Marketing Manager

PEOPLE; La Crosse (WI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits (≥30 hrs/wk)

Dental

Vision

Life insurance

Short-term disability

401(k) with employer match

Staff discount

Job summary

People’s Food Coop in Wisconsin is seeking a Marketing Manager to lead the development and execution of marketing strategies that support the co-op’s mission. This role drives customer engagement, store traffic, and brand loyalty while championing community ownership and local sourcing.

You’ll manage a small team, oversee campaigns across channels, and collaborate with operations to align priorities with store goals.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a marketing function
• Ability to lead cross-functional projects and influence stakeholders
• Experience managing budgets and delivering measurable results
• Strong understanding of retail promotions and strategic communications
• Excellent communication, organization and analytical skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and timelines in a fast-paced environment

Responsibilities

• Develop annual and seasonal marketing plans aligned with traffic, category growth, and owner engagement goals.
• Own and maintain the annual marketing and promotional calendar; align across team and operations.
• Identify opportunities to increase traffic, grow basket size, and promote key product categories.
• Translate strategic priorities into actionable marketing initiatives and measurable goals.
• Develop and oversee integrated campaigns across in-store, digital, print, email, and community channels.
• Lead planning and execution of weekly and seasonal promotions in partnership with operations.
• Ensure signage and messaging are accurate and aligned across touchpoints.
• Analyze campaign performance and shopper behavior to improve effectiveness.
• Manage campaign timelines and deliverables for successful launches.
• Lead in-store experiences and shopper marketing initiatives including events and vendor promotions.
• Develop and manage the annual marketing budget; allocate resources across campaigns and vendors.
• Monitor spending and optimize investments; manage relationships with printers and agencies.
• Lead, coach, and develop the marketing team; ensure accountability and collaboration.
• Define KPIs, build reporting tools, and connect activity to store performance.
• Develop community partnerships and strengthen ties with local farms and vendors.
• Oversee digital channels: email, social media, website, and digital promotions.
• Ensure consistent messaging and storytelling across platforms.

Skills

Marketing leadership

Cross-functional coordination

Budget management

Retail promotions

Communication skills

Project management

Analytical skills

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Email marketing platforms

Website CMS

Social media platforms

Adobe Creative Suite

Project management software

AI marketing tools

Job description

Description

Check out a great opportunity within our leadership team!

The Marketing Manager leads the development and execution of marketing strategies that support the co-op's business performance and mission. This role drives customer engagement, store traffic, and brand loyalty while reinforcing the co-op's values of community ownership, local sourcing, and sustainability.

This role blends strategic planning with hands-on retail marketing leadership across promotions, communications, and in-store experiences, while overseeing budgeting, project management, team leadership, campaign execution, and performance tracking across all channels.

About the Role

Reporting to the General Manager, this role leads a team of two marketing professionals and is responsible for strategic planning, marketing and communications, owner acquisition and engagement, education and community partnerships, and brand stewardship. It is part strategist, part storyteller, and part leader - someone who can connect big-picture direction with day-to-day execution, manage multiple priorities, and bring organization and accountability to complex initiatives.

You’ll lead a team of creative thinkers and food enthusiasts who care deeply about building a strong, sustainable community and treating people with kindness and fairness. You’ll be supported by a committed team, challenged in all the right ways, and recognized for work that has a direct impact on the Co-op and the community it serves. And yes - there will be good food involved.

Key Responsibilities

Marketing Strategy & Planning

• Develop annual and seasonal marketing plans aligned with traffic, category growth, and owner engagement goals.
• Own and maintain the annual marketing and promotional calendar, ensuring alignment across the marketing team and operations.
• Identify opportunities to increase traffic, grow basket size, and promote key product categories (fresh, local, seasonal, prepared foods, etc.).
• Align campaigns with the co-op mission, values, and Ends.
• Translate strategic priorities into actionable marketing initiatives and measurable goals.

Campaigns, Promotions & Execution

• Develop and oversee integrated campaigns across in-store, digital, print, email, and community channels.
• Lead the marketing team in planning and executing weekly and seasonal promotions in partnership with operations, from strategy through in-store implementation.
• Ensure signage, displays, and messaging are accurate, timely, and aligned across all customer touchpoints.
• Analyze campaign performance and shopper behavior to improve effectiveness.
• Manage campaign timelines and deliverables to ensure successful launches.

In-Store Experience & Shopper Marketing

• Partner with store operations to execute endcaps, displays, signage, and point-of-sale materials.
• Strengthen the shopper experience through clear messaging, education, and storytelling.
• Lead marketing initiatives supporting product launches, seasonal features, and vendor-driven promotions.
• Plan and coordinate in-store events and customer engagement opportunities.

Budget & Financial Stewardship

• Develop and manage the annual marketing budget.
• Allocate resources across campaigns, vendors, and initiatives to maximize return on investment.
• Monitor spending and manage resources effectively, adjusting investments based on business priorities.
• Manage relationships with printers, creative partners, agencies, and other marketing vendors.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead, coach, develop, and inspire the marketing team, fostering a collaborative, innovative, and results-oriented culture.
• Set clear priorities and expectations, manage team workload, and ensure accountability for timely, high-quality deliverables aligned with organizational goals.
• Collaborate closely with operations and leadership teams.
• Ensure alignment between marketing initiatives and store-level priorities.

Performance Tracking & Operational Metrics

• Define and track KPIs including traffic, sales lift, engagement, and category performance.
• Build reporting tools that connect marketing activity to store performance.
• Evaluate campaign effectiveness and provide recommendations based on results.
• Use customer feedback, market trends, competitive insights, and performance data to identify opportunities and inform marketing strategy.

Community Engagement & Brand Stewardship

• Ensure community-facing communications reflect the co-op's values and mission.
• Maintain and evolve brand standards to ensure a consistent visual identity, voice, and customer experience across channels.
• Develop initiatives that strengthen owner awareness, engagement, and connection to the co-op.
• Develop and support community partnerships, outreach initiatives, and educational programming.
• Strengthen relationships with local farms, vendors, and mission-aligned organizations.

Digital & Communications

• Oversee email, social media, website content, and digital promotions.
• Align digital messaging with in-store priorities and seasonal campaigns.
• Maintain consistent messaging and storytelling across platforms.

Monitor website, email, social media, and digital advertising performance, using analytics and customer insights to optimize engagement and conversion.

Reports to: General Manager Direct reports: Graphic Designer and Social Media Coordinator

PFC offers benefits that include: medical (if working 30 or more hours per week), dental, vision, life products, short-term disability, and ancillary products in addition to a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match and a 20% staff discount.

People’s Food Coop complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and candidates with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact Human Resources at 507-289-9061 Ext. 3007 or email [e-mail].

People’s Food Coop has been and will continue to be an equal opportunity employer and o takes steps to assure that recruitment, hiring, assignment, promotion, compensation, and all other personnel decisions are made and administered without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, age, mental or physical disability, genetic information or any other protected class.

Requirements

Qualifications

Required

• Experience leading a marketing function, including managing and developing team members.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects and influence stakeholders across an organization.
• Experience managing budgets and delivering measurable results.
• Strong understanding of retail operations and promotional strategy.
• Excellent communication, organization, and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, timelines, and initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred

• 5+ years of marketing experience in grocery, retail, natural foods, local/organic retail environments, or mission-driven organizations.
• Strong appreciation for local food systems and community engagement.
• Experience working closely with merchandising and store operations teams.
• Familiarity with member-owned or mission-driven business models.

Technical Skills

Required

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Email marketing platforms
• Website content management systems
• Social media management platforms
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Project management software
• AI-powered business and marketing tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Adobe Firefly, or similar technologies
• Using AI-assisted tools for content development, data analysis, workflow efficiency, and marketing optimization while critically evaluating outputs for accuracy and quality