Creative Lead

Canlan Sports; Toronto; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Canlan Sports is seeking a Creative Lead at our North York Head Office to shape our brand and marketing campaigns across omni-channel platforms. This role leads a team and crafts a cohesive visual identity to engage communities across North America.

The ideal candidate will drive awareness and engagement through digital, print, social, sponsorship activations, and in-person experiences. Strong storytelling and executive communication are essential.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of brand/marketing design leadership experience.
• Post-secondary accreditation in Graphic Design or related field.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere, After Effects).
• Proficiency in Figma for collaboration and UI prototyping.
• Strong portfolio showing brand identity, campaigns, and marketing assets.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with executives/stakeholders.
• Experience managing designers and cross-functional teams.
• A passion for sports, recreation, and community engagement.

Responsibilities

• Define, evolve, and implement Canlan Sports' brand vision across marketing touchpoints.
• Lead creative direction for marketing campaigns, sponsorship activations, and promotional content.
• Oversee visuals for social media, digital ads, website, email marketing, in-arena experiences, and print.
• Mentor and manage designers, upholding brand consistency and quality.
• Collaborate with marketing, sponsorship, sales, and content teams to align creative work with business goals.
• Coordinate with external partners, agencies, and vendors.
• Develop and maintain a cohesive brand style guide and design system.

Skills

Brand leadership

Team management

Cross-functional collaboration

Storytelling

Communication

Education

Graphic Design degree

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Job description

Office: Canlan Sports Corporate Head Office Ontario

Canlan Sports exists to create experiences where people find their people through the power of play, because we believe everyone deserves a team. As North America's largest private sector owner and operator off recreational sports complexes, Canlan Sports brings that belief to life across 15 multi-sport complexes and more than 70 playing surfaces spanning Canada and the United States. From ice and court to turf and digital, we offer a wide array of recreational sports experiences designed to build community, foster connection, and change lives for the better.

Canlan Sports is currently looking for a Creative Lead for our North York Head Office!

Salary Range: $70,000 - $76,000 per year.

Job Summary

Canlan Sports is looking for a Creative Lead to shape our brand identity, marketing campaigns, and customer engagement across omni-channel platforms. This is not a UX/UI or product design role- it's an opportunity to lead the evolution of a bold, engaging sports brand, ensuring our visuals resonate with communities across North America.

The ideal candidate is a brand builder and strategic thinker, capable of leading a team, developing a cohesive visual identity, and delivering impactful marketing creative that drives awareness, retention and engagement. They will collaborate cross-functionally to bring Canlan Sports' brands to life across digital, print, social, sponsorship activations, and in-person experiences.

Responsibilities

• Brand Identity & Creative Leadership: Define, evolve, and implement Canlan Sports' brand vision across all marketing and customer touchpoints.
• Marketing Campaign Development: Lead the creative direction for marketing campaigns, sponsorship activations, and promotional content.
• Multi-Channel Creative Execution: Oversee and produce visuals for social media, digital ads, website, email marketing, in-arena experiences, and print.
• Creative Team Leadership: Mentor and manage designers, setting a high standard for brand consistency and creative excellence.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with marketing, sponsorship, sales, and content teams to align creative work with business objectives.
• Vendor & Partner Coordination: Manage relationships with external creative partners, agencies, and production vendors.
• Brand Standards Development: Evolve and maintain a cohesive brand style guide, digital asset management platform, and design system that scales across platforms and campaigns.

Requirements

• 3-5 years of experience in brand/marketing design leadership, preferably in the sports, entertainment, or lifestyle industries.
• Post-secondary accreditation in Graphic Design or a related field.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere, After Effects).
• Proficiency in Figma for collaboration and UI prototyping.
• Strong portfolio showcasing brand identity, campaign creative, and marketing assets.
• Ability to develop compelling brand stories through visual design and multi-platform storytelling.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with experience working with executives and stakeholders.
• Experience managing designers and working with cross-functional teams.
• A passion for sports, recreation, and community engagement.

Relationships

You will work closely with:

• Director, Marketing & CX
• Graphic Designer
• External Partners
• Content Specialist
• Web Developers
• Director, North American Programs
• Product Managers
• Customer-Facing Managers and Senior Leadership

NOTE: Only those applicants under consideration will be contacted. Please accept our utmost appreciation for your interest. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and not on race, color, creed, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions or any other classification protected by federal, provincial and local laws and ordinances. Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities, upon request. This Equal Employment Opportunity policy applies to all practices. As part of our recruitment and hiring practices, we may use AI-based tools to assist in the initial screening and assessment of applications. All final hiring decisions are made by human reviewers.