Associate Brand Manager

Russell Stover Chocolates, LLC; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic and innovative team at a leading chocolate manufacturer as an Associate Brand Manager. In this role, you will collaborate with the Sr Brand Manager to oversee a diverse range of products, utilizing market and consumer data to drive strategic decisions. Your project management skills will be crucial as you navigate the complexities of product development and portfolio management. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to a company with a rich heritage and a commitment to quality, while also making a positive impact on the lives of chocolate lovers everywhere. If you are passionate about brand management and thrive in a fast-paced environment, this role is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business or marketing is required.
• Strong project management and data analysis skills are essential.
• Experience with Nielsen or IRI is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage product portfolios and analyze market trends for growth.
• Develop strategies for new product launches and improvements.
• Collaborate with marketing and sales for strategic analysis.

Skills

Project Management

Data Analysis

Market Analysis

Communication Skills

Creative Skills

Attention to Detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or related field

MBA

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Nielsen

IRI

Job description

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you’ll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman’s, and Pangburn’s have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let’s continue making chocolate lovers happy!

A day in the life…

As the Associate Brand Manager, you will work with the Sr Brand Manager to develop & manage a broad variety of products & projects from beginning to end. You will also pull and analyze market and consumer panel data and use that data to enhance product offerings within your assigned portfolio. You should have strong project management skills in order to constantly update and steer your portfolio of products towards sustainable and profitable long-term growth.

What you will be doing…

• Understand syndicated data reporting systems such as Nielsen and/or IRI to provide strategic analysis for the company’s heritage brands.
• Catalog relevant consumer information relating to respective categories (Unify, IRI Panel Data, Shopper Sights, Consumer Studies, etc.) to feed the Marketing & Sales planning process.
• Analyze market and competitive trends, including working with the Category Management team on retailer loyalty data and recommending actions to achieve annual sales and objectives.
• Developing portfolio including SKU rationalization, mix strategies and profit optimization.
• Responsible for meeting the full portfolio P&L.
• Evaluate product portfolio and the marketplace and make recommendations for new product launches and product improvements to ensure Russell Stover growth and brand relevance.
• Analyze market potentials on an ongoing basis for existing and new products and develop competitive concepts to ensure the long-term, profitable growth of the Russell Stover business.
• Analyze viability and profit/sales potential for new segments, markets, and consumers.
• Develop and implement strategies and plans to maximize the profitability of assigned products / product categories while maintaining consistent quality standards.

Do you have what it takes?

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or related field.
• Proficient using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience analyzing and interpreting data.

Do you stand above the rest?

(Preferred Qualifications)

• MBA.
• Brand or product management experience with a CPG company.
• Experience working with IRI or Nielsen.
• Able to manage ambiguity and thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Strong creative skills to properly evaluate; an eye for creative.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills.
• Self-starter, able to act with agility and time management skills to accomplish tasks and meet project deadlines.
• Commitment to continuous self-improvement to develop critical marketing management skills.

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.