Sr. Manager, Indigo Love of Reading Foundation – 18 Month Contract – Indigo – Toronto, ON

Company: Indigo

Location: Toronto, ON

Expected salary:

Job date: Wed, 05 Mar 2025 23:02:12 GMT

Job description: Company DescriptionDedicated to telling stories and creating experiences, Indigo is always looking for bright, energetic and customer-focused people who can help bring our exciting mission to life in one of our more than 170 Indigo, Indigospirit, Chapters and Coles stores across Canada. We offer a variety of exciting opportunities at our retail stores, distribution centres, and home office for people who share our passions and want to be part of a dynamic and enriching culture.WHO WE ARE

  • We love books and all things beautiful
  • We are Canada’s Cultural Department Store
  • Books are our heart and our soul and Great Books are JUST the Beginning…

We play by the following rules:

  • We exist to add joy to our customers’ lives each and every time they interact with us and our products
  • Our job is to create joyful moments for our customers
  • We treat each other the way we’d treat a valued friend
  • We inspire each other to do our best work
  • We seek to ignite creativity and innovation every day
  • We give back to the communities in which we operate

Job DescriptionThe Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has existed since 2004 as the philanthropic partner of Indigo Books and Music. The Sr Manager, Indigo Love of Reading Foundation is responsible, in partnership with the Indigo Love of Reading Board, Executive Director, Program Specialist, Program Coordinator and cross-functional partners across Indigo Books and Music, for driving and executing all of the Foundations awareness raising and marketing initiatives as well as building an exceptional experience for all Indigo Love of Reading donors, champions and philanthropic partners. Along with the Program Specialist and Coordinator, this individual is accountable for handling daily operations of the Foundation.This is a unique position in the corporate social responsibility space that brings together strategy, marketing and communications, campaign development. This is an opportunity to flex multiple skills including strategy, brand development, marketing communications, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement.KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

  • Awareness Targets
  • Donor Engagement
  • Employee Engagement
  • Fundraising Targets

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIESFunctional

  • Track, manage and drive strategy surrounding the Foundation’s core deliverables including program impact, fundraising and awareness campaigns

Communications and Awareness

  • Lead and execute the Indigo Love of Reading communications and marketing and PR strategy, including the development and execution of items on donor communications, social media and website content calendars, and awareness initiatives related to the Literacy Fund Grant, Adopt a School Program and other new initiatives.
  • Act as project lead on external PR and Agency work that supports largescale communications campaigns and awareness initiatives.
  • Act as lead liason for Indigo Retail, Digital, Marketing, PR and Creative Studio teams, preparing briefs and managing end to end creative development, execution and performance of all Foundation communications and marketing efforts.
  • Support Executive Director to develop awareness and engagement strategy, implement and manage internal and external partnerships

FUNDRAISING AND STORE ENGAGEMENT

  • In partnership with the Executive Director and Indigo Retail teams, oversee fundraising pipeline, goal setting, implement new fundraising programs and campaigns, and assess results
  • Organize and lead highly visible events to promote and raise awareness for the Foundation.
  • Collaborate with Indigo HR team to integrate ILOR into employee engagement strategy
  • Help to foster of philanthropy with Indigo partners through the formation and management of fundraising committees, engagement programs and other initiatives.

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION & PARTNERSHIPS

  • Ensure all granting programs are implemented with a high degree of support for school partners, with the support of the Program Specialist and Coordinator
  • Oversee key program partnerships including the creation of partnership contracts and agreements and measure all programs and partnerships against key performance measurements

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

  • Embrace and seek out technology that creates high tech and high touch solutions for Indigo’s customers to enhance and amplify in-store fundraising
  • Challenge the status quo by consistently identifying areas for improvement, diagnosing issues and working to resolve them
  • Train and support volunteers and support staff as needed
  • Collaborate with Executive Director, Finance team and Love of Reading Program Specialist to build, oversee and manage Foundation budgets and fundraising targets

STRATEGY AND TEAM LEADERSHIP

  • Oversee the work of the Program Specialist and Program Coordinator to ensure program goals are met and beneficiary targets are met or exceeded
  • Work with cross-functional teams and Executive Director to lead on annual strategic planning process
  • Own key projects and initiatives to drive forward the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation strategy

People

  • Collaborate with others to drive flexible and iterative solutions, quickly and easily
  • Share technical knowledge with others and actively seek to learn from those more knowledgeable than yourself
  • Help others see the impacts of their efforts and proactively engage other functions to get input
  • Encourage others to freely share their point of view and be open to feedback

Cultural

  • Model Indigo’s beliefs and convey a positive image in everything you do
  • Celebrate diversity of thought and have an open mindset
  • Take an active role in fostering a culture of continual learning, taking risks without the fear of making mistakes
  • Embrace, champion and influence change through your team and/or the organization.

SCOPEReports to: Executive Director, Indigo Love of Reading FoundationManager once Removed (MOR): ILOR Board of DirectorsKEY RELATIONSHIPSInternal:

  • Retail Operations & Field
  • Accounting & Corporate Sales
  • Marketing, Online & Public Relations
  • Employee Communications
  • Studio
  • Print
  • Legal
  • Translation

External:

  • Participating Schools
  • Donors and supporters of the Foundation
  • External vendors and consultants

QualificationsWork Experience / Education / Certifications

  • University educated or equivalent post-secondary degree
  • 5-7 years experience in areas such as fundraising, corporate social responsibility, marketing, public relations, or communications
  • 3-5 years experience managing a team
  • Experience in retail considered a strong asset
  • Experience with children’s educational programming considered a strong asset
  • Experience in social impact, public relations and communications, cause-related marketing and campaign development, with exceptional project management skills and experience.
  • Mission-driven, passionate about social impact, and understands how to inspire and unify those around them

Competencies / Skills / Attributes

  • High attention to detail and strong project management skills
  • Impeccable written and verbal communications skills
  • Highly dependable with a superior work ethic
  • Drive and ability to work independently and consistently deliver on objectives
  • Ability to problem-solve and effectively manage multiple priorities
  • Analytical skills, both quantitative and qualitative
  • Skilled user of MS Office; experience working with Sharepoint an asset
  • Confident navigating online software (e.g. Google Analytics, Survey Monkey, MailChimp); experience working with an online fundraising platform (e.g. Artez, Raiser’s Edge) an asset
  • Experience managing social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram etc.) and implementing other social media best practices
  • Combines a business-minded, results-oriented approach with a positive, warm and compassionate attitude
  • Belief in accountability and ownership and the ability to support what is right and fix what is wrong
  • True belief in teamwork and the ability to understand the impact of one’s actions on another team, individual or process

Other (travel, Bilingual, etc.)

  • Fluency in English and French considered a strong asset

Additional InformationAt Indigo, we are committed to our communities, our customers, and each other; together we can make a positive impact. We know that fostering diversity and inclusion brings out your full potential and creates a joyful and welcoming environment for everyone. We are driven to be an equitable employer, which highly values your diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that you, in all your uniqueness, belong at Indigo. We welcome all applicants and encourage applications from individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, a person of colour, LGBTQ2+ and people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request to individuals who self-identify as having a disability or special need. Please contact Human Resources at Support-HR@indigo.ca if you require an accommodation at any time during the recruitment process.#LI-HybridWELCOME HOME

Indigo is a Canadian Cultural Department Store that is passionate about books and creating joyful moments for their customers. They are looking for a Senior Manager for the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation who will be responsible for driving awareness, fundraising, and marketing initiatives. The ideal candidate should have experience in areas such as fundraising, corporate social responsibility, and team management. Indigo values diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from individuals from various backgrounds. Accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities.

Associate Category Manager, Kids Reading – 12 Month Contract – Indigo – Toronto, ON

Company: Indigo

Location: Toronto, ON

Expected salary:

Job date: Thu, 26 Sep 2024 22:46:49 GMT

Job description: Company DescriptionDedicated to telling stories and creating experiences, Indigo is always looking for bright, energetic and customer-focused people who can help bring our exciting mission to life in one of our more than 170 Indigo, Indigospirit, Chapters and Coles stores across Canada. We offer a variety of exciting opportunities at our retail stores, distribution centres, and home office for people who share our passions and want to be part of a dynamic and enriching culture.WHO WE ARE

  • We love books and all things beautiful
  • We are Canada’s Cultural Department Store
  • Books are our heart and our soul and Great Books are JUST the Beginning…

We play by the following rules:

  • We exist to add joy to our customers’ lives each and every time they interact with us and our products
  • Our job is to create joyful moments for our customers
  • We treat each other the way we’d treat a valued friend
  • We inspire each other to do our best work
  • We seek to ignite creativity and innovation every day
  • We give back to the communities in which we operate

Job DescriptionMISSIONThe Associate Category Manager, Reading is responsible for inspiring our customers to read more, supporting them on their reading journey, and building a reading culture. They will strive to ensure that Indigo is the primary conduit for reading inspiration and book purchases in Canada. The Associate Category Manager will execute on Reading strategy, and is responsible for driving growth and profitability within their programs and select categories.KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

  • Print Revenue, Net Margin, Sales units (vertical)
  • Productivity of the inventory investments (Returns, NMROI and Turns)
  • Customer Metrics (TBD)
  • Performance on category strategies
  • Category strategies market share
  • ROI on Capital Investment projects, where appropriate

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIESFunctional

  • Support the Category Director and Manager with the execution of the overall Reading strategy and proof of concept
  • Oversee individual programs and select category, as well as executing to ensure financial goals are met while improving the end-to-end customer experience
  • Support with the day to day business needs of the total portfolio
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to execute Indigo’s vision and strategy
  • Proactively identify and anticipate customer expectations and needs, and surface customer trends to Print Experience Merchant and Print Reading Merchant
  • Identify key sales opportunities that will be relevant to our customers and deliver on the Category Strategy using every available resource (customer insights, culture, media, vendor catalogues, industry trends, etc.)
  • Actively source product that:
  • Inspires customers to purchase
  • Augments the customer experience
  • Advances the Print team’s strategy to represent more diverse and under-represented voices
  • Execute collaboratively with Category Manager, Experience & Curation, to ensure alignment between reading and experience strategies,
  • Partner with the planning team to maximize inventory efficiencies and increase profitability
  • Partner with the Inventory Team to develop store allocations and optimization plans that support the Category Strategy
  • Advance existing customer-based assortments by working with the assortment team
  • Act as an advocate for the customer by placing them at the forefront of all design and decision-making processes
  • Seek out and maintain positive vendor relationships focusing on finding new and brand appropriate merchandise
  • Negotiate with vendors to maximize sales and profits, and gain best possible terms of engagement
  • Partner with the Print Experience Team to develop visual merchandising standards that evolve customer experience
  • Challenge the status quo and consistently identify areas for improvement, diagnose issues and work to resolve them

People

  • Grow understanding of customer Interests across the organization and deepen the businesses understanding of book customers
  • Foster trust and understanding within the organization
  • Give authentic feedback on performance and potential
  • Collaborate with others to drive flexible and iterative solutions, quickly and easily
  • Share technical knowledge with others and actively seek to learn from those more knowledgeable than yourself
  • Help others see the impact of their efforts and proactively engage other functions to get input
  • Encourage others to share freely their point of view and be open to feedback

Cultural

  • Model Indigo’s beliefs and convey a positive image in everything you do
  • Celebrate diversity of thought and have an open mindset
  • Take an active role in fostering a culture of continual learning, taking risks without the fear of making mistakes
  • Embrace, champion, and influence change throughout Print and the organization

SCOPEReports to: Sr. CM, KIDSManager once Removed (MOR): VP, KIDSKEY RELATIONSHIPSInternal:

  • Print Curation & Experience Managers
  • Planning & Inventory Management
  • Kids & Toy
  • Digital
  • Field Teams
  • Marketing & Content
  • Retail Operations

External:

  • Vendors
  • Authors

QualificationsQUALIFICATIONSWork Experience / Education / Certifications

  • University degree, in business or related field
  • 3-5 years of experience in buying and category management of specialty, book retail or publishing industry
  • Proven and demonstrated leadership experience
  • Customer-centric approach
  • Communicates a compelling and inspiring vision and sense of core purpose
  • Ability to learn and adapt in a constantly changing environment
  • Comfortable handling risk and uncertainty
  • Creative approach to problem solving and innovation
  • Ability to understand problems and recommend solutions
  • Results driven
  • Ability to lead and develop team members
  • Ability to establish professional and productive relationships based on trust and integrity
  • Strong desire to learn and grow within the organization, with an understanding that development is an employee’s own responsibility

Additional InformationAt Indigo, we are committed to our communities, our customers, and each other; together we can make a positive impact. We know that fostering diversity and inclusion brings out your full potential and creates a joyful and welcoming environment for everyone. We are driven to be an equitable employer, which highly values your diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that you, in all your uniqueness, belong at Indigo. We welcome all applicants and encourage applications from individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, a person of colour, LGBTQ2+ and people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request to individuals who self-identify as having a disability or special need. Please contact Human Resources at Support-HR@indigo.ca if you require an accommodation at any time during the recruitment process.#LI-HybridWELCOME HOME

Indigo is a Canadian cultural department store that is passionate about books and creating joyful experiences for customers. They are looking for an Associate Category Manager, Reading to inspire customers to read more, support their reading journey, and build a reading culture. The role involves executing the Reading strategy, driving growth and profitability, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate should have a business degree, 3-5 years of buying and category management experience, and a customer-centric approach. Indigo is committed to diversity and inclusion, welcoming applicants from all backgrounds.