Job Description

National Marketing Communications Manager - Buick GMC

Vacancy Status

Yes - This posting is for an existing vacancy within the organization and is open to new applications. (Backfill)

AI Disclosure

As part of the application process, Artificial Intelligence will be used in the hiring process for this role

Hybrid - This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to the Markham Elevation Centre or Oshawa Elevation Centre three times per week, at minimum [or other frequency dictated by the business].

General Motors of Canada is seeking a strategic, creative and commercially minded National Marketing Communications Manager to lead integrated marketing for the Buick and GMC brands. This role will shape how the brands appear across the customer journey, from brand storytelling and product launches through retail communications, digital experiences and dealer-facing execution.

You will translate consumer and market insights into powerful brand and marketing communication strategies, agency direction and briefs, and oversee integrated campaigns across paid, owned and earned channels to optimize sales, return on advertising spend, and brand health. You will also bring strong media literacy: defining target audiences, understanding the drivers of media effectiveness and performance marketing, connecting investment to business outcomes, and using measurement and experimentation to improve results.

The successful candidate will connect brand strategy, creative development, media, customer experience, retail marketing and performance measurement. You will work across the Marketing leadership team, Marketing Applied Science, Performance Driven Marketing, Media Strategy and Planning, Customer Lifecycle Management, Web Platform, Product Marketing, Sales, Regional Marketing, Retail Excellence, PR, Legal, agencies and global GM teams.  You will enable an integrated national go to market approach across all regions taking full accountability from national plans down to regional execution.

This role requires fresh thinking, an industrious mindset, sound judgement and strong consumer-driven marketing expertise, together with the ability to lead people, develop talent and align senior stakeholders around measurable business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Brand communications and strategy

• Lead integrated national communication strategies for Buick and GMC across brand, nameplate, product launch and retail programs.

• Own the annual planning process, marketing plan, agency brief and communications planning process, defining objectives, audiences, insights, messaging, channel roles, deliverables and measures.

• Turn consumer research, cultural trends, competitive intelligence and market performance into strategic recommendations, messaging frameworks and creative briefs.

• Develop messaging that builds awareness, shifts perception and drives consideration among priority audiences, adapting it to relevant segments and customer journeys.

• Steward the Buick and GMC brand identities, ensuring a distinctive tone of voice and consistent application of global standards across national, retail, consumer-facing and internal communications, but is relevant and consumer validated for Canadian consumer audiences.

• Present strategic recommendations to senior leadership and stakeholders, using clear rationale and evidence to build alignment and enable decisions.

• Identify emerging consumer, cultural, technology and marketing trends, including practical applications of AI, to inform innovation.

Integrated advertising and creative leadership

• Plan and develop integrated brand and retail advertising across broadcast, connected TV, digital video, search, social, programmatic, out-of-home, experiential, CRM, website and other relevant channels.

• Build a social-first, always-on communication architecture that supports brand relevance, campaign objectives and retail priorities.

• Brief and direct creative agency partners from strategy through production, providing clear direction, constructive feedback and timely approvals.

• Oversee creative production, asset adaptation, distribution and governance across the Buick and GMC portfolio, including dealer digital assets, retail materials and point-of-purchase programmes where applicable.

• Manage workback schedules and co-ordinate legal, brand, product and stakeholder approvals to deliver go-to-market assets on time.

• Lead brand partnerships, influencer activities, branded entertainment, sponsorships and experiential programmes, ensuring each is strategically relevant and executed to a high standard.

• Co-ordinate messaging and resource requirements across Product Marketing, CRM, Website and Customer Experience, Retail, PR, Regional Marketing and Sales.

Media literacy and performance marketing

• Partner with Media Strategy and Planning and Performance Driven Marketing to translate communications objectives into full-funnel media strategies and high-value customer behaviours.

• Define or validate target audiences, customer segments, channel roles, media mix, investment allocation, reach and frequency considerations and campaign KPIs.

• Apply working knowledge of search, social, programmatic display, digital video, connected TV, broadcast, out-of-home, retail media and emerging platforms.

• Evaluate the drivers of media and performance marketing effectiveness, including audience quality, creative relevance, placement, reach, frequency, sequencing, landing-page experience, conversion signals, incrementality and attribution.

• Partner with the Media team, Marketing Applied Science, Research and Insights and analytics teams to interpret brand and media performance, apply test-and-learn principles and improve creative, media efficiency, customer experience and results.

• Align forecasts and campaign plans with retail activity, product availability, launch timing and dealer objectives.

• Maintain sufficient fluency in advertising platforms, web analytics, ad-serving technologies, measurement methodologies and attribution models to challenge recommendations and make informed decisions.

• Oversee communications and production budgets, ensuring effective allocation, stewardship and accountability with agency and internal partners.

Leadership and collaboration

• Build trusted relationships across the commercial organization, Retail, Sales, PR, Regions, Legal, CRM, Website and Customer Experience, Product Marketing and central GM teams.

• Lead creative, media, experiential, production and other agency relationships, establishing effective ways of working and regular status reviews that maintain momentum and accountability.

• Collaborate with global GM teams to share information, assets, best practices and learnings that improve consistency and cross-brand performance.

• Lead, coach and develop direct reports; delegate effectively, build bench strength and foster an inclusive, collaborative and high-performance team culture.

• Manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining quality, sound judgement and urgency.

• Travel across Canada as required for business meetings, launches, events and experiential programmes, including occasional weekends or irregular hours.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or a related field, or equivalent experience required

• Eight or more years of progressive experience in marketing communications, advertising, brand building, media, performance marketing or a related discipline.

• Experience leading integrated brand and retail campaigns across paid, owned and earned channels.

• Demonstrated success leading creative, media and other agency relationships, including writing compelling communications briefs and providing strategic and creative feedback.

• Experience managing people, delegating workload, developing talent and building high-performing teams.

• Strong understanding of digital, broadcast, CRM, social, experiential and out-of-home marketing, with practical exposure to media planning and buying.

• Demonstrated media literacy and understanding of full-funnel planning, audience strategy, media mix, budget allocation, KPIs, measurement, attribution and performance optimisation.

• Ability to connect media and communications tactics to business outcomes, including sales, consideration, customer acquisition and brand health.

• Proven ability to manage significant budgets, timelines, approvals and production deliverables.

• Strong analytical capability, with the ability to turn data, research and campaign performance into action.

• Ability to offer a clear point of view and defend recommendations with sound strategic rationale and evidence.

• Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation, storytelling, co-ordination and project-management skills.

• Proficiency in PowerPoint and common marketing and collaboration tools.

• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional, cross-country and global teams.

• Self-starter with creative problem-solving ability, strong judgement and a customer-first mindset.

• Automotive industry experience, retail product knowledge and bilingual English/French capability are assets.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is $131,000.00 to $180,900.00. The actual base salary a successful candidate will be offered within this range will vary based on factors relevant to the position.

Benefits

The goal of the General Motors of Canada total rewards programme is to support the health and well-being of you and your family. Our comprehensive compensation plan currently includes the following benefits, in addition to many others:

• Paid time off, including vacation days, holidays, and supplemental benefits for pregnancy, parental and adoption leave.

• Healthcare, dental and vision benefits, including a health care spending account and wellness incentive.

• Life insurance plans to cover you and your family.

• Company and matching contributions to a defined contribution pension plan to help you save for retirement.

• GM Vehicle Purchase Plan for you, your family and friends.

THIS JOB IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR RELOCATIONS BENEFITS. ANY RELOCATION COSTS WOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED CANDIDATE.

GM DOES NOT PROVIDE IMMIGRATION-RELATED SPONSORSHIP FOR THIS ROLE. DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS ROLE IF YOU WILL NEED GM IMMIGRATION SPONSORSHIP NOW OR IN THE FUTURE.