Who we are 

At Heart & Stroke our mission is to promote health, save lives and enhance recovery. We are committed to a culture that exemplifies our core values: champion health, practice humility, embrace change, drive impact, learn and grow and be heartfelt as we work together to beat heart disease and stroke. 

We believe in equity, diversity and inclusion ― it’s embedded in our values and core mission work to support all people in Canada to lead healthier lives. We are committed to applying this principle to cultivate a welcoming environment that embraces diversity among our employees. Candidates from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to, Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, women, and people living with disabilities are encouraged to apply. 

To learn more about our mission, values, commitment to EDI, and the difference Heart & Stroke makes in the lives of people in Canada at every age, please visit our website 

The opportunity 

Please note Heart & Stroke offers a hybrid work option. Candidates must be able to travel to the Toronto office when requested.  

Heart & Stroke is seeking a seasoned Media Manager who wants to make a difference to the health of Canadians. The Media Manager is responsible for leading media strategy, planning, execution, and optimization across integrated marketing and fundraising campaigns. This role is designed to support the complexity, volume, and always-on nature of the Foundation’s media activity, with a strong focus on performance, optimization, and partnership opportunities.  

Working closely with Brand team as well as, Fundraising, Analytics, and agency partners, the Media Manager oversees a portfolio of concurrent, integrated campaigns and always-on programs—ensuring media investments are strategically sound, efficiently executed, and continuously optimized to drive impact within approved budgets and channel requirements. 

How you will make an impact every day 

Marketing Strategy Development & Campaign Planning   

• Develop media strategy across integrated campaigns, including always-on paid search, digital acquisition, lead generation, and emerging media opportunities.   

• Provide media counsel and recommendations to Brand team based on the overarching brand and campaign strategy   

• Partner with external and internal stakeholders to translate campaign strategy into effective media plans, including channel mix, phasing, and investment approach.   

• Identify and assess new media opportunities, including in-kind media, partnerships, and innovative placements that extend impact within budget constraints.   

• Ensure media planning accounts for increased layering of products and campaigns to avoid cannibalization and inefficiencies.  

• Provide guidance and oversight to the Media Coordinator supporting trafficking, reporting, and performance monitoring.   

• Contribute to the development of scalable media processes and best practices to support the current scope and complexity of the Foundation’s media activity.   

• Support continuous improvement of media workflows, tools, and reporting. 

Campaign Management & Execution   

• Serve as the day-to-day media lead with external media agencies, providing clear briefs, direction, oversight, and performance accountability across multiple concurrent campaigns.    

• Oversee end-to-end execution of media plans, including trafficking readiness, creative and landing page dependencies, QA, and in-platform setup, ensuring accuracy, quality, and adherence to timelines and budgets.    

• Lead ongoing monitoring, testing, targeting, and optimization,particularly for always-on and performance-driven channels, establishing a clear optimization cadence with the agency and ensuring actions are implemented in-flight.    

• Work closely with Analytics to review performance, interpret results, and translate insights into clear media actions and recommendations for in-flight and future campaigns.    

• Implement real-time optimizations and contingency plans based on performance, market conditions, and emerging insights, in partnership with key stakeholders and the media agency. 

Campaign Monitoring – Budget Management and Performance Optimization 

• Manage media budgets across campaigns, ensuring efficient allocation of spend and clear visibility into working media vs. fees.   

• Track, evaluate, and report on media performance against objectives, targets, and KPIs. 

• Support forecasting and planning by providing media performance insights and recommendations.   

• Ensure media activity supports overall acquisition, fundraising, and brand performance goals within constrained budgets. 

Stakeholder & Agency Collaboration   

• Maintain regular governance with the Integrated Agency Team (IAT) to ensure alignment, transparency, and delivery against agreed timelines, deliverables, and KPIs.   

• Define and manage agency deliverables (briefs, media plans, launch checklists, optimization recommendations, and reporting), ensuring on-time/in-full delivery and clear documentation of decisions and next steps.  

• Collaborate closely with the Brand team, as well as Fundraising, Analytics, Communications, and Digital teams to support integrated campaign delivery.   

• Support Corporate and Partnership teams on media-related opportunities and negotiations.   

• Ensure cross-functional teams are informed and aligned on media strategy, in-flight performance, risks, and learnings through regular updates and post-campaign summaries. 

Who we need 

Experience 

• 6–8 years of progressive experience in media planning, execution, and optimization, with a strong focus on digital and performance media 

• Hands‑on experience managing always‑on media programs (e.g., paid search, digital acquisition) alongside time‑bound integrated campaigns 

• Proven experience managing external media agency partners , including briefing, performance oversight, optimization direction, and budget accountability 

• Experience working within integrated marketing environments, partnering closely with Brand, Sales, Analytics, Communications, and Digital teams 

• Demonstrated experience operating within tight budgets and complex campaign portfolios, balancing efficiency with performance outcomes 

• Experience supporting acquisition, fundraising, or lead generation objectives through paid media preferred 

Education 

• University Degree in Marketing or Business preferred 

• Strong appreciation and understanding of the key principles of successful marketing, communications and advertising business development and execution 

Skills 

• Excellent understanding of the media landscape, including digital, performance, and emerging media channels  

• Ability to translate campaign objectives into executable media plans and optimization strategies  

• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret performance data and apply insights to improve results  

• High attention to detail and operational rigor across trafficking, optimization, and reporting  

• Strong agency management skills, including the ability to write clear briefs, set expectations, manage deliverables, and hold partners accountable to performance and quality standards  

• Effective communicator with the ability to collaborate cross functionally and influence without direct authority  

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, delivery-focused environment while managing multiple concurrent campaigns and priorities 

• Understanding of the Not-for-profit/charity category is a plus 

What we offer 

At Heart & Stroke, we make it a priority to foster a culture of caring by implementing practices and programs that foster respect, compassion, trust and attentiveness to our own and others’ health and well-being. 

This role offers a hiring range of $80,000 to $95,000, aligned with our compensation framework and your professional background. We believe that time off is integral to the personal health and wellness of our employees. We offer a generous paid time-off package including vacation days, personal days, wellness days, and paid company-wide closure between December 25 and January 1. We also provide competitive health, medical, dental and vision benefits, life insurance, disability benefits, an employee assistance program (EAP) and a defined contribution pension plan with employer matching. Our employees also enjoy a flexible hybrid working model and reimbursement for mobile phones and home office setup, as well as opportunities for professional development.  

Apply now 

If you want to join the fight to beat heart disease and stroke, please apply by sending your resume by June 26. Applicants must be currently residing in Canada and legally entitled to work in Canada. 

Only those candidates that qualify will be selected for an interview. Interviews may be conducted virtually or in-person. Selected candidates will be notified in advance if an in-person interview is required. 

Accommodation 

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, barrier-free and accessible environment. If you have been contacted for an interview and require accommodation to participate in the recruitment and selection process, please let us know and we will do our best to address your needs.