Brand Manager

Riviana Foods; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading food company based in Toronto is looking for a Brand Manager for Success® Rice in the U.S. market. This role involves strategic brand leadership, consumer communication, and new product innovation, focusing on driving growth through effective marketing and collaboration across departments. The ideal candidate will have over 4 years of experience in brand management, e-commerce exposure, and strong project management skills. The position requires frequent travel to the U.S. head office.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of Brand Management experience, ideally within CPG.
• Experience across digital and e-commerce and social media.
• Strong financial acumen, including budget management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction of the Success Rice brand portfolio.
• Develop effective consumer communication plans.
• Partner with Sales and Trade Marketing for execution.

Skills

Brand Management experience

Digital and e-commerce experience

Leadership and project management

Analytical capability

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

BRAND MANAGER, SUCCESS RICE, US MARKET (Based in Toronto)

The Brand Manager, Success® Rice will play a key role in repositioning and renewing the Success brand in the U.S. market, with a strong focus on driving growth through innovation and the development of a refreshed brand identity and messaging. Reporting to the U.S. based Director of Marketing, this role will help shape the long-term brand strategy by translating consumer insights, market trends, and competitive dynamics into actionable brand priorities. The Brand Manager will work cross-functionally across Marketing, Innovation, Sales, E-Commerce, and agency partners to develop and execute brand strategies that help achieve strong brand health and financial objectives for the Success brand.

This role will be a key member of the U.S. marketing team while being based at Riviana’s Toronto office. Regular travel to the company’s U.S. head office in Austin, Texas will be required (initially monthly, then quarterly). This is a unique opportunity for a hands-on brand builder to gain direct exposure to the U.S. market while leading the growth and evolution of an established U.S. brand.

KEY AREAS OF FOCUS

Brand Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the strategic direction of the Success Rice brand portfolio (with revenue of $80MM USD), using data and market insights to identify growth opportunities, anticipate risks, and guide brand priorities.
• Monitor the competitive landscape to understand competitor activity, innovation, and positioning, and translate these insights into clear points of differentiation.
• Develop clear, fact-based brand assessments and recommendations that inform strategy, innovation choices, and go-to-market decisions.
• Lead the annual brand planning process for Success and ensure strong execution by partnering closely with cross-functional teams including Innovation, Sales, Trade Marketing, E-Commerce, Finance, and agency partners to drive alignment and momentum behind brand initiatives.
• Become an expert on consumer insights including demographics, purchase behavior, market segmentation, current trends and need gaps
• Shape and refine the product portfolio to maximize brand growth

Consumer Communication & Activation

• Define priority consumer targets and insights to guide communication strategies and drive brand growth.
• Develop effective consumer communication plans based on consumer media behaviors, with a strong focus on social media, e-commerce and evolving AI-driven search platforms.
• Lead and oversee the execution of effective shopper and e-commerce tactics that strengthen lower-funnel performance, driving trial, conversion, and repeat purchase.
• Lead the development and optimization of an e-commerce-first brand asset toolkit, ensuring consistency and effectiveness across channels.
• Lead execution of brand activations, including timelines, cross-functional coordination, and capture of key learnings.
• Partner closely with agency teams to ensure strong collaboration and high-quality execution across brand initiatives.
• Track performance by maintaining regular scorecards across media, social, search, and e-commerce, using results to refine plans and course correct as needed.
• Oversee the management of a $4MM consumer marketing budget

New Product Innovation

• Partner with the Senior Innovation Manager to identify growth opportunities by developing an Innovation pipeline aligned with brand strategy, consumer needs, and market trends.
• Help define the role of innovation across the portfolio, identifying opportunities in formats, flavors, packaging, and usage occasions to drive growth.
• Lead commercialization planning for new products, including positioning, pricing, target consumers, volume expectations, and success metrics.
• Align early with Sales and Trade Marketing on retailer targets, regional rollout strategies, and launch priorities.
• Develop clear investment plans for consumer communication and retail/e-commerce support to ensure strong, well-supported launches.

Sales & Retail Partnership

• Partner closely with Sales and Trade Marketing to ensure brand strategies are clearly translated into effective retail and e-commerce execution.
• Provide input into pricing, trade investment, and promotional strategies in support of brand and commercial objectives.
• Support regular business reviews through analysis of brand performance, highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities in collaboration with Sales.
• Ensure brand priorities and marketing plans are clearly communicated and consistently activated across the sales organization.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field.
• 4+ years of Brand Management experience, ideally within CPG, with hands-on exposure to brand strategy, innovation, and in-market execution.
• Experience across digital and e-commerce, with a solid understanding of social media, search, retail media, and website effectiveness.
• Strong leadership and project management skills; highly organized and capable of managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Strong analytical capability, with the ability to translate data and insights into clear strategies and recommendations.
• Comfort working with syndicated data sources (e.g., Circana or similar like ACN), along with advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Sound financial acumen, including experience managing budgets, understanding P&L dynamics, and evaluating ROI.
• Strong communicator and collaborator who can work effectively with cross-functional teams and external agency partners.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and change; adaptable, resourceful, and solutions oriented.
• Results-driven mindset with a willingness to roll up sleeves and stay close to execution.
• Curiosity and openness to new tools and ways of working, including exposure to AI-enabled marketing and search capabilities.