Job ID #32297: Channel Strategy Specialist

Contribute to the City of Hamilton, one of Canada’s largest cities - home to a diverse and strong economy, an active and inclusive community, a robust cultural and dining scene, hundreds of kilometers of hiking trails and natural beauty just minutes from the downtown core, and so much more. Join our diverse team of talented and ambitious staff who embody our values of sensational service, courageous change, steadfast integrity, collective ownership and being engaged empowered employees. Help us achieve our vision of being the best place to raise a child and age successfully. #BeTheReason

• Job ID #32297: Channel Strategy Specialist
• Union: Non-Union
• Job Description ID #: 7903
• Close date: Interested applicants please submit your application online at www.hamilton.ca/city-council/jobs-city by 4:00 p.m. on November 4, 2026.
• Duration:  Up to 12 months
• Vacancy type: This posting is for an existing vacancy 
• Internal applicants should apply with your work e-mail address. External applicants are considered only after the internal posting process has been completed. Only applicants chosen for an interview will be contacted.

SUMMARY OF DUTIES 

Reporting to the Senior Marketing & Content Strategy Advisor, the Channel Strategy Specialist oversees the City’s marketing channel analytics ecosystem, ensuring that enterprise-owned platforms are measurable, optimized, and supported by consistent data standards. This role focuses on platform-level analytics, channel performance, and tool enablement, enabling Communications teams to self‑serve their own campaign insights by providing access to tools, training, automated dashboards, and standardized measurement frameworks.

The Specialist provides strategic guidance on the City’s communications and marketing efforts, helping ensure that campaigns and messages reach the right audiences, through the right channels, with maximum clarity, engagement, and impact. The Specialist analyses digital and traditional channels including the website, social media, newsletters, print, tv/radio and direct mail campaigns to understand audience behaviours, user journeys, and engagement trends. Insights from this analysis inform communications planning, guide day-to-day campaign execution, and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

The Channel Strategy Specialist bridges analytics and strategy, combining big picture thinking with a focus on actionable insights. This role sees the full communications ecosystem while identifying concrete steps to enhance message effectiveness, consistency, and reach. By providing data-informed, audience-centered guidance, the Specialist ensures the City’s communications are strategically aligned with organizational priorities and continuously improve the resident experience. The Specialist also supports the development of platform-specific content strategies, tailoring messaging and formats to each channel to maximize engagement and impact. They collaborate with teams to optimize campaigns across paid, owned, and earned media, ensuring a cohesive and measurable communications approach.

GENERAL DUTIES

Strategic Analysis & Advisory

Supports communications and marketing teams by offering guidance on campaign planning, audience engagement, and channel selection, based on available data and established best practices.

Analyzes audience behavior, engagement metrics, and user journeys across digital channels to identify opportunities to improve clarity, reach, and message effectiveness.

Recommends evidence-based adjustments that help teams reach and engage residents, ensuring communications align with community needs and organizational priorities.

Provides input on messaging consistency, content timing, and delivery methods to maximize clarity and impact across channels.

Cross-Channel Analytics & Optimization

Monitors and analyze performance across all digital channels, including the website, social media, newsletters, and campaigns, using analytics tools and dashboards.

Translates complex data into clear, actionable insights that guide both operational teams and senior leadership in decision-making.

Identifies trends, gaps, and opportunities across channels to optimize reach, engagement, and overall communications effectiveness.

Collaborates with the media buyer to assess high-level ROI and provide data that supports adjustments to targeting, placements, or creative.

Provides guidance on SEO best practices, including metadata and keyword use, and structured data, to ensure web content is discoverable, audience-focused, and aligned with engagement goals.

Offers support on paid search and social advertising, including Google Ads and Meta Ads, and how these channels interact with organic channels (website, email, social) to optimize reach and engagement.

Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

Partners with content creators, media buyers, and marketing staff to apply insights and recommendations, ensuring campaigns are optimized for audience engagement and community impact.

Provides input on the editorial calendar, providing expertise on channel selection, scheduling, and content

optimization.

Contributes to continuous improvement by testing new approaches, evaluating results, and suggesting practical adjustments that enhance communications effectiveness.

Stays current with industry trends, best practices, and emerging tools in digital communications and omnichannel engagement to inform innovation and strategy.

Work in accordance with the provisions of applicable Health and Safety legislation and all City of Hamilton corporate and departmental policies and procedures related to Occupational Health and Safety.

Hours of work to primarily be during the day, with an expectation of evening and weekends where required. Perform other duties as assigned which are directly related to the responsibilities of this position.

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Demonstrated work experience normally acquired through the completion of a Degree or Diploma in Marketing, Communications, Business Analytics or a related discipline and/or a combination of equivalent education and related work experience.
2. Demonstrated experience in digital analytics, omnichannel marketing, communications strategy, or related roles
3. Experience advising or guiding teams on campaign strategy, execution, and optimization is a strong asset.
4. Familiarity with digital analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Adobe Analytics), social media insights platforms, email marketing systems, and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
5. Ability to think strategically about how the City communicates across all channels, using data to drive decisions and improve engagement.
6. Understands how web, social, email, and campaign channels work together to deliver coherent, audience-centered messages.
7. Leverages metrics, trends, and user journey analysis to identify gaps and provide data-driven recommendations that enhance campaign effectiveness.
8. Experience translating complex data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations based on audience segmentation, user behavior, and engagement trends.
9. Familiarity with campaign measurement, ROI analysis, A/B testing, and performance optimization.
10. Cross-functional collaborator that works effectively with media buyers, content creators, and communications teams to align strategy and execution.
11. Excellent communication and presentation skills, able to convey insights clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership.
12. Able to balance tactical execution with strategic thinking, connecting day-to-day actions to long-term organizational goals.
13. Curious, investigative, and proactive, with a focus on understanding underlying causes and continuously improving outcomes.
14. Excellent organizational, time management, and project coordination abilities, including managing multiple concurrent tasks under tight deadlines.
15. Strong collaborative skills, with the ability to receive and incorporate feedback from team members.
16. Display a high degree of judgment, discretion, and confidentiality in handling sensitive projects and communications.

HOURS:

35 per week

Disclaimer:

Be advised that Human Resources frequently audits resumes of internal/external applicants to ensure/validate information provided is consistent and trustworthy. Falsification of information provided at any time throughout the recruitment process may be grounds for disqualification, and for internal applicants, subject to discipline up to and including termination.

Terms:

The City is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection processes. Consistent with our Values and Corporate Culture Pillars, the City of Hamilton is committed to providing equitable treatment to all with respect to barrier-free employment and accommodation without discrimination. The City will provide accommodation for applicants in all aspects of the hiring process, up to the point of undue hardship.  If you have an accommodation need, please contact Human Resources as soon as possible to make appropriate arrangements.