Brand Strategist

Status: Full time, indefinite

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, or Toronto, Ontario (hybrid)

Closing date: May 7, 2025

Salary range: $87,720 to $109,140 per year

Canada's Drug Agency is a pan-Canadian health organization. We are an independent, not-for-profit organization headquartered in Ottawa, with a satellite office in Toronto. Created and funded by Canada's federal, provincial, and territorial governments, we drive better coordination, alignment, and public value within Canada's drug and health technology landscape. We provide Canada's health system leaders with independent evidence and advice so they can make informed drug, health technology, and health system decisions, and we collaborate with national and international partners to enhance our collective impact.

We are proud to be a 2025 National Capital Region Top Employer. Canada's Drug Agency was named 1 of the National Capital Region's top employers for the second year in a row. This recognition celebrates our dedication to fostering a work environment that nurtures growth; innovation; and inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA). It reaffirms our ongoing efforts to create an outstanding workplace where our employees thrive and feel valued.

Most of our employees participate in a hybrid workspace arrangement that allows for flexibility and enhanced work-life balance. We believe in the positive impact of in-person collaboration and the importance of team building. Added consideration is given to qualified candidates who live near our offices and can participate in a hybrid arrangement. Those applying must be located in Ontario, except in rare circumstances where the employment position is remote.

Primary Focus

Reporting to the Manager, Marketing and Web, the Brand Strategist is accountable for defining, preserving, growing, and future-proofing our brand through:

• brand stewardship: shaping and protecting our brand image, making sure it stays meaningful, consistent, and in line with our business objectives
• creative oversight: guiding internal and external creative projects to bring the vision to life, working closely with external design resources and internal subject matter experts
• performance: monitoring brand performance metrics and adjusting brand strategies accordingly.

What do the daily responsibilities look like?

On any given day, the Brand Strategist will:

• promote the brand to the organization; oversee the overall brand identity, messaging, and perception
• define brand guidelines, positioning, and tone across all platforms and content (videos, design, presentations, promotional material, brochures, data visualization, layout, marketing collateral, new product names, and so on)
• ensure the brand's visual and messaging elements are cohesive across all channels
• work with marketing, publishing, design, pharmaceutical reviews, and all product teams to maintain brand integrity
• manage the organizational brand relationship among internal and external partners, evaluate gaps, and protect against fragmentation
• conduct market research to analyze trends and audience insights to evolve the brand
• ensure external partners and cross-functional teams deliver brand-related work on time and to standard
• pitch in on urgent, unexpected tasks to produce or edit existing design work.

Is this the right role for you?

The Brand Strategist will likely have:

• a postsecondary education in design with related experience working as a designer or equivalent, which is normally attained over a period of no less than 5 years; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered
• advanced proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, and others)
• proficiency with MS Word, MS PowerPoint, Figma, and similar tools
• a recognized creative talent; solid design sense; and ability to interpret general concepts, visualize, and apply abstract thinking to practical uses
• the ability to influence without authority and project-manage the work of others
• a demonstrated ability to deliver high-impact visual design aligned with brand objectives
• excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills for working with internal and external business and technical contacts, particularly in giving direction and feedback
• the ability to prioritize, shift priorities as required, and execute multiple projects within specified deadlines while ensuring quality and adherence to brand standards
• strong overall design skills (i.e., typography, composition, grid, and so on)
• strong attention to detail.

What will set you apart?

The following are considered asset qualifications:

• experience as a creative director or lead at a well-established marketing agency
• experience working in (or with clients in) the health sector
• fluency in French.

What's in it for you?

At Canada's Drug Agency, you will find:

• a team-focused, supportive, and inclusive work environment
• a competitive compensation package, including participation in the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) - 1 of Canada's largest and most successful defined benefit pension plans
• a comprehensive benefits package for employees and dependents, including health, dental, life, and travel insurance; a health spending account; and an employee assistance program
• paid time off (including a minimum of 4 weeks of vacation leave as well as sick leave and life leave, a December holiday closure, and other leave options)
• opportunities to work with and learn from highly specialized professionals
• personal growth through professional development opportunities, corporate training, and support for continuing education
• a friendly culture that supports community engagement
• the opportunity to make a difference for people living in Canada and effect positive change.

To apply for this position, visit the Careers section of our website. Your rsum must clearly identify how your skills and experience relate to the requirements of this role. Applications for this opportunity may be used for future staffing vacancies. We thank you for your interest; however, only those candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted. Please visit our website regularly for new opportunities.

At Canada's Drug Agency, we actively celebrate, support, and flourish through our differences. Our employees are people with different strengths, experiences, and backgrounds, who share a passion for building the future of health care. We demonstrate a commitment to IDEA through continuous training, modelling inclusive behaviours, and proactively managing biases. We highly encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including people of all places of origin and religions, people with disabilities, people who are neurodivergent, people who are Black or racialized, Indigenous people, women, and people from the 2SLGBTQ+ community. We also provide accommodations during all phases of the recruitment process. If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please let the Talent Acquisition team know when they contact you. We will work with you to meet your needs.

Please note that, as a condition of employment, successful candidates will be required to complete a confidential pre-employment background check, including criminal, employment, and educational verifications.

Candidates must be legally eligible to work in Canada. We regret that we are unable to sponsor employment visas at this time.

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