Job Details

SUMMARY
As the Brand Director, you will provide leadership and serve as a general manager to help drive revenue and brand value within the bagged tea category. You will manage complex cross-functional projects to drive growth of the new and existing products and expand our presence as a lead botanical wellness company. The Brand Director will lead regular business reviews, develop annual strategic and tactical plans to support the company objectives and will execute needed plans to drive the strategies including research projects, communications campaigns, product optimizations and expansions, and customer-specific programs for key retailers. The Brand Director reports to the Chief Marketing Officer. You will also be a mentor for the entire brand team and serve as a champion of our core values, our mission, and our culture rooted in plants and purpose.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Strategic Brand Building

1. Develops and drives marketing strategy and initiatives that align with overall company objectives to build the brand and drive business results. Turns strategies into annual plans and gains alignment with leadership.
2. Creates monthly dashboards to monitor business performance and oversees team that provides data, insights, business results, and industry trends to create actionable recommendations and plans to address any opportunities and risks.
3. Surveys competitive landscape and follows industry reports to identify consumer and product trends.
4. Responsible for business results, including top line growth, budget planning and management, and margin improvement. Tracks performance against company assumptions and expectations.
5. Leads innovation process for bagged tea, including identifying strategic opportunities for new products, working with R&D on the feasibility and development of the product, and managing the development of the items alongside the Commercialization Lead.
6. Develops briefs for agency partners to provide deep understanding of business issues on seasonal teas, communications objectives and overall company strategies and work alongside partners to ensure marketing campaigns meet brief expectations.
7. Develop communications, media, and creative strategies. Evaluates the creative, including visual and audio assets and videos, and provides feedback to ensure creative aligns with brand and communications objectives. Works with agencies and vendors to execute plans on time.
8. Conducts thorough market research and analysis to help understand consumer needs and interest in new concepts from TM.

Collaborative Business Planning

1. Participate in Integrated Business Process meetings (i.e. Stage Gate, Product Management Review) for new items, merchandising tools, and business performance.
2. Works closely with operations and sales to forecast growth of the portfolio to shape supply and operations plans. Makes recommendations for portfolio rationalization.
3. Understands the operational success factors and incorporates these attributes into business planning and initiatives.
4. Partners with Shopper Marketing team and Sales to provide marketing support for key retailers and develop account level plans. Participates in key Retailer meetings. Tracks performance and provides support to ensure that growth targets are met.
5. Allocates budgets across communications activities and manages expenditures, working collaboratively with Finance.
6. Work with Legal and Regulatory to communicate in compliance with FDA and DSHEA supplement guidelines.

Demonstrating Commitment to Culture and Values

1. Ability to take on company-wide initiatives, beyond Director role. Be a go-to person for the organization that people can rely on.
2. Demonstrate a commitment to operating with our values and encouraging others to do the same.
3. Show an interest in gaining herbal knowledge and spreading the word around the benefits of herbalism for people and planet.
4. Proactively look for ways to improve and foster a positive and collaborative culture within the organization and the marketing department.
5. Serve as a mentor for all brand team members and others in the marketing department.

SUPERVISORY/BUDGET:

1. The Brand Director will oversee one Senior Brand Manager and one Associate Brand Manager and provide guidance and career development support as a part of the ongoing responsibilities.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Experience/Education:

1. BS in Marketing, MBA preferred.
2. Minimum of 7 years of brand management experience, demonstrating progressive responsibility, strategic leadership, and a track record of driving growth and brand impact across increasing scope and scale. Prefer 2 in a traditional consumer package goods environment and 2+ years of experience in a smaller, entrepreneurial environment where you applied your foundational training and big-company best practices to drive growth, adapt quickly, and make a measurable impact.
3. Experience launching a new product format, driving awareness and distribution expansion and managing the optimization of the P&L post-launch.
4. Experience leading complex, cross-functional commercialization projects. Experience working with co-manufacturers. Operational orientation.
5. Experience building holistic customer plans including category growth strategies, sell stories, promotion, merchandising, and shopper/omnichannel marketing.
6. Experience developing marketing campaigns that build awareness and drive in-market performance.
7. High level of curiosity about and familiarity with the marketplace, competitors, consumers, and marketing technologies.
8. Direct experience with digital marketing strategies and tactics, including online advertising, digital video, search marketing, direct response, e-mail marketing, social media, public relations.

Knowledge/Abilities/Skills:

1. Proven ability to lead with confidence, gain consensus and influence amongst cross-functional peers, and facilitate critical thinking and problem-solving.
2. Naturally curious, with an appreciation for ambiguity and the ability to embrace the “test and learn” mentality in pursuit of continuous improvement.
3. Experience developing and managing a team, including ABMs.
4. Experience in natural & organic food and/or nutritional supplement industry, as well as experience at a mission driven organization. Familiarity with herbs and herbal medicine also a plus.
5. Experience working closely with sales teams across all major distribution channels; natural foods, grocery, mass, club, and drug.
6. Experience presenting in front of a leadership team, a sales organization, and other cross-functional groups whose alignment you are seeking. Excellent presentation and communication skill and an ability to influence.
7. Creativity, attention to detail, ability to effectively prioritize and multi-task, flexibility, and comfort in fast-changing, agile environments.
8. Critical eye for design; high standards for quality.
9. Must be a team player, able to work closely with cross-functional groups and anticipate and react to changes quickly.

Leadership Competencies/Behaviors required:

1. In the spirit of true brand management this is a general manager and leadership position. The successful candidate has a demonstrated track record in leading teams and projects in marketing, business building, creative thinking, social media with CPG companies, turning new ideas into concrete deliverables and business results.

Travel Requirements:

1. Occasional travel to visit customers or vendors, and attend conferences or trade shows. Expect to travel about once per quarter.

Office Hours/Location:

1. This position is based in Rohnert Park, CA. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 – 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST).
2. This is a hybrid role offering the flexibility to occasionally work remotely. Expected in-office days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Subject to change.
3. Remote candidates will not be considered for this role.

Physical/Mental Requirements:

1. Ability to read, analyze and interpret business documents.
2. Ability to communicate via speech, writing and hearing with employees, regulatory agencies or members of the business community.
3. This is primarily a desk job with constant sitting and keyboarding. Must be able to sit and type in an ergonomically correct position.
4. Ability to travel to different work locations and meeting sites.
5. Must be able to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms.
6. Occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds.
7. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to focus.

The compensation range is $156,000 - $204,750
Compensation is determined based on non-discriminatory, business-related factors, including but not limited to training, experience, education and/or professional certifications, geographic location, and market data.