Manager, Marketing Campaigns

Company Overview

The Organization

Centre In The Square is the leading destination for live experiences in the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Area. The Centre In The Square Inc. (CITS Inc.) is a not-for-profit corporation, and registered charity, established in 1981 to maintain, operate, manage, and program the 2,000-seat state-of-the art performing arts theatre – The Raffi Armenian Hall – and the Studio Theatre.

With over 180 annual events, Centre In The Square showcases top local, national, and international talent, enriching the cultural landscape with concerts, plays, comedy, lectures, and more. Located in the heart of Downtown Kitchener, the Centre is a meaningful space for live experiences and community gathering, generating creative and economic impact and serving one of Canada's fastest-growing communities.

 

The Community

Kitchener is one of three cities that make up the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. Kitchener is “a place for everyone and a city for the future.”  Full of vibrant neighborhood communities, diversity, new businesses and innovative ideas, Kitchener is home to many businesses including arts and culture, technology, manufacturing, finance, healthcare, retail, digital media and more. In 2021, the enumerated population of Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo (CMA), was 575,847 with Kitchener’s population at over 240,000 and positioned as the urban centre of the region. 

Kitchener is also part of the second fastest growing municipality in Canada with a 12% growth rate over 5 years, which is the highest growth rate of any of the 290 metropolitan areas with 500,000 plus people across Canada or the United States. Kitchener has deep Germanic roots and offers small town charm with big city growth and excitement. 

Kitchener is now a diverse city, with a  number of ethnic and cultural groups, all who are inspired by what Kitchener is becoming and who want to be a part of its vibrant future. No matter who you are or where you come from, you belong in Kitchener.

Job Description

The ideal candidate will have significant experience in arts marketing, with a proven track record of increasing audience loyalty and revenue through data-driven campaigns and strategic communication efforts. Knowledge of proven audience-building strategies will be an asset, as Centre in the Square is focused on leveraging best practices to foster deep, lasting connections with their patrons.

Manager, Marketing Campaigns Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the Director of Marketing & Development, the key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Campaign Planning & Execution

• Plan and execute all marketing and communication campaigns for all Centre In The Square Presents programs (over 60 performances and events), including season launch campaign, education programs, membership, and fundraising campaigns, and initiatives. The manager also supports campaigns let by rental clients.
• Own the integrated marketing calendar, from season announcement through individual show campaigns, coordinating workback schedules, asset deadlines, and on-sale milestones across all performances, events, and ancillary activities.
• Translate the Director's strategic priorities into detailed campaign briefs covering audience targets, channel mix, messaging hierarchy, budget allocation, and success metrics.
• Lead end-to-end campaign delivery across email, paid digital (Meta, Google), organic social, print, outdoor, radio, and community channels, ensuring all materials are on brand, on schedule, and on budget.
• Coordinate with the Director on pricing strategy, discount frameworks, and promotional offers; implement within the Box Office team and ensure accurate event setup and inventory management.
• Assist in Identifying and developing partnership opportunities including sales promotions and third-party activity.

Content Creation & Agency Direction

• Research each show to identify the most compelling audience hook and translate a busy slate of multi-genre performances into accessible stories that help audiences understand why a show matters, even if they don't recognize the artists by name.
• Be responsible for the messaging of each production: agree key selling points and target audiences with the Director and programming colleagues, then work with the marketing agency to develop the copy platform, tone, and creative direction.
• Act as brand guardian: ensure all marketing communications, across every channel and partner, adhere to Centre In The Square's brand guidelines, copywriting style, and tone of voice.
• Working with the marketing team, external agencies, and destination partners ensure planning, scheduling, and on-time execution of the following campaign activities:
• Write campaign copy for emails, web content, digital and print ads, radio and television scripts, and social captions.
• Develop creative briefs, including graphic designs, videos and trailers, with clear creative direction, copy, timelines, and approval workflows for each campaign.
• Plan and execute digital campaigns to target specific audiences online, including organic and paid social, display, and influencer activity.
• Provide digital advertising direction: production-specific ad copy, audience targeting direction, campaign priorities, and reviewing performance throughout the campaign cycle.
• Ensure print publications meet the highest standards and communicate our brand values, seeking to engage audiences and direct them online.
• Oversee the delivery of direct marketing campaigns and all associated list pulls, segmentation, and scheduling.
• Oversee research to identify new niche audiences, working with the Marketing Coordinator.

Audience Development & CRM

• Develop and steward the patron journey, from first-time buyer to returning patron and member, with a focus on growing loyalty and repeat attendance, with the goal of continuous growth of the database.
• Monitor campaign performance in real time; interpret data to recommend adjustments to channel mix, offers, or messaging and present findings at weekly and post-campaign reviews.
• Lead post-campaign evaluations with rigorous analysis of ROI, cost-per-ticket-sold, email open/click rates, social reach, and digital advertising performance.

Membership Growth

• Treat membership as a year-round marketing campaign: developing acquisition, renewal, and reactivation communications with the same rigour applied to show campaigns.
• Build and execute targeted membership campaigns across email, digital, and in-venue channels, including post-show email upsells and behaviour-based offers, focused on growing active member count.
• Develop clear, benefit-led messaging at each membership tier; ensure all communications reinforce the value of belonging.
• Track membership campaign performance and report on acquisition rates, renewal conversion, and growth against targets.

Team Leadership & Cross-Departmental Collaboration

• Directly supervise the Marketing Coordinator: set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, conduct performance reviews, and support professional development.
• Facilitate weekly campaign meetings, keeping the team aligned on priorities, deliverables, and timelines.
• Collaborate with Programming and Development colleagues to ensure marketing campaigns integrate partnership credits, sponsor activations, and relevant messaging appropriately.
• Brief Artistic, Front of House, and Technical teams on campaign timelines and patron-facing promotions.
• Contribute to departmental budget planning; maintain detailed campaign budget tracking and provide monthly variance reports to the Director.
• Represent Centre In The Square at community events, industry networking opportunities, and venue marketing forums as appropriate.

Qualifications

• A minimum 4–6 years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, with a proven track record of executing campaigns across multiple platforms and channels, including email, paid digital, social, print, and out-of-home.
• Experience in a marketing or advertising agency environment, or demonstrated experience briefing and managing agency partners from the client side.
• Experience in a performing arts, entertainment, cultural, or live events environment is strongly preferred.
• Post-secondary degree or diploma in Marketing, Communications, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing staff or a team, including setting performance expectations and developing talent.
• Experience managing campaign budgets with accountability for results.

Traits and Characteristics

Collaborative, proactive, dynamic, self-motivated, detail- and people-oriented, the Manager, Marketing Campaigns, will be goal-oriented and possess exceptional time management, social and verbal communication skills, and value frequent interaction and collaboration with others. The Manager, Marketing Campaigns will be an experienced professional with the vision to actively pursue the Centre in the Square’s goals with creativity and determination and will have a high degree of personal accountability - with a commitment to exceeding expectations.

• Outstanding campaign management skills: proven ability to manage multiple productions simultaneously, meet tight deadlines, and maintain quality under pressure.
• Data-literate: comfortable interpreting analytics, building reports, and translating data into actionable recommendations.
• Emotional intelligence: able to capture and convey the emotional resonance of live performance, translating what happens on stage into language that moves people to buy a ticket.
• Comfortable using AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude) to accelerate copy drafting and content workflows, while applying strong editorial judgment to all published output.
• Excellent copywriting and creative direction skills: able to craft compelling, on-brand copy for email, digital, print, radio, and social, and to brief agency partners with confidence and clarity.
• Strong digital marketing proficiency paid social (Meta), Google Ads, email marketing platforms, SEO basics, and analytics tools (Google Analytics or equivalent).
• Experience with a ticketing/CRM system (Paciolan, Tessitura, Ticketmaster, or equivalent) at a campaign or reporting level.
• Highly organized, detailed and systems-oriented: able to build and maintain workback schedules, briefs, and tracking documents that keep teams aligned.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite; comfort with CRM and email marketing platforms.
• Availability to work some evenings, weekends, and event days as required in a performing arts environment.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-management skills, confident working with presenters, touring companies, agencies, and community partners.

Strong financial literacy: able to manage budgets, track expenditure, and forecast campaign costs accurately.