Director of Brand Strategy

Based in Ville St-Laurent

GardaWorld is currently looking for a Director of Brand Strategy.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Global Communications

The Director of Brand Strategy plays an instrumental role in shaping GardaWorld brands and their success, ensuring alignment with overarching business goals and market positioning. This position involves utilizing various approaches and tactics to craft and refine a brand’s identity, messaging, and experience. By steering the development and execution of strategic branding initiatives, and in collaboration with Communications and Marketing functions, the Director of Brand Strategy ensures brand narratives are consistently communicated across all channels, resonating with the target audience and fostering long-term loyalty. This role requires a blend of creative vision and analytical prowess to continuously adapt strategies in response to evolving trends and business objectives, ultimately driving brand growth and enhancing awareness and engagement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Spearhead the conceptualization and development of brand evolution projects, new business or product launches, and employer branding;
• Act as steward of all GardaWorld brands, including the development, update, and expansion of brand elements to accommodate growth and change;
• Oversee development and application of brand positioning, planning framework, architecture and design system, including guidelines to ensure uniformity across all channels;
• Act as a brand ambassador, gatekeeper and influencer to business leaders at the company by aligning brand activities to enable business objectives;
• Proactively identify challenges and threats to the brand, both visual and written, and help implement quality controls across platforms;
• Build a branding ecosystem combining internal resources with partner agencies and freelances to elevate our various brands across various channels;
• Build structure, governance and processes to create a world-class brand function;
• Establish a strategic framework for brand excellence, set clear KPIs and measures and build a detailed reporting framework;
• Oversee contracts and relationships with external agencies, ensuring project scopes are delivered on time and within budget;
• Manage and develop a team of brand experts serving as developers and protectors of GardaWorld brands and messages, working in close collaboration with Communications functions;
• Maintain individual skills, keeping up to date with latest best practices, trends, concepts, and regulations in the specific job area.

Requirements:

• Minimum 15 years of relevant brand or agency experience;
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent industry experience required;
• A high degree of business acumen; experience utilizing data and measurement to drive decisions;
• Proven track record and experience in high-growth or transformation environments;
• Experience building a brand function from the ground-up with strong execution ability in all stages of the brand journey;
• Extensive experience in building, developing, and coaching a team;
• Strategic mindset and the ability to connect long-term vision to short-term objectives and initiatives;
• Great communicator engaging and influencing at all levels of organizational leadership;
• Passion for innovation and curiosity that drives continuous improvement;
• Strong deductive reasoning and ability to quietly influence in de-centralized environments;
• Experience leading an internal team, with strong culture of accountability, alignment and professional development;
• Excellent communication skills that build trust, curiosity that leads to insights, and ability to build comprehensive strategy that allow brands to flourish and contribute positively to business goals.

What GardaWorld can offer you:

• Be part of a committed and competent team within a growing company
• Competitive salary
• Group insurance
• Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) with employer contribution
• Access to a gym located at our head office
• Cafeteria offering delicious lunches
• Free parking at the office
• Managers who care about the well-being of their employees.
• Take advantage of professional development opportunities, including access to industry conferences, and training sessions.