Marketing Communications Specialist

Story Cannabis was built by misfits on a mission - people bold enough to shift the cannabis narrative and create something better. Founded in 2021 by industry veterans, Story is a vertically integrated company headquartered in Phoenix, operating across Arizona, Maryland, Ohio, and Louisiana, and we're just getting started. Our vision is to bring hope, happiness, and healing to the world through cannabis, and we're doing it one state, one store, and one customer at a time. Leadership defines how we show up. Data drives how we grow. Gratitude keeps us grounded. Unity fuels our momentum. And growth, in every sense, inspires everything we do. If you're ready to challenge what's expected and shape the future of cannabis, your next chapter starts with Story. Overview: The Marketing Communications Specialist manages Story Cannabis's day-to-day email, SMS and social media communications strategy and execution across retail (B2C) and wholesale (B2B) channels in all markets. The Specialist independently evaluates channel performance, audience needs, campaign objectives and established regulatory requirements to determine communication approaches, timing, segmentation and optimization opportunities. This role also coordinates creative assets, engages with our online community, manages assigned vendor relationships and leads communication initiatives that advance the broader marketing strategy. Responsibilities: Manage daily loyalty program communications, including point-earning, rewards and member-only campaigns. Build, QA and deploy scheduled email and SMS campaigns for retail (B2C) and wholesale (B2B) audiences per the content calendar. Perform pre-send QA on links, personalization, compliance language, opt-out language and send timing; track error rates and resolve issues before deployment. Build and refine tailored audience segments to optimize digital programmatic advertising. Maintain segmentation list hygiene and opt-in/opt-out accuracy in line with TCPA, carrier and state regulations. Develop and execute testing strategies across subject lines, content, audience segments and send times; independently evaluate results and implement changes to improve future campaign performance. Develop and manage the social content strategy and calendar, making recommendations on content mix, channel approach, timing and audience engagement based on business priorities, performance data and platform trends. Determine and optimize email, SMS and social communication timing, audience segmentation and channel approach based on campaign objectives, customer behavior and performance results. Evaluate campaigns for compliance with established state cannabis advertising requirements and platform policies; identify compliance risks, determine appropriate corrective action within established guidelines, and elevate novel or material issues when necessary. Manage assigned marketing vendor relationships, evaluate vendor performance and service needs, resolve issues, and recommend changes to vendors, services or spending based on business needs and performance. Collaborate with Brand Ambassadors to capture field & event content. Coordinate with Creative Services on assets and copy to meet production deadlines. Monitor comments and direct messages, respond per brand guidelines, and elevate customer service or compliance issues to the appropriate team. Produce and deploy communications to third party partners, including new product launches, promotions and sell-in materials, and co-branded campaigns in partnership with the Wholesale team. Analyze weekly and monthly performance across email, SMS and social channels; identify trends, risks and opportunities; and develop and implement recommendations to improve engagement, conversion, redemption, deliverability and audience growth. Serve as a subject-matter resource to Marketing and business partners on email, SMS and social channel strategy, audience segmentation, campaign performance and communication best practices. Lead assigned cross-functional marketing initiatives and recommend communication approaches that support broader marketing and business objectives. KPIs / Success Metrics On-time send/publish rate against the content calendar, across email, SMS, and social. Pre-send QA defect rate (errors caught before send vs. after). Social response time to comments/messages against defined service standard. Campaign and content performance trends (open/click/redemption/engagement rate) reported monthly. Social media growth metric reporting. Qualifications & Requirements: 2+ years marketing experience; email/SMS platform experience (Klaviyo, Springbig, Alpine IQ, or similar) preferred. Familiarity with social media scheduling/publishing tools and platform-specific best practices (Meta, YouTube, TikTok, etc) required. Exceptional organizational skills with strong attention to detail and comfort with a daily production cadence across multiple channels. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Self-motivated with a proactive approach to tasks. Punctual, reliable, and adaptable to occasional evening and weekend work. Physical Requirements: Occasional lifting, carrying, or transporting of marketing materials, signage, or event supplies (up to 25 pounds) may be required. This role requires prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Paid time off (PTO) including 8 paid holidays per year* Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance* 401k retirement savings plan* Company paid Short-Term & Long-Term disability* Employee Assistance Program (EAP)* Employee referral program *For full-time positions only We want our story to be one that fosters an inclusive culture and provides an enriching employee experience. As an equal-opportunity employer, we embrace individuals from all backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. We believe in providing equal opportunities to all individuals, including those who may have encountered legal issues related to previous marijuana laws. We understand that these laws have disproportionately impacted certain communities and individuals. We are committed to considering all candidates based on their qualifications, skills, and potential to contribute to our team, rather than focusing solely on past legal encounters. We encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those with past involvement with the legal system, to apply for positions within our organization. #J-18808-Ljbffr