Senior Brand Manager

Responsibilities

• Brand Strategy & Annual Planning
• Partner with the CMO to lead the development of the Annual Operating Plan (AOP), including competitive analysis, market sizing, budget allocation, and long-range strategic growth planning.
• Assist on redefining the brand's positioning, messaging architecture, and consumer narrative, ensuring clarity and consistency across all touchpoints.
• Monitor competitive landscape, category trends, and consumer behavior to inform proactive brand strategy recommendations.
• Build and maintain cross-functional workback calendars, KPI dashboards, and performance tracking to ensure all brand initiatives are delivered on time and on budget.
• Go-to-Market Planning & Retail Launch Execution
• Lead end-to-end go-to-market planning for new product launches across national retail, including positioning, launch timelines and performance reviews.
• Partner with sales and broker teams to develop compelling retailer-facing presentations, pitch decks, sales sheets, and marketing recaps.
• Oversee retail acceptance milestones, asset development tracking and material coordination across all key national retail partners.
• Manage brand priorities across all major national retailers, with deep understanding of the retail landscape and what it takes to win at shelf.

Requirements

• Experience: 12 to 15 years of progressive brand management experience within the CPG industry.
• Big Brand + Startup Mix (Preferred): Proven track record working across both large CPG organizations and emerging startup CPG brands. The ability to bring big brand best practices into a lean, fast-paced environment is strongly valued.
• Frozen Category (Preferred): Direct working experience in the frozen or refrigerated food and beverage category is a significant plus.
• Strategic Planning: Demonstrated ability to lead Annual Operating Plan development, long-range brand strategy, and go-to-market planning at a senior level.
• Retail Expertise: Deep working knowledge of launching and managing programs across major national retailers including Target, Kroger, Albertsons, Walmart, and similar partners.
• Creative & Packaging Development: Experience leading creative briefs, managing agency relationships, and overseeing packaging development from concept through production.
• Consumer Insights: Proficiency with market analytics tools such as SPINS, Nielsen, Numerator, or Suzy to drive data-informed strategy and decision-making.
• Innovation Experience: Proven ability to identify consumer and category white space and translate insights into early-stage product concepts and positioning.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Strong track record of leading and aligning cross-functional teams including Sales, Operations, Brokers, and Agency partners.
• Analytical Strength: Highly data-driven with the ability to interpret ROI, P&L performance metrics, and category data to build actionable recommendations.

Benefits

• Benefits: Comprehensive Health Insurance, 401K matching, and a competitive Equity/Stock Option package.