Website Cannara Biotech Inc. (Québec)
The Opportunity
Cannara is a product-led cannabis company focused on quality, execution, and brand building that drives retail performance. We have established strong brand foundations and high creative standards. The next phase is to scale that standard into a faster, more disciplined commercialization and launch engine across our portfolio.
We are hiring a senior CPG marketing leader with a passion for cannabis who can translate founder-led vision into repeatable execution. This role requires strong creative judgment, operational discipline, and the ability to run marketing as a business function tied to sell-through, repeat purchase, and market share.
Location: Montréal (in-office).
Scope and Accountability
The VP Marketing is accountable for end-to-end marketing across Cannara’s brands and channels, including:
- Portfolio strategy, brand architecture, positioning, and brand standards
- Product development partnership and commercialization ownership (from concept through launch)
- Packaging strategy and execution (compliance, shelf impact, speed, cost discipline)
- Launch planning and execution, including trade marketing aligned to sell-through
- Content and creative operations (internal team + agencies)
- Brand social media strategy and execution
- Brand website management (brand pages, product pages, content governance, performance)
- Accessories and apparel (e-commerce) as a brand extension
- Measurement, insights cadence, and marketing operating rhythm
- Team leadership (Montréal + remote)
What Success Looks Like (12 – 18 months)
- A disciplined commercialization process with clear stage-gates, faster cycle times, fewer reworks, and stronger launch consistency.
- Packaging and creative systems that maintain premium brand standards while improving speed and accuracy.
- Trade marketing that is planned with launches and supports sell-through by province and channel.
- A team that can manage a high volume of projects with clear priorities, strong project management, and reliable delivery.
- A performance cadence that links marketing activity to business outcomes (distribution quality, velocity, repeat, share).
How Success is Measured
The VP, Marketing will be evaluated on execution quality, speed to market, and commercial impact. Success is measured across five core dimensions:
- Product Launch Excellence – Are launches delivered on time, on strategy, and with commercial impact?
Measured by: On-time delivery of launch milestones against approved launch calendars, Completeness and quality of launch toolkits (trade, digital, accessory, sales enablement), Sell-in readiness at launch (clear product story, compliant packaging, trained sales teams), Early post-launch indicators (distribution quality, velocity, reorder cadence)
- Quality of Execution – Is the work accurate, consistent, and executed with minimal rework?
Measured by: Label and Packaging creation, implementation and compliance, Reduction in last-minute changes and downstream rework, Consistency of brand standards across SKUs, channels, and launches, Stakeholder confidence from Sales, Supply Chain, and Compliance
3. Departmental Process & Discipline – Has marketing been built into a scalable, well-run function?
Measured by: Clear stage-gate commercialization process in place and actively used, Defined workflows for packaging, creative, and launches, Ability to prioritize effectively across a large and growing portfolio, Projects delivered with clear owners, timelines, and decision points
4. Marketing Culture & Leadership – Is the team operating with accountability, ownership, and high standards?
Measured by: Clarity of roles, expectations, and performance accountability within the team, Operating rhythm in place (weekly execution reviews, launch reviews, post-mortems), Talent development, retention, and bench strength, Cross-functional feedback on collaboration and effectiveness.
5. Events, Social & Brand Engagement Quality -Does brand activity meaningfully reinforce brand equity and engagement?
Measured by: Quality and consistency of brand presence at events and activations, Social media execution quality, cadence, and engagement trends (within regulatory limits), Alignment of content and storytelling with brand positioning, Contribution to broader brand momentum and consumer pull
Key Responsibilities
1) Portfolio and Brand Leadership
- Own brand strategy, positioning, and portfolio architecture across Cannara’s brand ecosystem.
- Set and maintain brand standards across packaging, creative, messaging, and content.
- Lead annual and quarterly planning, including launch calendar governance and priority setting.
2) Product Development and Commercialization
- Co-lead product development with cross-functional partners, ensuring consumer needs, product truth, and brand strategy are reflected in product definition.
- Own end-to-end commercialization: concept → naming → product/claim definition → packaging → assets → sell-in story → launch plan → post-launch review.
- Build and run a stage-gate process with clear decision points, timelines, owners, and go/no-go readiness criteria.
- Partner with Cultivation, Supply Chain, Sales, Finance, and Compliance to ensure launches are feasible, profitable, and executable on schedule.
3) Packaging, Design, and Creative Operations
- Lead packaging strategy and execution to win at retail while remaining fully compliant.
- Establish packaging workflows (templates/specs, version control, approvals, vendor management) to improve speed and reduce errors.
- Own creative operations: briefs, review cycles, resource planning, agency management, and production quality control.
- Lead innovative design initiatives that are realistic to execute and deliver value in-market.
4) Launch Excellence and Trade Marketing
- Build a launch process that consistently delivers strong sell-in readiness and sell-through support.
- Deliver launch toolkits: listings copy, product one-pagers, training materials, brand decks, FAQs, and sales enablement assets.
- Align trade priorities and timing to the launch calendar and provincial realities, in close partnership with Sales.
5) Digital, Social, Content, and Websites
- Own digital strategy and content governance across brand channels, within regulatory constraints.
- Oversee brand social media strategy, calendar, creative production, approvals, and performance measurement.
- Own brand website management, including brand pages and product pages, content updates, SEO basics, analytics, and compliance oversight.
- Build content systems that maintain brand quality while increasing speed and throughput.
6) Accessories and Apparel (E-commerce)
- Lead accessories/apparel as a brand extension, including product drops, creative, merchandising, and campaigns, aligned to overall brand strategy.
7) Measurement and Performance Cadence
- Build a monthly marketing performance cadence using available data sources (retail performance, market share, velocity, consumer feedback, internal KPIs).
- Create dashboards and decision tools that connect marketing inputs to business outcomes.
- Implement post-launch reviews and test-and-learn practices that improve future execution.
8) Team Leadership
- Build and lead a high-performing marketing team across Montréal and remote talent.
- Establish operating rhythm: weekly execution reviews, launch war rooms, monthly business reviews.
- Coach and hold the team accountable for speed, quality, and results.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of progressive marketing leadership, including meaningful senior experience in CPG.
- Demonstrated record of building brands that win at retail (distribution quality, velocity, repeat, share growth).
- Strong experience in innovation commercialization, packaging development, and launch execution.
- Experience in regulated categories is an asset.
- Strong cross-functional leadership and the ability to drive execution across functions.
- Bilingualism in French/English required to approve marketing campaigns and collaborate with colleagues outside of Quebec.
To apply for this job email your details to cv@cannara.ca