Director, Marketing & Communications

The Bentway; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

The Bentway in Toronto, ON is seeking a Director, Marketing & Communications to lead strategic marketing, communications, brand, audience development, and public profile.

Reporting to the CEO, you will oversee the department, drive multi-channel campaigns, media relations, digital content, and partnerships, while guiding a team of professionals and external partners to advance The Bentway’s mission and community impact.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of leadership experience in marketing and communications.
• Proven ability to develop integrated campaigns for cultural organizations.
• Strong writing, editing, and storytelling skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of multi-channel marketing and communications strategy.
• Oversee brand, media relations, audience growth, and public profile.
• Manage department budgets, staff, and external partners.
• Collaborate with CEO and leadership to align with mission.

Skills

Marketing & Communications

Brand Strategy

Public Relations

Audience Development

Digital Marketing

Leadership

Media Relations

Job description

Position Title: Director, Marketing & Communications

Reports To: CEO

Location: Toronto, ON (Hybrid)

Status: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: $100,000 – 110,000 & benefits package

Start Date: December 1, 2026

Deadline to Apply: September 30 at 5pm

This posting is for an active vacancy. AI will not be used to review or sort candidates, each application will be reviewed by a staff member.

Overview

Reporting to the CEO and serving as a member of The Bentway’s leadership team, the Director, Marketing & Communications provides strategic leadership for the organization’s marketing, communications, brand, audience development, and public profile.

The Director develops and leads integrated strategies that advance The Bentway’s mission, strengthen its reputation, grow and diversify audiences, increase participation in programs and events, support fundraising and revenue objectives, and position The Bentway as a leading voice in public space, culture, and urbanism.

The Director oversees the marketing and communications department, including full-time and part-time staff, consultants, agencies, and creative partners. The role provides strategic direction while ensuring the effective delivery of multi-channel campaigns, media relations, digital communications, advertising, audience engagement, ticketing, and brand initiatives.

Working closely with the CEO, senior leadership, internal teams, Board, funders, community partners, and external collaborators, the Director serves as a senior organizational voice and steward of The Bentway’s public identity and reputation.

Key Responsibilities

Brand Strategy & Organizational Positioning

• Lead the development and evolution of a multi-year marketing and communications strategy aligned with The Bentway’s mission, organizational strategy, and growth priorities.
• Serve as senior steward of The Bentway brand, setting brand strategy, positioning, standards, and direction across audiences, channels, programs, partnerships, and organizational initiatives.
• Lead positioning and messaging for major programs, capital projects, partnerships, public announcements, and strategic initiatives.
• Set audience and stakeholder strategy, ensuring communications are relevant, inclusive, accessible, and reflective of The Bentway’s values.
• Monitor cultural, media, marketing, and audience trends and translate insights into strategic opportunities.

Marketing, Campaigns & Audience Growth

• Lead integrated marketing and audience growth strategy across advertising, digital, social, email, partnerships, experiential, print, out-of-home, transit, and other relevant channels.
• Set campaign objectives, audience strategies, positioning, messaging, budgets, timelines, and measures of success, with the team leading day-to-day development and execution.
• Lead audience growth and diversification strategies, including approaches to reach underrepresented audiences and reduce barriers to participation.
• Develop and steward strategic promotional and cross-sector partnerships that expand reach, relevance, and engagement.

Public Relations, Media & Reputation

• Lead The Bentway’s media and public relations strategy in partnership with the CEO, and external PR consultants.
• Lead proactive media and thought-leadership strategies that increase The Bentway’s visibility, influence, and reputation.
• Oversee the development of press releases, media pitches, key messages, briefing materials, talking points, and other media content.
• Lead or direct reactive and crisis communications, with the team and external advisors supporting execution as appropriate.

Digital, Content & Social

• Set the strategic direction for The Bentway’s digital ecosystem, including website, social media, CRM, email, digital advertising, and emerging platforms.
• Lead the integrated content and editorial strategy while overseeing the team’s day-to-day development, production, publishing, and management of digital and social content.
• Set priorities and standards for website, social, newsletter, digital campaign, and other owned-channel content.
• Oversee external agencies, vendors, freelancers, and creative partners supporting digital and content delivery.

Ticketing, Revenue & Event Marketing

• Lead strategic direction for ticketing, registration, pricing, promotions, audience segmentation, and distribution across programs and events.
• Working with the CEO and senior team set marketing and revenue objectives and oversee the team’s development and execution of event and ticketing campaigns.
• Establish reporting requirements and performance measures that provide timely insight into attendance, revenue, audience composition, and campaign effectiveness.

Audience & Community Engagement

• Lead audience and community engagement strategy, with a focus on building long-term relationships with visitors, local communities, neighbourhood stakeholders, partners, and institutional audiences.
• Set strategic expectations for inclusive, accessible, and culturally responsive marketing and communications, particularly in reaching communities facing systemic barriers to participation.
• Oversee communications and outreach strategies supporting planning, design, capital, and public realm initiatives, with relevant teams leading direct engagement and consultation.

Department Leadership & Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Marketing & Communications team, establishing clear priorities, roles, accountabilities, and professional development opportunities.
• Set annual departmental priorities, work plans, budgets, performance objectives, and reporting frameworks, and oversee delivery by the team.
• Allocate resources and manage departmental budgets, ensuring investments align with organizational priorities.
• Establish efficient processes for briefing, project management, approvals, production, and cross-departmental collaboration.

Qualifications & Experience

• 8–10+ years of experience in marketing, communications, public relations, audience development, or a related field, including significant leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing integrated marketing and communications strategies for a complex organization, cultural institution, public space organization, nonprofit, or similarly mission-driven organization.
• Proven ability to develop organizational brand strategy and translate strategic priorities into compelling campaigns and communications.
• Strong experience leading teams, managing budgets, and overseeing agencies, consultants, and creative partners.
• Demonstrated expertise across digital marketing, social media, content, advertising, media relations, and audience development.
• Experience using audience data, analytics, CRM, ticketing, and campaign performance metrics to inform strategy and decision-making.
• Excellent writing, editing, storytelling, presentation, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong understanding of the Toronto cultural, civic, media, and community landscape, with an ability to build meaningful relationships across sectors.
• Experience working with senior executives, Boards, funders, partners, and external stakeholders.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment.
• Sound judgment, discretion, creativity, and the ability to navigate complex or sensitive communications issues.
• Commitment to equity, accessibility, inclusion, and community-centred practice.

Applications

The Bentway is committed to fostering a positive and supportive environment that promotes equity and diversity. We encourage applications from individuals from equity deserving groups, including Indigenous, Black and racialized applicants, persons with disabilities, and women.

In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, accommodation will be provided at any point throughout the hiring process, provided the candidate makes their accommodation needs known to The Bentway Conservancy at [e-mail].

We kindly ask that no phone calls or emails are made to staff members. All questions regarding the position must be sent to [e-mail].

To Apply

Apply with a resume and cover letter via The Bentway’s job board.

Deadline to Apply: September 30 at 5pm

Application Components

• Resume
• Cover Letter detailing your interest in working at The Bentway and relevant experience to the job description (applications without a cover letter will not be considered)

The Bentway does not use AI to sort candidates, each application will be reviewed by a staff member.

We thank all applicants for their interest and will endeavour to contact all applicants, whether successful or not.