Portfolio Health & Growth Strategist

Mars; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 108,000 - 149,000; Full time

Job summary

Mars is seeking a Portfolio Health & Optimization Manager in Chicago, IL, office-based. This role shapes long-term health, competitiveness, and growth for the Marks Snacking Confectionary portfolio, bridging strategy, innovation, and life cycle management to translate growth ambitions into actionable portfolio choices.

The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking with strong analytical and financial skills to assess portfolio health, innovation sufficiency, and assortment

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, strategy, finance, or related field; MBA preferred.
• 4+ years of progressive experience in CPG across portfolio strategy, brand/category management, strategic planning or finance.
• Strong Excel and presentation skills.
• Experience assessing portfolio performance, innovation pipelines, assortment productivity, or long-term growth plans.
• Experience with forecasting.
• Ability to influence and align stakeholders across cross-functional teams, including senior leadership.
• Curious and forward-looking, challenging assumptions and linking portfolio choices to growth.
• Comfort navigating ambiguity and balancing consumer opportunity, business performance, strategy, and operations.

Responsibilities

• Long-Term Portfolio Planning: translate growth ambitions into portfolio actions and risks.
• Identify shifts in portfolio mix, innovation, assortment, or investment to meet growth objectives.
• Integrate consumer, category, competitive, brand, financial, and operational views for a holistic portfolio health.
• Identify gaps and opportunities and translate into actionable recommendations for evolution.
• Develop clear portfolio health measures to track long-term ambition progress.
• Innovation Sufficiency & Portfolio Pipeline: assess gaps and connect plans with future needs.
• Collaborate with brand, insights, finance, and R&D teams to align plans with needs.
• Evaluate innovation performance and strengthen future pipeline decisions.
• Provide portfolio-level perspective on gaps, overlaps, or imbalances across brands and growth horizons.
• Portfolio Health & Assortment Optimization: assess portfolio health and SKU productivity to boost profitability.
• Analyze performance gaps, duplication, fragmentation, and opportunities for scaling.
• Balance product roles within the portfolio considering consumer, brand, and financial factors.
• Drive consistent evaluation of portfolio additions and exits to reduce unnecessary complexity.
• Portfolio Health & Insights Governance: create clear portfolio narratives for senior leadership.
• Establish regular portfolio reviews linking ambition, innovation sufficiency, and performance.
• Act as a strategic connector ensuring data-based, long-term confectionery objectives.

Skills

Excel skills

Presentation skills

Forecasting

Stakeholder management

Ambiguity tolerance

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Job description

Mars is seeking a Portfolio Health & Optimization Manager in Chicago, IL, office-based. This role shapes long-term health, competitiveness, and growth for the Marks Snacking Confectionary portfolio, bridging strategy, innovation, and life cycle management to translate growth ambitions into actionable portfolio choices.

The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking with strong analytical and financial skills to assess portfolio health, innovation sufficiency, and assortment