Community Engagement and Brand Marketing Manager (Full time)

Full-time

Metroland's community news brands have been the trusted source of news and information for Ontario towns and cities for decades. Our challenge is too many people in our communities don't know we're still here, still doing that work, and still doing it better than anyone else.

This is a new role created to close that gap.

Because we operate across diverse communities, we need a strategist who understands the mechanics of local trust. You will study the unique DNA of each community, identify the key stakeholders, and equip our local teams with the tools, confidence and strategy to become the faces of that trust in the community.

Our Commitment To Diversity
We strive to be a leader in building and cultivating an employee community framed around fairness, support and opportunity. We believe that what makes us different, makes a difference . And as a team, the diversity of our backgrounds, interests and experiences is what enriches our work, and our workplaces. We welcome all, and we strive for an inclusive culture that allows individual growth and shared success.

Community presence and relationship building:

Map community stakeholders – builders, organizers, institutions, civic groups, business associations – in each of our markets and build ongoing engagement plans for each stakeholder archetype. Identify potential high-value relationships.

Identify and help pursue partnership opportunities with organizations that share our audience and/or vision.

Develop a touchpoint strategy that puts our brands in front of new homeowners, new parents, new arrivals, new retirees at the moments when they most need local information

Design and lead a training program that equips staff members with the language,



confidence and tools to represent their brand in public.

Create simple, practical playbooks for staff covering how to introduce themselves at community events, how to invite people to subscribe to newsletters, how to present to community groups, how to respond to the “Are you guys still around?” question, and how to turn a casual conversation into a meaningful brand interaction.

Work with editors to identify reporters who have strong community profiles and help them lean into that visibility in ways that serve both their journalism and the brand

Brand marketing:

Ensure that while the news is local, the experience of our brand -the feeling of trust and utility is identical across all Ontario sites.

Design high-value virtual and in-person events that can be replicated across different markets with minimal friction.

Design and execute grassroots campaigns that drive newsletter subscriptions and app downloads.

Reporting:

Track which communities and which tactics are producing the most engaged new subscribers, and redirect effort accordingly

Provide regular reporting to leadership on brand awareness, audience growth, partnership activity and community sentiment

Identify communities or neighbourhoods within our markets where awareness and engagement are lowest and develop targeted plans to address them

Work from home and travel within southern/central Ontario required





Please submit your application(resume, cover letter)by August 7, 2026, at 5 p.m.

Proventrackrecordbuildingandmaintainingrelationshipswithdiversecommunitygroupsororganizations

Experiencetrainingorcoachingothersanddevelopingpracticalplaybooks/systems

Strategicthinkingandabilitytounderstandwhatbuildslocaltrustandcredibility

Exceptionalcommunicationandpresentationskills—abilitytoinfluenceandinspireothers

Comfortwithdataandanalytics;abilitytotrackmetricsandadjuststrategyaccordingly

Strongprojectmanagementandabilitytoworkcross-functionallywithteams

Genuinecuriosityaboutcommunitiesandhowtheywork

Entrepreneurialmindset;comfortbeingscrappyandresourceful

Authenticcommunicationstyle(nocorporatejargon)

Resilienceandpersistenceinrelationshipbuilding

Bachelor'sdegreeinMarketing,Communications,Business,CommunityDevelopment,Journalism,orrelatedfield orequivalentprofessionalexperienceinrelatedroles

Preferred Qualifications:

Backgroundinlocalmedia,localbusiness,orcommunityorganizations

Experiencewithdigitalengagementplatforms,newsletters,orsubscribermodels

AODA
We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment process ensuring equal access to employment opportunities for candidates, including persons with disabilities. In compliance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Ontario Human Rights Code we will endeavour to provide accommodation to persons with disabilities in the recruitment process upon request. If you are selected for an interview and you require accommodation due to a disability during the recruitment process, please notify the hiring manager upon scheduling the interview of your requirements.

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📌 Community Engagement and Brand Marketing Manager (Full-time) (Ontario)
🏢 Torstar
📍 Ontario