PROFILEWe are seeking an experienced and strategic Social Media Manager to lead our Firm's digital presence on social platforms in Canada and help shape our domestic voice in support of our global brand and platform. As a member of the Business Development (BD) & Marketing group, this role is central to positioning our brand as a trusted advisor, showcasing our thought leadership, shaping market and client perceptions, and differentiating our services, initiatives, and people through compelling stories, audience engagement, and clear strategy.
In this role, you will own the firm's end-to-end social media efforts-from strategy to execution and measurement, copy development to design oversight, organic and paid social campaigns, and more-while directly managing and mentoring a small team. As both player and coach, you will combine leadership with hands-on execution to maximise engagement, resonance, and market differentiation.
You are the Firm's social heartbeat, designing, executing, and optimising the full ecosystem of owned, earned, and paid social channels. Sitting at the crossroads of brand storytelling, communications, demand generation, and stakeholder engagement, you are a passionate team leader with a strong pulse on the market and competitors, and turn attention into measurable growth while acting like an in-house strategist, creator, writer, analyst, mentor, and trusted advisor.
RESPONSIBILITIESSocial Strategy & Governance- Develop and implement a Firm-wide social media strategy aligned to Firm priorities and BD & Marketing goals.
- Activate social content and reach audiences in a meaningful way that engages, elevates the brand, and differentiates the Firm in the market.
- Collaborate across BD & Marketing and with stakeholders in Canada and globally to amplify thought leadership, brand, client initiatives, and our people.
Content and Campaigns- Build and manage an integrated social calendar, curating input from BD, partners, and marketing colleagues.
- Manage copywriting, creative briefs and real-time content, while overseeing and influencing asset development to maximize impact; provide direction to agencies or freelancers as appropriate.
- Ensure all content reflects the firm's brand voice, professional tone, and compliance with industry expectations, while creative assets engage and enhance audiences.
- Execute organic and paid campaigns to support recruitment, brand awareness, and client engagement.
Engagement & Reputation Management- Monitor online conversations and brand mentions; engage appropriately and escalate sensitive matters when required.
- Offer training and act as an advisor to partners and professionals on best practices for social media use and personal brand building.
Analytics, Reporting & Optimisation- Build and maintain KPI dashboards covering reach, engagement, CTR, audience quality, and pipeline influence, including competitor benchmarks.
- Deliver regular reports to leadership with insights and recommendations to improve performance, optimise content strategy and demonstrate ROI.
- Use data to optimise campaign performance, refining targeting, spend, and creative to maximise results.
- Have a pulse on the current and evolving social media landscape, including the proactive sharing of competitive insights and client buying indicators, while taking an interest in the Firm's business and service offerings.
Stakeholder Enablement & Team Leadership- Equip and educate Firm members with tools and guidance to amplify the brand and Gowling WLG's voice through effective employee advocacy and social selling to uncover business development opportunities.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to amplify campaigns, media stories, market recognition, talent-brand stories, and more.
- Manage and mentor at least one direct report, fostering personal growth and ensuring excellence, innovation, and high-quality output.
Innovation & Trend Scanning- Monitor and share social platform updates, algorithm shifts, and emerging formats and opportunities (e.g., AI - assisted content, short -form video, podcasts, interactive content, community hubs).
- Propose and pilot innovative ideas, scale successful experiments, and keep the firm at the forefront of social media innovation and brand favourability.
- Identify and evaluate emerging platforms for relevance to the firm's business objectives and target audiences, recommending adoption where appropriate.
What Success Looks Like- Social platforms run on clear goals, editorial discipline, and real-time responsiveness with brand alignment and cross-team project leadership and ownership.
- Organic and paid campaigns are activated with accountability, differentiation, and excellence, shipping on time, on budget, and exceeding benchmarks for reach, engagement, and conversion.
- Social performance, dashboards and careful measurement return clear and sharp insights that influence spend decisions, content pivots, and stakeholder confidence.
- Firm members understand the power of social media and engage with and leverage social content; they increasingly view social as a growth, business development and profile engine, thanks to your counsel, leadership, and enablement.
- The firm's voice stays consistent yet flexible across LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and others to maximise the value and opportunity of each platform, including new and emerging ones.
- Our social presence grows with purpose and stands out from the sea of sameness, attracting high-quality audiences in target sectors, geographies, and talent pools.
- We lead the way in exploring emerging platforms, content formats, targeted campaigns and betas, differentiating and continuously evolving our social and online presence according to best practices.
- Paid media and influencer spend is targeted, performance-tracked, and continually optimised to support key campaigns and audience targeting.
QUALIFICATIONS- Post-secondary education in marketing, communications, journalism, or a related field; MBA considered an asset.
- 7+ years of hands-on social media management in a fast-paced corporate environment, preferably with B2B or professional services experience.
- 2+ years of team leadership experience with direct accountability for managing and mentoring direct reports and a genuine interest in growing and developing people.
- Experience developing and implementing strategic social media programs, including building business cases, engaging stakeholders, managing timelines, and driving successful execution with a strong client/service orientation and natural business acumen or interest
- Extremely organized with a proven record of planning and delivering multi-platform campaigns that drive measurable pipeline or revenue impact.
- Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling skills with an ability to craft compelling, engaging copy and evaluate visuals appropriate for social mediums.
- Equal parts creative and strategic with a growth mindset and natural curiosity to continually raise the bar and deliver excellence.
- Mastery of LinkedIn, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and other digital, social and marketing platforms with experience using tools such as Sprout, Hootsuite, Meltwater to manage and analyse performance.
- Fluency in data analysis and executive-ready reporting; comfortable managing paid budgets and A/B testing.
- Adept at navigating matrix, fast-paced organisations with the ability to confidently and respectfully work with partners, senior leaders/stakeholders, vendors, creatives, and across the full BD & Marketing team.
- Proactive with a strong sense of accountability and personal pride in work delivered.
- Calm under pressure with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and adapt quickly.
- Bilingualism (English/French) preferred; additional languages an advantage.
WHAT WE OFFER- Opportunity to shape the digital voice of a leading international law firm.
- A collaborative, inclusive, and growth-oriented environment.
- Professional development, mentorship, and career progression support.
BENEFITS/PERKS- Gowling WLG's total rewards program is designed to foster a culture where high performance and personal well-being go hand-in-hand. We support your career and life with:
- 100% employer-paid health, dental, and mental health coverage, plus an annual lifestyle spending allowance
- Benefits coverage for Firm members and their dependents from day one!
- 15+ vacation days and hybrid work flexibility
- Parental leave top-up for 26 weeks (after 12 months of full-time employment)
- Group Retirement Savings Plan with employer match
- Financial protection through short & long-term disability, life, accident & critical illness insurance
- Employee & Family Assistance Program, guided CBT, and an internal network of 120+ trained Mental Health First Aid responders
- Recognition awards, appreciation events, and a supportive, collaborative work culture
- Perks and preferred pricing programs, referral bonuses and more
The starting range for this role is
$95,000 to $130,000. Starting salary will be determined based on an applicant's individual skills, competencies and unique qualifications. Gowling WLG employees have the potential to exceed this range based on tenure and performance.
This position is currently vacant and is open to both internal and external candidates. Gowling WLG is recruiting for this role to support ongoing firm needs and team operations.
Gowling WLG may use tools within our applicant tracking system that include artificial intelligence-supported features, such as automated candidate matching. These tools do not make hiring decisions; all screening, assessments, and selections are reviewed and completed by human recruiters and hiring managers.
