Assistant Brand Manager

Kao USA, Inc.; Cincinnati (OH); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare on day one

401(k) with company match

36 total days off (vacation + holidays

Hybrid work schedule

Job summary

Kao USA, Inc. is seeking an Assistant Brand Manager in the Cincinnati area to lead planning, execution, and optimization of marketing programs for local brand growth.

You will drive insight-driven execution across social, media, retail, influencer, PR, and sampling while coordinating with cross-functional teams to ensure integrated, on-brand delivery. You will support P&L management, budget tracking, and financial planning, translating data into actionable recommendations for strategy, media

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in Business Administration or a related field, MBA preferred
• 5+ years of relevant CPG or marketing experience; knowledge of beauty brands and/or categories preferred
• Strong Microsoft Office usage (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook), Canva a plus
• Experience with data analytics tools such as Circana, You Scan, Scintilla, Numerator, & Retailer POS
• Creative and proven ability to collaborate, while also working independently as appropriate

Responsibilities

• Support integrated brand activation efforts (social, PR, influencer, TikTok Shop, sampling, retail, and/or paid media) in alignment with brand strategy and business objectives
• Review and guide agency concepts and executions to ensure insight-led, on-brand, platform-appropriate work
• Partner with Trade Marketing, Consumer Engagement, Legal, and Media teams for integrated, compliant execution
• Collaborate with team members to provide prioritization, feedback, and context to elevate execution
• Share learnings and insights with Business Division and country partners to support alignment and capability building
• Guide development of performance dashboards and reporting tools for decision-making
• Synthesize consumer, category, and competitive insights to identify opportunities and risks
• Lead insight-driven analyses to inform planning, optimization, and prioritization
• Recommend actions based on data and insights
• Support P&L management by tracking spend and budget inputs, monitor variances, flag risks
• Partner with Finance on forecasts and investment trade-offs
• Contribute input into annual planning and budgeting
• Support innovation plans with BD/Global teams based on consumer and market knowledge
• Foster learning mindset and collaborative culture across Kao organization

Skills

Brand marketing

CPG marketing

Data analytics

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field

MBA preferred

Tools

Circana

You Scan

Scintilla

Numerator

Retailer POS

Microsoft Office

Canva

Job description

Who we are:

We are Kao, listed as one of the world's most ethical companies for the last 19 years.

Our brand portfolio spans across three sectors; Consumer Care (John Frieda, Bondi Sands, Biore, Jergens, Curel), Professional Hair (Goldwell, Oribe, KMS Hair, Kerasilk), and Molton Brown.

Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do - acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation, and treating each other with trust and respect.

The role:

The Assistant Brand Manager supports the planning, execution, and optimization of marketing programs to drive brand growth in the local market. You will lead insightdriven execution across social, media, retail, influencer, PR and sampling, working closely with crossfunctional teams and agencies to ensure integrated, onbrand delivery. You will serve as a central resource for performance reporting and analysis, translating complex data into clear recommendations that guide strategy, media investment, and commercial planning. You will support P&L management, budget tracking and financial planning, and helps bring innovation to life by collaborating on inputs to the BD teams to successfully launch new products.

At Kao, we offer amazing benefits that are available to you on your first day of employment (healthcare, 401(k) plus company match), 36 total days off (vacation + holidays + sick) and a reasonable salary range of $90,000 - $100,000 . We also offer a hybrid work schedule (Needs to be in Cincinnati area or willing to relocate to the area).

What you will do:

Marketing Planning & Execution

• Support integrated brand activation efforts (social, PR, influencer, TikTok Shop, sampling, retail, and/or paid media), in alignment to brand strategy and business objectives
• Review and guide agency-led concepts and executions, elevating work to ensure it is insight-led, on-brand, and platform-appropriate
• Partner cross-functionally with Trade Marketing, Consumer Engagement, Legal, and Media teams to ensure integrated, compliant, and effective execution
• Collaborate with other team members, providing prioritization, feedback, and context to elevate execution and impact
• Share key learnings, best practices, and insights with Business Division and other country partners to support alignment and capability building

Business Analysis

• Guide the development and ongoing evolution of performance dashboards and reporting tools to support decision-making
• Synthesize consumer, category, and competitive insights to identify opportunities, risks, and key performance drivers
• Lead insight-driven analyses and retrospectives to inform strategic planning, optimization, and prioritization
• Recommend actions to take based on data and insights

P&L, Budget and/or Financial Management

• Support P&L management by tracking marketing spend, consolidating budget inputs, monitoring variances, and flagging risks or optimization opportunities
• Partner with Finance to understand forecasts, investment trade-offs, and financial implications of brand decisions
• Contribute insight-based input into annual planning and budgeting processes

Innovation Strategy & Influence

• Support innovation plans with BD/ Global teams building from knowledge of consumer, brand and market

Leadership & Development

• Implement a learning mindset for themselves to stay current on trends, resource allocation & industry capabilities to close existing gaps & develop relevant capabilities in the future.
• Foster a positive, fact based, growth-minded, and collaborative team environment within team, department, and cross-functionally. Champion professional development and individual growth while driving performance, alignment, and engagement across the Kao organization.

What you will need:

• Bachelor's degree required in Business Administration or a related field, MBA preferred
• 5+ years of relevant CPG or marketing related experience; knowledge of and experience with beauty brands and /or categories preferred
• Strong Microsoft Office Usage (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook), Canva a plus
• Experience with Data Analytics tools such as Circana, You Scan, Scintilla, Numerator, & Retailer POS
• Creative and proven ability to collaborate, while also working independent as appropriate.

At Kao, we believe the diversity of our teams strengthens our global mission. Here we trust and respect each other, collaborating in a friendly and inclusive work environment to achieve great results.

What you can expect from us:

• An entrepreneurial environment where passionate and innovative teams come together.
• Respect, teamwork and collaboration are at the heart of how we work.
• A workplace culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing
• A broad range of benefits, including flexible working, competitive salaries, health and wellbeing offers, retirement, insurance options, and more...
• Learning and development opportunities

Your voice matters here - we value entrepreneurial thinking and innovation from our teams.

To find out why 33,000 people across the Globe work at Kao please visit:

https://www.kao.com/americas/en/careers/

Discover careers at Kao and how we live our purpose, Kirei - Making Life Beautiful.

https://kao.voyse.io/

Kao is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.

#LI-Hybrid