VP, Marketing

Here at Rakuten Kobo Inc. we offer a casual working start-up environment and a group of friendly and talented individuals. Our employees rank us highly in terms of commitment to work/life balance. We realize that for our people to be innovative, creative and passionate they need to feel valued and supported. We believe in rewarding all our employees with competitive salaries, performance based annual bonuses, stock options and training opportunities.  

If you’re looking for a company that inspires passion, personal, and professional growth – join Kobo and come help us on our mission of making reading lives better. 

The Role: 

Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, the Vice President, Marketing will lead the development and execution of brand and communications strategies to promote Rakuten Kobo’s vision, engage deeply with our customers, reach new audiences, and drive business growth in over 30 countries. This requires a balance of strategic vision and operational excellence, with a passion for customers who put reading at the centre of their lives.  

The VP, Marketing will lead a talented team of professionals in PR, Social, Content Marketing, Creative Services, Product Marketing and Integrated Marketing Strategy and identify opportunities to build a best in class, centre of excellence for brand marketing and communications, ensuring quality and efficiency. An inspirational leader and collaborator, the VP will model a learning-hungry culture, understanding customer needs and crafting solutions to grow brand awareness, familiarity, consideration, reputation and NPS. They will elevate an international challenger brand and create competitive product positioning, plan integrated marketing campaigns, and engage audiences through product lifecycle communications to support customer acquisition, retention and sales objectives. 

The Responsibilities: 

Team 

• Set the optimal team and external resource support structure and way of working to deliver on the brand and business targets 

• Foster a culture of creativity, collaboration, and accountability, ensuring team members have clear roles, goals and development paths. 

Operations 

• Manage a global budget to deliver on territory-specific targets  

• Optimize resource allocation and production investments to maximize ROI  

• Manage the 360-marketing campaigns calendar, ensuring integrated plans have the right balance of investment relative to the brand and revenue growth objectives 

Brand Building 

• Increase brand awareness and consideration 

• Develop a clear messaging hierarchy that aligns product/service benefits with core motivations of booklovers through the customer journey: from curiosity to conversion 

• Use customer research and channel specific insights to create content that has measured impact on consumer intent and customer engagement 

Product Marketing & Campaign planning 

• Work closely with product, sales and marketing channel leads (B2B/B2C) to develop relevant and competitive positioning, integrated campaign planning and creative support throughout the product/customer lifecycle 

• In partnership with regional leads, develop brand marketing strategies that resonate with local audiences but also connect to the global brand promise with creative consistency. 

• Monitor campaign performance, brand health, and competitor activities to identify growth opportunities.  

• Embrace an objective test and learn approach to ensure the right balance between what has worked in the past and new ways of marketing, using insights to educate and inspire teams. 

Communications 

• Oversee media outreach, product PR and thought-leadership initiatives with agency partners around the world 

• Create a cadence of storytelling that elevates employer brand, CEO and executive profile, product/services to enhance visibility, reputation and brand affinity 

The Skillset: 

• Experience integrating 360 marketing and communications plans with experience depth in one or more functional practice area 

• Ability to influence, lead change and partner across teams 

• Bachelor's Degree and/or relevant Post-graduate Diploma 

• 15+ years of experience in senior brand and/or marketing communications roles, preferably within ecommerce, consumer electronics and/or media/content industries 

• A proven track record in building and establishing brands, setting strategy, and turning customer insights into compelling creative and campaigns 

• Appetite and aptitude to work at pace and scale in a fast-evolving environment 

• Ability to attract talent, build and motivate teams, and cultivate effective relationships with agency partners 

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and presentation skills 

• Ability to balance vision and passion with streamlined processes, execution and budget management 

• A skilled collaborator that can convey complex ideas and plans clearly and persuasively 

• Expertise in using analytics, KPIs, and market research to drive priorities and inform decisions  

• Both B2C and B2B experience ideal 

• International experience an asset 

The Perks: 

• Flexible hours and hybrid working environment 

• Subsidized in-office lunches 

• Full benefits starting from your first day 

• Paid Volunteer days, unlimited sick days, and 3% RRSP matching 

• Monthly commuting allowance for those who are hybrid 

• Lifestyle spending account 

• Talent and development training budget 

• Free Kobo device + free weekly e-book or audiobook 

• Weekly Kobo Tech University sessions 

• Maternity/paternity leave top up 

• Dog friendly office 

About Rakuten Kobo Inc.  

Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo Inc. is one of the most advanced global ecommerce companies, with the world’s most innovative e-reading services offering more than 6 million eBooks and audiobooks to 30 million + customers in 190 countries. Kobo delivers the best digital reading experience through creative innovation, award-winning e-readers, and top-ranking mobile apps. Kobo is a part of the Rakuten group of companies.  

Rakuten Kobo Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Accessibility accommodations for candidates with disabilities participating in the selection process are available on request. Any information received related to accommodation needs of applicants will be addressed confidentially.

Rakuten Kobo would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this role however only qualified candidates will be shortlisted.  

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