Senior Brand Manager – Food Brands

Pets Choice Ltd; Blackburn (OK); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Pets Choice Ltd is seeking a senior Brand Manager to lead strategic brand planning across the portfolio, driving innovation and shopper insight.

You will partner with sales, purchasing, operations and agencies to ensure campaigns align with business objectives and retailer requirements. This role requires a proven track record in FMCG brand management, strong commercial acumen, and leadership of cross-functional teams, with a passion for pets.

Qualifications

• Degree in marketing or CIM Marketing Qualification.
• Experience in FMCG is essential.
• Brand management across the full marketing mix including shopper, campaigns and insights.
• At least 5 years at brand manager level with autonomy.
• Hands-on product and innovation development and execution, including commercial targets.
• People management experience.
• Experience dealing with multiple retail channels, including grocers.
• Commercial mindset with strong analytics and results orientation.
• Excellent organisation skills with ability to manage multiple projects.
• Positive, can-do attitude; comfortable with change in a fast-paced environment.
• Pet lovers are welcomed.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead strategic brand plans across the total branded portfolio.
• Support brand managers to execute agreed plans and maintain brand integrity.
• Identify opportunities and create new brands/categories to grow the business.
• Lead long-term innovation road map and assess resources vs ROI.
• Oversee pricing, promotions, and portfolio management to drive turnover and profitability.
• Lead internal and external teams to deliver marketing plans and campaigns.
• Monitor performance, ROI, and adjust investments as needed.
• Represent the customer voice to maximize commercial opportunities.
• Manage budgets and support the development of direct reports.

Skills

Brand management

Shopper marketing

Campaign management

Insight-led marketing

People management

Retail/channel experience

Commercial analytics

Pet lover

Education

Degree in Marketing

CIM Marketing Qualification

Job description

Responsible for developing, implementing, and executing strategic brand plans as well as providing leadership and support to your team of direct reports.

This is a creative and commercial role, that is hands on with delivering best in class brand campaigns, long term innovation as well as improving brand performance and profitability, with autonomy to shape the future development of your brands.

This senior role will work within the Pets Choice marketing team, reporting to the Head of Marketing. You will lead cross functional teams and collaborate closely with sales, purchasing, operations as well as managing agencies and dealing directly with retailers.

You will be responsible for the creation, execution, and management of strategic brand plans, including the ongoing portfolio and pricing management strategies, be seen as the driving force in innovation and shopper insight and work closely with other teams to ensure shopper and communication campaigns are delivered in line with the brand and business objectives.

Core Responsibilities of the role:

• Responsible for the overall strategic development of brand plans for your total branded portfolio
• Works collaboratively to support their brand managers to execute the agreed plans.
• Develop compelling and unique brand propositions and has clearly defined target segments.
• Maintains brand integrity across all company marketing initiatives and communications.
• Identify new opportunities including the creation of new brands/categories to further accelerate business and category growth.
• Responsible for the overall leadership of a long-term innovation road map and ongoing prioritisation and assessment of resources vs ROI.
• Responsible for the creation and delivery of insight led innovation and product change projects from concept to on-shelf, including setting the commercial targets.
• Lead in house teams and external agencies in the creation and delivery of the agreed marketing plans, ensuring brand and business objectives are met.
• Tracking, reporting, and recommending corrective action plans to address performance as well as identifying and leading new business opportunities.
• Has a clear understanding of the profit driving factors within their portfolio and demonstrates a positive influence on the day to day commercial performance of their branded portfolio, ensuring activations are focused on supporting turnover, volume, and profitability and brand share targets.
• Creation of the insight road map for the core and growth brands in your area of responsibility.
• Brief insight agencies and implementing consumer and shopper insight projects, working closely with category to ensure we have best in class insight and data.
• Creation of an integrated marketing plan that is tailored by brand, channel, media and audience (internal, trade, shopper, consumer).
• Responsible for leading the evaluation of all marketing activity for their branded portfolio, assessing the ROI of key campaigns and adjusts future plans and investment in line with recommendations.
• Oversee the price and promotional setting, portfolio management.
• Responsible for brand days and retailer presentations for the agreed brand/categories.
• Be the sales champion within the marketing team for your specified sales channel ensuring the customer voice is heard and plans are tailored to accommodate and maximise commercial opportunities.
• Continuously monitor and act on trends and keep a close eye on competitive activity in the marketplace, suggest new ways of working and regularly review working practices to deliver efficient and cost-effective activity.
• Support in the briefing and execution of PR related activity for trade and consumer.
• Support the delivery of the events calendar including the delivery of exhibitions, consumer shows and events in UK and International.
• Responsible for the total brand marketing budget for their specific areas of responsibility and for setting future year spend.
• Responsible for the ongoing development of their direct reports, including setting objectives, performance management, development support and recruitment when required.
• Provide cover when required for other brand team members.

Knowledge, Competence, Experience and Qualifications Required:

Essential

• Degree in marketing, CIM Marketing Qualification or similar.
• Experience of working within a FMCG business is essential.
• Brand Management experience across the full marketing mix including shopper, brand campaigns and insight led projects
• At least 5 years already operating at brand manager level with autonomy.
• Hands on product and innovation development and execution., including the setting and management of commercials.
• People management experience
• Experience of dealing with a mix of retail channels, including presenting to the key Grocers.
• Commercial savvy, with strong analytics skills and result oriented.
• Excellent organisation skills and can manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Problem solver with a positive and can-do attitude, and welcomes change and working in a fast-paced and time pressured environment.
• A pet lover.

Desirable:

• Experience in P&L brand management.