The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership is a one-stop shop for economic development services whose mission is to promote the distinctive advantages that Sarnia-Lambton has to offer to companies and residents. By coordinating community-based economic development initiatives and working to maintain a commercially attractive environment, we foster new business creation as well as help ensure that established firms remain and grow here in our region.

The Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership is a private/public sector, community-based partnership that works to continually increase the economic activity in the County of Lambton. We have local business leaders, educational institutions and municipal governments collaborating with one another, allowing Sarnia-Lambton as a whole to benefit from coordinated economic development initiatives.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Communications and Marketing Coordinator proactively proposes and develops succinct and professional communications that are both polished and engaging to the intended audience. The position also proactively coordinates strategy and implementation of social media, online, and impactful print marketing materials, leveraging strong organization skills, relationship management and polished design. The Coordinator also proposes a detailed annual advertising plan including all media purchases and tracks expenses, variances and results.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Communications

• Media Releases: Proactively identify, propose, and write a minimum of 25 media releases annually, ensuring each is well written, engaging, polished, and with a strong call to action relevant to the appropriate audience
• Articles: Proactively identify, propose, and write a minimum of 15 articles annually, ensuring each is well written, engaging, polished, and with a strong call to action relevant to the appropriate audience
• Enewsletter: Proactively identify content, and develop and implement a succinct, polished, engaging and visually appealing e-newsletter that is distributed approximately 8 times per year
• Annual Activity Report: Create content and leverage media releases, enewsletter, photos and other content to develop and layout a comprehensive annual activity report. Create and maintain SLEP Operations database on staff participation in trade shows and events, SLEP-organized events and marketing and media placements
• Business Profiles: Coordinate development of compelling business profile and success stories
• Media monitoring: Monitor traditional and digital media sources and brief economic development staff on relevant news and issues
• Media requests: Position SLEP with media as a leader in local economic development, and respond to media requests in a timely manner.
• Value Propositions: Refine Sarnia-Lambton value propositions that will serve as a basis for communications and marketing
• Relationships: Build relationships with marketing and communications staff at business organizations and area municipalities, coordinate collaborative efforts and shared communications, and establish regular communications committee meetings
• Public Events: Organize up to 2-4 community stakeholder events and guest speakers; develop topics and market to attract 80-100 attendees (e.g. AGM, Small Business Week, etc)
• Presentations: Develop and deliver educational presentations on marketing and communications to businesses

Website and Social Media

• Social Media: Propose a weekly schedule of upcoming social media posts aligned with the social media strategy and ensure daily posts or relevant information to major platforms including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, among others. Grow the number and engagement of followers annually by 15% or a higher target set during annual business planning
• Website: Develop and maintain website, work with graphics software, and website development company to develop downloadable promotional ?flash piece?, interactive GIS mapping, content about Sarnia-Lambton's municipalities, video, and photography. Ensure data (including business directory and real estate content) is current and reflects new opportunities / events
• Reports and Analytics: Monitor analytics, generate reports and develop and implement strategies to maximize user experience and website exposure
• Programatic Marketing: Develop and manage programmatic marketing campaigns

Advertising and Marketing

• Planning and Budgeting: Propose a detailed annual plan of individual advertising and marketing projects, purchases and expenditures. Track budgets, expenses and results a minimum of monthly.
• Print advertising: Coordinate graphic design and placement of print media advertising for sector-specific publications, websites, trade magazines and news publications
• Brochure Development: Create publications in-house, focusing on targeted sectors and topics, including research, copywriting, editing, formatting, photography, traditional print, electronic, and social media.
• Photography: Develop a repository of business and community images and edit files to ensure high quality images including appropriate adjustments to levels, colours, shadows, and cropping.
• Events Calendar: Develop and maintain an events calendar of relevant business and entrepreneurship events in the Sarnia-Lambton area.
• Research: Research subject matter for creation of marketing materials and compile contact lists for target sectors
• Promote Events: Promote business and entrepreneurship seminars and workshops, especially those organized by SLEP
• Collaborative Advertising: Create joint-advertising projects with local organizations such as Research Park
• Discoveries that Matter: Manage and facilitate implementation of the new community brand for SLEP
• External Awards: Prepare submissions for marketing competitions and pursue third party community endorsements
• Real Estate: Monitor local industrial and commercial real estate offerings and update SLEP's available land & buildings database
• Content Development: Create visually impactful content for staff use in client documents, presentations, with a focus on graphics, charts, maps, formatting, and photography.

General:

• Incumbents must keep up-to-date on all relevant legislation, Policies and Procedures, etc. ensuring that these are implemented as prescribed
• Incumbents must possess the physical ability to meet the duties and responsibilities of the job description and/or the requirements identified within the position's Physical Demands Analysis
These describe the general nature and level of work being performed by incumbents in this classification. They are not an exhaustive list of all job duties in the classification. Other duties may be assigned.

Supervision Requirements

Direct Supervision: None

Indirect Supervision: None

Functional Authority: None

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Formal Education

• A Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Communications or a combination of education and experience in a relevant discipline related to areas of service provision

Experience

• Five years' experience in marketing and economic development
• Effective marketing and presentation skills
• Good knowledge of MS Word, MS Access, Excel and PowerPoint, Photoshop, InDesign, and content management interfaces
• Graphic design skills would be an asset

A valid Ontario driver's license and use of a vehicle.