Director, Marketing

Key Responsibilities 

M&A-Focused Strategic Brand Leadership 

• Lead the development and execution of a marketing strategy aligned with VE&CI’s acquisition goals across Education and Cultural Industries globally. 

• Position VE&CI as a founder-friendly, trusted acquirer that understands the mission-driven nature of the businesses it pursues.

• Own and evolve brand messaging to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment with portfolio goals across all channels. 

M&A Enablement 

• Partner with the M&A deal team to develop high-quality materials for founder outreach, presentations, and acquisition communications. 

• Align marketing initiatives with deal origination strategies and pipeline priorities. 

• Create targeted ABM campaigns to support active deal pipelines within target verticals. 

• Support acquisition announcement communications, managing the narrative transition for incoming companies and their stakeholders. 

Portfolio Brand & Internal Communications 

• Own the VE&CI portfolio narrative, ensuring coherence and alignment across companies, geographies, and audiences. 

• Develop storytelling frameworks that honour the mission-driven character of portfolio companies while articulating the value of the broader platform. 

• Design and deliver internal communications programs that keep portfolio companies informed, aligned, and engaged with VE&CI’s strategy. 

• Serve as a communications partner to the Portfolio Leader on announcements, transitions, and strategic milestones. 

PR & Communications 

• Develop and execute communication plans to support acquisition announcements and broader portfolio news.

• Coordinate with key stakeholders, employees, press, and partners, to control the narrative at critical moments.

• Liaise with relevant industry media, coordinating press releases, interviews, and briefings across target verticals globally. 

Digital, Content & Events 

• Lead VE&CI’s digital presence, including website, social media, SEO/SEM, and content platforms. 

• Produce compelling content, including but not limited to founder case studies, acquisition announcements, thought leadership, and newsletters, that builds visibility in target verticals. 

• Manage VE&CI’s presence at industry events, and plan high-value founder-facing gatherings (roundtables, dinners), including end-to-end logistics, budgeting, and post-event evaluation. 

Marketing Operations 

• Own the marketing budget and ensure ROI-driven allocation of resources. 

• Build and manage marketing systems, CRM integration, and analytics infrastructure. 

• Manage external vendors (design, web, copywriting) as needed and track KPIs across brand awareness, deal origination, and portfolio cohesion.

• Support portfolio conferences and learning events through content development, promotion, communications, attendee engagement, and event execution.  

Marketing Community & Capability Building 

• Build and foster a community of marketing professionals across the portfolio 

• Facilitate the sharing of best practices, tools, and successful initiatives 

• Establish lightweight governance, standards, and scalable processes 

• Support marketing capability development across business unit

• Over time, identify and help develop high-potential marketing talent across the portfolio 

Note: This role may require evening and weekend hours depending on event schedules, as well as occasional domestic and international travel to support off-site events and industry engagements. 
 
  What We’re Looking For 

• 12–15 years of progressive marketing experience, ideally in M&A, private equity, B2B software, or professional services. 

• Genuine understanding of the importance of Education and/or Cultural Industries; a strong understanding of mission-driven organizations is highly valued. 

• Proven success developing brand and marketing strategies in support of M&A deal origination and founder engagement. 

• Exceptional storytelling and communication skills; able to translate complex business contexts into compelling narratives. 

• Experience building and scaling digital marketing infrastructure: web, SEO/SEM, analytics, and CRM platforms. 

• Comfortable as a standalone contributor with a builder’s mindset; able to set direction and deliver without a team beneath you (yet). 

• Collaborative, with the ability to work closely with investment professionals and senior stakeholders across global geographies. 

• Experience in decentralized or matrixed organizations is an asset. 

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, or related field; Master’s or MBA is an asset. 

• Based in or near the Greater Toronto Area is preferred; exceptional remote candidates will be considered. 

• The salary for this role starts at $150,000 CAD