efforts with the University of Toronto brand and aligns with internal and external stakeholders. Responsibilities include overseeing online business operations, strategy development, website optimization, social media strategy, regulatory compliance, and team leadership. The role also stewards signature brand collaborations, partnership development, and the Bookstore’s campus presence. Key qualifications include experience in retail marketing and brand management, ideally within a university, campus-retail, or mission-driven brand environment.

Requirements

Post-secondary graduate; or equivalent education and/or experience in business, ecommerce, marketing, or a related field.
8+ years of progressive marketing experience, with meaningful time in retail and/or ecommerce.
3+ years managing and developing a marketing team.
Demonstrated experience leading brand collaborations or partnership campaigns end to end.
A collaborative leader with a proven track record of building a coaching culture and effective team dynamic; able to build trust quickly and inspire the team through actions.
Intellectual curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning — a growth mindset.
Strategic thinker experienced with data-driven approaches; able to effectively lead data analysis, consistently manage key performance indicators (KPIs), and continuously revise strategies in a shifting landscape.
Results-oriented; focuses on achieving agreed-upon outcomes and ensures key objectives are met; conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure; continuously aims to improve upon past performance.
Resilience and comfort with change; able to recognize when change is necessary and develop and implement effective action plans to drive it.
Highly developed, professional interpersonal and communication skills to collaborate with peers and external stakeholders; ability to motivate teams to produce high-quality results within tight timeframes and simultaneously manage several projects.
Project management — ability to efficiently manage tasks, timelines, and resources to meet business goals.
Anticipate, understand, and respond to the needs of customers and stakeholders to meet or exceed their expectations within organizational parameters.
Establish and maintain positive working relationships internally and externally to achieve the goals of the organization.
Ability to assess situations to determine importance, urgency, and risk, and make clear decisions that are timely and in the best interests of the organization.
Excellent negotiation skills.
Experience in brand management, including stewardship of co-branded and collaboration programs (e.g., lululemon, Roots).
Expert knowledge of search engine optimization, social media, and current ecommerce trends.
Strong brand instincts — you can tell when a campaign, window, or collab drop is going to land, and when it needs another pass.
Affinity for the University of Toronto community — students, faculty, staff, alumni — and a genuine interest in books, culture, and campus life.
Values matter to you. You bring your whole self to work and you live our values to be the trusted collaborator, lead with intention and ingenuity, and empower many views and voices.

Nice To Haves

Experience marketing in a university, campus-retail, lifestyle, or mission-driven brand environment is a strong asset.
Knowledge of web design or web development is an asset.
Knowledge of Wrike, Shopify, and NetSuite is an asset.
Knowledge of online retail portals is an asset.
Knowledge of social media platforms and emerging opportunities is an asset.

Responsibilities

Lead marketing strategies that align with the commercial retail strategy, University timelines, and key academic and campus calendar moments (back-to-school, convocation, homecoming, holiday, alumni weekend, and year-round course materials, and merchandise cycles).
Create and execute strategies aligned with organization goals, focusing on brand development and the use of ecommerce and social media tools to enhance performance.
Lead brand collaborations end to end in collaboration with the Buying and Operations teams, from pitching and negotiating partners through product launch, in-store activation, digital campaign, and post-launch read.
Collaborate with external stakeholders, including publishing partners (trade publishers, academic presses, U of T Press) and co-branded partners, to align the Bookstore brand with larger initiatives.
Use data and feedback to align product and media strategy to better reach new and emerging needs within the University of Toronto student body, faculty, staff, alumni, and broader customer base.
Collaborate with peers within the Retail team to coordinate activity and approach and enhance performance across stores and ecommerce.
Manage and lead the marketing department, including building an effective organization and attracting and coaching high-level talent.
Improve the customer experience both online and across store locations through close collaboration with Retail Operations and evaluation of customer intelligence, data, and feedback.
Lead store-presence strategy across all Bookstore locations (windows, in-store signage, merchandising moments, and launch events) so each store feels current, on-brand, and tied to what’s happening on campus.
Own the ecommerce marketing program (homepage, category, email, paid, and lifecycle), partnered with the Marketing Manager to drive site traffic, conversion, and AOV.
Ensure sales channels comply with applicable laws and regulations in Ontario.
Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) and metrics to establish and sustain a learning and growth environment across the marketing function.
Manage and enhance the University of Toronto Bookstore brand, including ongoing stewardship of the logo and visual identity across all customer touchpoints.
Lead a high-performing marketing team (Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, Graphic Designer, and Event Coordinator), responsible for recruitment and retention of highly skilled talent; participate in development plans for all direct reports, ensuring team members continuously elevate their capabilities. Identify key talent for future development.
Ensure the safety of all members of the team.
Build and maintain effective relationships with key internal and external stakeholders (faculties, colleges, student life, athletics, alumni relations, advancement, and publishing partners).
Ensure team members are trained on appropriate systems and devices.
Coordinate with Retail Operations, Retail Buying, Course Materials, and University stakeholders to align activities.
Build an inclusive culture that reflects the Bookstore’s values and the University of Toronto community.
Improve external communications through better processes, tools, and methods across retail, digital, social, print, and events.
Develop and improve feedback mechanisms to better understand customer trends and needs.
Improve internal communications through clear strategies and by building and participating in a collaborative work environment.