Marketing Manager
HighlightTA · Waterloo
Every bite has a story. We need someone to tell ours.
Somewhere right now, a chicken breast is moving down a processing line at hundreds of feet per minute. Before it reaches a dinner plate, PPO’s technology has already checked it for foreign materials, measured it and judged its quality, in milliseconds. Most people never think about how their food gets from farm to fork. In this role you’ll think about it every day, and you’ll make other people care too.
We’re looking for a Marketing Manager who will be the voice and face of PPO, to our customers, to our industry and to our own team. If you love a good story, get curious about how things are made, and can’t resist trying the newest AI tool to see what it can do, keep reading. An exciting opportunity to lead the marketing function in partnership with the Chief Customer Officer!
Location: Remote, Ontario - with occasional visits to the Waterloo office.
Reports to: Chief Customer Officer, working closely with the CEO and VP Sales
About P&P Optica (PPO)
PPO combines advanced hardware, software and very large datasets to make the food we eat safer and better. Our inspection systems help food processors catch problems that the human eye, and older technologies, miss. To date, our systems have inspected more than 8 billion pounds of product in meat plants across Canada, the US, Europe and Australia. We’re scaling quickly, and proud to be part of Waterloo’s tech community. Our team is smart, diverse, respectful and caring, and there’s room to grow in every part of the company.
What you’ll own
This is a hands-on leadership role. You’ll set the direction, do a lot of the work yourself, and lead the people who help us turn attention into pipeline.
Tell PPO’s story
Shape how PPO talks about itself, alongside the CEO, Chief Customer Officer and VP Sales, and make sure that story shows up consistently everywhere we go to market.
Translate complex technology into stories that plant managers and executives actually want to hear: customer wins, the people behind the line, and the science of food quality.
Create and publish content that earns attention: website pages, blogs, case studies, videos, sales decks, brochures and social posts.
Own our social channels (LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Facebook, Google Business Profile), including producing short-form video.
Build the pipeline
Along with Sales Operations, manage our Business Development program, setting campaigns, targets, playbooks and cadences that turn marketing interest into qualified meetings for Sales.
You’ll drive sales enablement, coordinate/lead sales meetings, and equip the team with the tools, resources, and strategies they need to succeed.
Plan and run account-based and email campaigns to new and re-engaged leads, measure what works, and keep Salesforce clean and accurate.
Own search and digital performance, both organic (SEO) and paid (SEM), so we capture as much of the interested market as possible.
Partner with Sales on new markets, new food categories and new geographies.
Bring PPO to the industryBring PPO to the industry
Run our trade show and events program end to end, anchored by IPPE in Atlanta each January, including strategy, booth, logistics, on-site energy and post-show follow-up.
Plan and host customer webinars, plant tours, government visits and on-site events.
With the CEO and Chief Customer Officer, lead public relations and government relations, including press, agency partners, grant writing and outreach.
Experiment with AI, constantly
Treat generative AI as a core part of how marketing works at PPO, not a side project. Test new tools for content, research, personalization, analytics and BDR workflows.
Share what you learn with the wider team, and help other departments adopt what works.
Run small, fast experiments across every channel, and be honest about what fails.
Plan and measure
Build the annual marketing plan and budget alongside the Chief Customer Officer.
Report monthly on activity and outcomes, focused on pipeline and revenue impact, not just impressions.
Manage agencies, freelancers and suppliers, including our branded PPO gear.
What success looks like in your first year
First 90 days: You know our customers, products and story well enough to pitch PPO yourself. You’ve audited our channels and shared a plan.
6 months: The Business Development program runs on a clear playbook, and campaigns are producing measurable qualified meetings with demonstrated impact from the use of AI tools.
12 months: IPPE is our best show yet, marketing-sourced pipeline is growing, and AI is built into every aspect of the team’s daily workflow.
Who you are
We care as much about how you think as what you’ve done. The right person will feel at home in both lists below.
You’re probably someone who...
Loves a great story, and knows a good one when they hear it on a sales call or a plant floor.
Gets genuinely excited about food: where it comes from, how it’s made and how it gets to our plates.
Is curious about everything, asks “why?” a lot, and changes their mind when the evidence says so.
Tried a new AI tool this week just to see what it could do, and already has opinions about it.
Likes to experiment, measures the results and shares the lessons, good and bad.
Is comfortable in front of a room, a camera or a booth full of strangers.
Brings energy and optimism, and still sweats the details.
Builds trust easily with executives, customers, agencies and their own team.
What you bring
5 to 8+ years in marketing, ideally in B2B with a long, complex enterprise sales cycle.
A track record of building and delivering marketing plans in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial company.
Experience building or running a BDR or SDR program, or partnering closely with one.
Strong writing and content skills. We’ll ask for samples: blogs, web copy, social posts, scripts or campaigns.
Hands-on skill across digital marketing: SEO, SEM, email, marketing automation, social and analytics.
Experience planning and running large, complex trade shows.
Experience in public relations and government relations.
Hands-on use of tools such as Salesforce, Mailchimp or HubSpot, WordPress, Hootsuite, Leadfeeder and Wistia, plus generative AI tools in your daily work.
Excellent project management and organization, working both independently and as part of a team.
Bonus points for
Experience in the food, food processing, agriculture or industrial technology industries.
Experience marketing complex hardware or software products to technical buyers.
Video production or editing skills.
Grant writing experience.
Why you’ll love it here
Real impact. Your work helps put safer, better food on tables around the world, and you’ll see the results in customer wins.
Room to build. You’ll shape how marketing works at a scaling tech company, with the freedom to try new things.
Open culture. We run on openness and trust, and we celebrate what we share as well as our differences.
Work-life balance, really. Flex days on top of your vacation, and respect for your life outside work.
Health benefits. Competitive health, dental and vision coverage for you and your dependents.
Flexible work. This role is remote today. It may become hybrid in future, with some time at our Waterloo office.
Always learning. Courses, conferences and new experiences are encouraged and supported.
Community. Join our annual team charity fundraiser and be part of Waterloo’s tech hub.
How We Hire
We use AI tools to support our recruitment process, including helping us organize applications and identify early matches based on role criteria. That said, every rejection decision is made by a human. We encourage candidates to apply authentically and avoid relying solely on AI-generated responses, especially during interviews.
This posting is for a current, open position within P&P Optica.
This opportunity is offered through HighlightTA, the on-demand talent team supporting P&P Optica's growth.
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