Senior Marketing Manager / Director of Marketing

About us We are a proudly Nova Scotia-based group of beverage and manufacturing companies building for long-term growth, from Nova Scotia to the world. At Nova Scotia Spirit Co./Blue Lobster and Annapolis Cider Company, our vision is to grow from strong local roots – building and strengthening our loyal base in Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada, then reaching new customers across Canada, the United States, and beyond. We are committed to crafting innovative, award-winning beverages that taste incredible and bring joy with every sip.

At the heart of everything we do is a deep pride in where we come from, a focus on quality and craftsmanship, and a genuine commitment to giving back to the communities we serve. To accelerate that national growth, we have signed a distribution partnership with the Dandurand Group, one of Canada’s leading independent beverage alcohol distributors, to grow our RTD, cider and spirits brands across the country. Together with Cape Breton Beverages – a proud, family-owned manufacturer and distributor of Pepsi products in Cape Breton for more than 75 years – and Trans-Atlantic Preforms, a leading manufacturer of PET plastic preforms serving beverage and consumer goods customers across North America and international markets, we operate as a group of complementary businesses.

Across all four companies, we share core values: quality and reliability in everything we produce, disciplined execution, long-term relationships with customers and partners, continuous improvement, and a strong sense of responsibility to our employees and communities. Rooted in Atlantic Canada and ambitious in our outlook, we are building businesses designed to grow sustainably while making a meaningful impact locally and beyond. About the role We’re looking for a senior marketing leader to own the day-to-day execution of marketing across our beverage portfolio.

Working in close partnership with the CEO and our external marketing agencies, who together lead brand and creative direction, you will own marketing execution, budget, performance tracking, and agency coordination, while contributing marketing ideas, recommendations, and operational judgement throughout. You will lead a team of three direct reports and act as the internal client lead with our external marketing agencies. The title and level - Senior Marketing Manager or Director of Marketing - will be set based on experience, with meaningful room to grow in scope and leadership as the portfolio and national footprint expand.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a commercially minded, organized, and detail-driven marketer to play a central role in a fast-growing, multi-brand Nova Scotia beverage platform with national distribution and an ambitious growth agenda. Key responsibilitiesMarketing execution and agency coordination Lead day-to-day marketing execution across the portfolio Act as the internal client lead and day-to-day coordinator with external marketing agencies and the in-house graphic designer, managing briefs, timelines, approvals workflow, and deliverable tracking Contribute marketing input, recommendations, and ideas to the CEO and agency partners throughout planning and execution Coordinate across external marketing agencies, our in-house graphic designer, our in-house events lead, our summer social and events resource, our external distribution agent, and sales leadership Project-manage product launches, packaging rollouts, and promotional campaigns from approved direction through to in-market execution Support product innovation and packaging projects in coordination with external design partners and internal operations Oversee packaging design, ensuring attention to detail and accuracy, including correct UPC codes, excise codes, trademarks, and colour specifications Work with the Head of Quality Control to ensure accuracy and compliance with labelling and packaging requirements and regulations Prepare complete, accurate, and on-time presentations and submissions for NSLC and other liquor boards, including assisting with required forecasts Partner with the Director of Sales on managing the NSLC relationship and business, including listings strategy, programming, promotional planning, and joint reviews Oversee the social media coordinator and events team members Liaise with the sales and operations teams on new products, launches, and cross-functional coordination Plan and order seasonal marketing materials, merchandise, and promotional items with sufficient lead time, accounting for production and shipping timelines (including container lead times) Ensure the graphic designer and external marketing agencies maintain a centralized, organized brand asset library (product photography, can/bottle images, brand guides, brand voice documents, sell sheets, templates) accessible to sales and operations Ensure the graphic designer and external marketing agencies maintain and update marketing templates (presentations, sell sheets, one-pagers) for use across sales and internal teams Ensure brand standards, brand voice, and customer demographic information are documented and applied consistently across all materials and channels Budget and P&L ownership Own the annual marketing budget across all brands; manage allocation, forecasting, and evaluation of effectiveness Track marketing spend by brand, campaign, and channel; flag variances early Report on marketing P&L contribution, including campaign ROI, trade spend efficiency, and channel-level performance Manage marketing invoices and PO workflow with finance; partner with finance on monthly and quarterly reviews Industry data, trends, and performance tracking Monitor category trends, competitive activity, and consumer insights across beverage alcohol, RTDs, cider, and CSDs Maintain a regular performance scorecard for each brand - depletions, share, distribution, velocity, pricing, and promotional effectiveness Provide monthly performance reporting and quarterly category and competitive briefings Calendar and stakeholder coordination Build and maintain a master marketing calendar across all brands, aligned with sales programs, NSLC windows, trade activity, and innovation launches Manage approvals workflow and ensure efficient sign-off Coordinate logistics for trade events, sponsorships, and customer-facing activations Liaise with our external distribution agent on co-marketing initiatives and ensure marketing materials are delivered on time for national rollouts Support CBB marketing needs (Pepsi co-branded local activity and sponsorships, etc.) Provide weekly status updates to the CEO on marketing activity, milestones, risks, and decisions required Keep the CEO informed on communications with external vendors and any other material information, including events, deadlines, and key updates Provide structured post-event recaps within timely basis of every marketing event or activation, including budgeted vs actual expenses, key outcomes, and learnings Track and manage marketing expenses with discipline, including expense reports, vendor invoices, and event budgets Qualifications 5-10+ years of marketing, brand, or marketing operations experience, ideally in CPG, beverage alcohol, or a consumer-facing category; toward the upper end of the range for candidates considered at the Director level Demonstrated experience owning marketing budgets and reporting on marketing P&L Strong analytical skills, comfortable working with data and translating it into business recommendations Track record of managing multi-stakeholder projects on time and on budget, with strong systems, deadlines, and follow-through Experience working with external agencies, ideally as the internal client lead Strong written and verbal communication, including clear, professional writing Comfortable in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment with direct CEO access Familiarity with the RTD, spirits, cider and broader beverage alcohol category, and where it is heading A self-teacher who is intrinsically motivated to keep skills fresh through online learning and adopting new technology Post-secondary education in marketing, business, finance, or a related field Graphic design skills (Illustrator, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite) are an asset Characteristics of someone who will thrive in this role Works in close partnership with the CEO and external agency on brand and creative direction; energized by turning that direction into flawless, on-time in-market execution Numerical and commercially minded - sees marketing through a P&L lens Naturally organized - keeps every brand calendar, deliverable tracker, budget line, and asset library in order Strong sense of urgency and follow-through Detail-oriented and protective of brand standards, execution quality, and budget discipline Direct, candid communicator who can push back on agencies, internal stakeholders, and vendors when timelines, quality, or budget are at risk Composed under pressure and dependable on tight deadlines Intellectually curious about category trends and consumer behaviour Team player who collaborates effectively across sales, operations, and marketing Lives our values of accountability, integrity, continuous improvement, and caring like an owner - respectful and professional at all times, internally and with external parties What we offer rare chance to lead a multi-brand marketing function with national ambition, putting Nova Scotia-made brands on the national and global map Room to grow in scope and leadership as the portfolio and national footprint expand Competitive base salary commensurate with experience plus performance bonus plus comprehensive benefits