Assistant Brand Manager (USA)

Reflector Entertainment Ltd.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Dare Foods is seeking an Assistant Brand Manager to help shape brand strategies and drive growth for its US brands. You will work with a skilled marketing team and agency partners to deliver consumer-centric programs, product innovations, and integrated business planning.

As a developing marketer, you will support long-term brand planning, manage cross-functional projects, and contribute to demand planning and launch readiness. A curious, results-driven attitude is essential.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of marketing or brand management experience, including internships.
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or related advanced degree is a plus.
• Strong analytical, communication, and time-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop brand strategy grounded in consumer insights with clear objectives.
• Lead agencies and internal teams to execute integrated marketing programs.
• Monitor performance, identify opportunities, and translate insights into action.
• Support annual brand plans, forecasts, and growth initiatives with analysis.
• Collaborate across functions to launch innovations and packaging updates.

Skills

Brand management

Marketing strategy

Analytical skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or related advanced degree

Tools

Nielsen

Job description

Position Overview

At Dare Foods, a leading CPG company based in Canada, a marketing career presents a distinctive opportunity for you to shape strategies and assume the role of a general manager for your brands. As the Assistant Brand Manager, you will work with an experienced and passionate team of marketers and Agency partners to drive the business forward via first-class brand-building, consumer-centric innovation, and integrated business planning. As a developing marketer, you will lead the thinking and execution of specific elements of the marketing mix and the portfolio's priority projects. You will also assist the Category Marketing Manager in short and long-term brand planning. You are developing a strong marketing skill set and can effectively lead cross-functional teams to help bring winning new products, packaging innovations, and consumer programs to market.

In this role specifically, you'll have the opportunity to be part of a large strategic focus for the company: growing our US brands. You'll gain valuable experience developing strategies grounded in U.S. consumer insights, retailer realities, and the unique dynamics of the market.

A curious mind and hungry, can-do attitude will be vital.

Responsibilities:

Marketing strategy

• Recommending brand strategy grounded in fact-based consumer insights, including target, positioning, and objectives
• Assessing and diagnosing brand performance drivers, identifying insights, and developing effective growth strategies

Marketing execution

• Leading agencies and internal stakeholders to develop and execute integrated marketing programs, including consumer promotions, digital media campaigns, partnership programs, package design initiatives, and other marketing activities.

Business management

• Monitoring brand, category, consumer, and competitive performance to identify opportunities and risks, translating findings into actionable recommendations
• Supporting the development of annual brand plans, forecasts, business reviews, and growth initiatives through analysis and insight generation
• Preparing brand performance updates, retailer-specific analyses, post-launch reviews, and presentations for internal stakeholders
• Managing the annual marketing budget, including purchase orders, invoice processing, reconciliation, and ensuring spending aligns with approved plans
• Tracking the performance of marketing programs and innovation launches, measuring effectiveness and identifying optimization opportunities
• Supporting commercialization activities, including demand planning inputs, launch readiness, and cross-functional project coordination

Innovation

• Working with the R&D and Innovation teams to create a robust innovation pipeline driven by consumer trends
• Leading cross-functional teams to bring product and packaging innovations and renovations to market

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of marketing, brand management, or related experience, preferably within a CPG company (inclusive of internship and co-op experience)
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or other relevant advanced degree within Marketing, Business or a related field is a plus.
• Passion to deliver results and think strategically
• Strong analytical skills paired with a creative mindset; Nielsen, Circana/IRI, or SPINS experience is a plus
• Strong time management skills/able to prioritize daily demands
• Demonstrated capability to manage fast-moving projects successfully to completion
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation communication skills
• Ability to build and maintain positive working relationships and to work collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives
• A winning attitude including being results-driven, collaborative and curious with the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment
• Experience working with cross-functional teams, agency partners, and external vendors preferred
• Exposure to U.S. consumer marketing, retail, or CPG environments is a plus