Brand Manager - Appearance Brands

ITW; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ITW Car Care, a division of Illinois Tool Works, seeks a Brand Manager to drive brand strategy and growth for Rain-X and Black Magic across the automotive care portfolio. You will lead consumer insight initiatives, shape new product concepts, and partner with Finance, R&D, Sales, and Channel Marketing to deliver a robust innovation roadmap.

The role requires 5–7 years of consumer product marketing experience, solid brand management fundamentals, and strong analytical skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 5-7 years of Consumer Product Marketing or Brand Management; MBA preferred.
• Automotive aftermarket experience preferred; familiarity with DIY appearance or maintenance products is a plus.
• Proven track record of developing new product opportunities from consumer insight through launch.
• Strong analytical skills with POS data and syndicated research.
• Experience in P&L management, pricing and budget fundamentals.
• Demonstrated cross-functional leadership across R&D, Supply Chain, Sales, and Finance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with ability to present to senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Translate consumer insights into innovation briefs and build a viable roadmap.
• Lead cross-functional teams through product development from concept to launch.
• Design and execute qualitative and quantitative research with Consumer Insights.
• Monitor market trends, ROI, and portfolio opportunities for optimization.
• Collaborate with Sales to present brand strategy to retailers and key customers.
• Support external agencies and internal creative teams for assets and campaigns.
• Contribute to annual and long-range P&L planning and budgeting.
• Manage brand budget, allocate resources, and track ROI against plan.
• Travel up to 25% as needed.

Skills

Brand Management

Consumer Insights

Cross-functional Leadership

Data Analysis

P&L Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Tools

IRI/Circana

Nielsen

Job description

Job Description:

About Us:

ITW Car Care is a division of Illinois Tool Works (ITW), specializing in automotive aftermarket products. The division offers a diverse portfolio of brands such as Rain-X wiper blades, visibility enhancing products, and water repellent treatments, including our 2-in-1 Glass Cleaner. Black Magic to support all your wheel and tire needs including Tire Wet.

Summary:

This role supports the brand strategy and execution for Rain-X and Black Magic — ITW Global Brands' flagship automotive appearance lines spanning glass care, car wash, tire care, and wheel care. Reporting to the Senior Brand Manager, the position drives brand growth through sharp consumer understanding, rigorous market analysis, and disciplined product stewardship — from new product development and line extensions through portfolio lifecycle management.

The ideal candidate brings a proven track record of delivering measurable results and the leadership ability to collaborate effectively across Finance, R&D, Creative Services, Supply Chain, Sales, and Channel Marketing teams.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop a deep understanding of target consumers — their needs, attitudes, purchase triggers, and unmet jobs-to-be-done — to serve as the consumer’s voice in all brand and product decisions.
• Drive the new product pipeline by translating consumer and market insights into clearly defined innovation briefs; evaluate concept viability in partnership with R&D, Supply Chain, and Finance to build a commercially sound innovation roadmap.
• Partner with Consumer Insights Manager to design and execute qualitative and quantitative research that validates innovation concepts, measures brand health, and informs strategic decision-making.
• Lead cross-functional teams through the full product development cycle — from identifying market white space and defining product concepts through stage-gate milestones, commercialization, and launch — for both new products and core line improvements.
• Continuously monitor market trends, competitive activity, POS performance, and consumer insights to surface opportunities for innovation and portfolio optimization; identify growth, renovation, and rationalization candidates and manage the discontinuation of underperforming SKUs.
• Partner with Sales to develop a strong understanding of key retail customers and channel dynamics; create compelling brand sell-in materials for line reviews and attend retailer meetings to present brand strategy and support new product introductions.
• Support the Senior Brand Manager in directing external agencies and internal creative teams; assist in the development of marketing assets including A+ ecommerce content, demo videos, packaging copy, and digital/web updates.
• Partner with the Senior Brand Manager on annual and long-range P&L planning, monitoring brand financial performance against plan and supporting the development of strategies to drive revenue and margin growth.
• Monitor the brand marketing budget, tracking spend against plan, optimizing resource allocation, and evaluating ROI to inform future investment decisions.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree with 5-7 years of Consumer Product Marketing and/or Brand Management experience with MBA preferred
• Automotive aftermarket experience preferred; familiarity with DIY appearance, maintenance, or performance product categories is a plus.
• Solid command of brand management principles and product innovation, with a proven track record of developing new product opportunities from consumer insight through commercial launch, including line extensions and portfolio renovation.
• Strong analytical skills with experience leveraging POS data and syndicated research (IRI/Circana, Nielsen).
• Knowledge of P&L management including pricing, margin analysis, and budget fundamentals.
• Demonstrated experience aligning and leading cross-functional teams across R&D, Supply Chain, Sales, and Finance; excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present to senior stakeholders and key retail customers.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple complex projects simultaneously in a fast‑paced environment.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of time.

The position is based in our Houston, TX offices and must work in that location.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

This job description should not be construed to contain every function/responsibility that may be required to be performed by an incumbent in this position. Incumbents are required to perform other related functions as assigned.

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues' unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential.

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.