Brand Strategy & Design Lead — Private Label

C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC; Grand Rapids, Northern (MI, KY); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC is seeking a Brand Manager, OurBrands to drive growth and equity for the company’s private label across shopper touchpoints. You’ll partner with merchandising, sales, product development, and I&A to translate insights into data-driven strategies and creative initiatives.

The role combines strategic brand management with graphic design leadership, shaping brand direction, governance, and consistency across channels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Business, or related field.
• 3–5 years of brand management, marketing, packaging design, or creative strategy within retail, CPG, or private label environments.
• Demonstrated experience leveraging consumer insights, market data, and business analytics to support strategic brand decisions and performance optimization.
• Formal graphic design training or professional experience in graphic design strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign preferred.
• Experience working with packaging design, print production, and brand identity systems.
• Strong understanding of branding, typography, layout, color, and visual storytelling principles.
• Experience managing cross-functional initiatives and collaborating with external agencies and creative partners.
• Strong understanding of brand governance, integrated marketing communications, and creative development processes.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and timelines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.
• Private label or grocery industry experience is a plus.
• Ability to balance strategic brand leadership with hands-on creative problem solving and execution.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support the development of annual brand strategies and initiatives that strengthen enterprise-level brand equity, improve shopper perception, and drive commercial performance.
• Partner with Insights & Analytics (I&A) teams to leverage consumer, category, customer, and performance data to inform strategic decision-making, identify growth opportunities, and optimize brand initiatives.
• Support the management and performance of the private label portfolio by monitoring key business metrics including sales performance, market trends, category growth, shopper engagement, and promotional effectiveness.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with merchandising, sales, product development, and operations teams to align brand priorities with broader business objectives and category strategies.
• Lead the development and execution of integrated brand initiatives across packaging, digital, print, in-store, and marketing channels to ensure a cohesive and differentiated brand experience.
• Maintain governance over creative execution and media alignment by ensuring all customer-facing communications, packaging, and marketing materials adhere to established brand standards, positioning, and messaging frameworks.
• Partner with internal stakeholders and external agencies to guide creative development, campaign execution, and production quality while ensuring consistency, efficiency, and speed to market.
• Develop strategic creative briefs that clearly articulate business objectives, shopper insights, target audiences, and brand positioning.
• Contribute to the evolution, implementation, and stewardship of brand identity systems, visual guidelines, and tone-of-voice standards across all channels.
• Apply graphic design expertise to evaluate and guide creative assets, packaging concepts, presentations, and marketing materials to ensure strong visual storytelling and alignment with brand strategy.
• Monitor competitive activity, industry trends, and private label innovation to identify opportunities for brand growth, differentiation, and improved shopper relevance.
• Support budget planning, forecasting, and resource management related to brand and creative initiatives.
• Travel Required: Yes

Skills

Brand strategy

Graphic design

Creative leadership

Cross-functional teamwork

Data-driven

Education

Bachelor’s Degree - Marketing

Bachelor’s Degree - Business Administration

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

InDesign

Packaging design

Job description

C&S Wholesale Grocers, LLC is seeking a Brand Manager, OurBrands to drive growth and equity for the company’s private label across shopper touchpoints. You’ll partner with merchandising, sales, product development, and I&A to translate insights into data-driven strategies and creative initiatives.

The role combines strategic brand management with graphic design leadership, shaping brand direction, governance, and consistency across channels.