The Position:
Summit Search Group has proudly partnered with Portage Mutual Insurance on the search for their next Manager of Branding and Communications. The Manager of Branding and Communications is responsible for leading the organization’s brand strategy, marketing communications, social media presence, and external-facing engagement across Canada. This role ensures a consistent and compelling brand identity across all channels while supporting marketing campaigns, corporate events, and customer engagement initiatives across Head Office and multi branch offices.
The role is focused on brand leadership, marketing execution, social media management, and event coordination. It does not include internal employee communications or executive communications responsibilities.
Location: Remote, hybrid, or in-office (candidate preference). New office will be located in Seasons of Tuxedo and opening September 1st, 2026.
Key Responsibilities:
Brand Strategy & Governance
- Develop, maintain, and enforce corporate brand standards, including visual identity, messaging, tone, and design guidelines.
- Ensure consistent application of branding across Head Office and all branch offices.
- Conduct regular brand audits and ensure compliance across all customer-facing materials.
- Act as the primary guardian of the organization’s brand across marketing and external communications.
Marketing Communications & Campaigns
- Lead the development and execution of integrated marketing campaigns to support business growth and customer engagement.
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders and branch offices to develop promotional campaigns and regional marketing initiatives.
- Provide creative direction for marketing materials, including advertising, digital content, print, and presentations.
- Ensure all campaigns align with brand strategy and comply with Canadian insurance regulatory requirements.
Social Media Strategy & Management
- Own and manage the organization’s social media strategy across platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and others as appropriate.
- Develop and maintain content calendars aligned with marketing campaigns, brand initiatives, and corporate events.
- Oversee the creation, scheduling, and publishing of social media content in collaboration with the internal Graphic Designer.
- Monitor engagement, trends, and performance analytics to optimize reach and effectiveness.
- Manage community engagement, including responses to comments and messages in a brand-consistent tone.
- Ensure all social media activity aligns with brand standards, compliance requirements, and corporate messaging.
- Support paid social media campaigns in coordination with marketing and external vendors as required.
Event Strategy & Logistics
- Plan, coordinate, and execute corporate and customer-facing events, including product launches, client appreciation events, sponsorships, industry conferences, and branch-level initiatives.
- Manage the full event lifecycle, including concept development, budgeting, logistics, vendor coordination, and execution.
- Ensure consistent brand presence across all event materials, signage, digital promotion, and social media coverage.
- Coordinate event promotion through marketing campaigns and social media channels.
- Partner with branch offices to support regional events and community engagement activities.
- Evaluate event success through attendance, engagement, and ROI metrics.
External Communications (Marketing-Focused)
- Manage customer-facing and public marketing communications, including website content, promotional messaging, and campaign materials.
- Collaborate with external agencies, vendors, and media partners to execute marketing initiatives.
- Ensure all external communications align with brand standards and regulatory requirements.
- Support storytelling initiatives that enhance brand awareness and market positioning.
Branch Office Support (Multi Locations)
- Provide branding, marketing, event, and social media support to multi branch offices across Canada.
- Supply marketing, social media, and event toolkits to ensure consistency across all locations.
- Ensure brand consistency in all branch-level communications and campaigns.
- Support promotion of local events through approved social media channels.
- Travel periodically to branch offices for campaign rollout and event support.
Digital & Creative Oversight
- Oversee creative direction for digital marketing assets, including website content, advertising, and social media visuals.
- Collaborate closely with the internal Graphic Designer to ensure alignment between creative execution and brand strategy.
- Manage external creative or digital vendors as required.
- Monitor and report on campaign, social media, and event performance metrics to inform strategy.
Brand Reputation (Marketing Perspective)
- Support proactive brand reputation building through campaigns, storytelling, social media, and events.
- Maintain a consistent and professional public-facing brand presence across all channels.
- Collaborate with leadership on positioning and external perception through marketing initiatives.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Business, or related field.
- 6–10+ years of experience in branding, marketing communications, or social media management.
- Experience managing corporate social media channels in a professional or regulated environment.
- Proven experience planning and executing marketing events.
- Experience in insurance, financial services, or another regulated Canadian industry is preferred.
- Strong understanding of digital marketing, social media strategy, and analytics.
- Excellent writing, content creation, and creative direction skills.
- Strong project management and vendor coordination experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience managing multi-location marketing or social media programs.
- Familiarity with Canadian insurance advertising and regulatory requirements.
- Bilingual (English/French) considered an asset.
- Experience managing paid social media campaigns.
- Experience working with agencies and internal creative teams.
Core Competencies:
- Brand Leadership
- Social Media Strategy
- Digital Marketing
- Event Management
- Creative Direction
- Project Management
- Stakeholder Collaboration
- Content Strategy
- Analytical Thinking
Working Conditions:
- Remote or Branch office location in Canada with oversight of multi branch offices.
- Regular coordination with internal teams, branch offices, vendors, and external partners.
- Occasional travel across Canada for events and branch support.
- Some evening or weekend work may be required during events or campaign launches.
For more information, or to submit your resume, please reach out to Jessica Willis or Erin Steeves:
Jessica.Willis@summitsearchgroup.com
Erin.steeves@summitsearchgroup.com
Summit Search Group has a strong commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. We strive for continuous development, modeling, inclusive behaviors and proactively managing bias throughout our process.
