Senior Manager SDL KIND

Mars (New); Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 154,000 - 211,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Mars University

401k plan

Job summary

Mars, Incorporated seeks a Senior Manager, Strategic Demand Leadership (SDL) – Innovation at the intersection of strategy, commercialization, and execution. You will champion multi-channel launch strategies for brand portfolios with up to $800M NSV and lead cross-functional teams across Sales, Innovation Marketing, R&D, Consumer Insights, and Revenue Growth Management to translate whitespace into growth.

You will shape how new products appear on shelves and screens—driving trial, brand

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of commercial experience in CPG marketing, innovation commercialization, commercial strategy, category management, or demand planning.
• Proven experience leading commercialization, go-to-market planning, and customer activation of new product launches in a CPG environment.
• Analytical toolkit with structured problem solving and ability to alternate between strategy and execution.
• Experience developing consumer, shopper, and customer strategies, activations, and promotional plans.
• Fluency in category trends, competition, shopper behavior, and translating insights into advantage.
• Ability to influence and align cross-functional partners and senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Strong interpersonal, storytelling, and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Innovation Marketing, Consumer Insights, and R&D to identify whitespace opportunities and emerging category trends.
• Develop omni-channel launch strategies ensuring customer activation, selling stories, and assortment plans across channels.
• Drive the annual sales strategy to deliver net sales and operating profit for brands and initiatives.
• Own channel plans, voice of the customer, and bespoke pack/channel solutions.
• Maintain an active pulse on industry trends and competitor launches to keep pipelines differentiated.
• Track post-launch performance across commercialization lifecycle and optimize initiatives.
• Translate sales trends into reliable demand signals and collaborate with Finance on forecasts.
• Deliver volume, market share, and profit targets while managing budgets.

Skills

Commercial experience

Launch management

Analytical skills

Customer insight

Market trends

Leadership

Communication

Job description

Job Description: Are you energized by turning breakthrough ideas into market-defining realities? As the Senior Manager, Strategic Demand Leadership (SDL) – Innovation, you will sit at the dynamic intersection of strategy, commercialization, and execution. Serving as the vital commercial bridge between brand innovation and marketplace reality, you will champion multi-channel launch strategies for brand portfolios with a scope of up to $800M NSV. You will orchestrate cross-functional teams across Sales, Innovation Marketing, R&D, Consumer Insights, and Revenue Growth Management to translate consumer whitespace into high-impact growth. In this pivotal role, you will shape how new products show up on shelves and screens—driving trial, brand awareness, distribution velocity, and sustainable profitability across key retail partners. If you are an agile, commercially minded leader who thrives on navigating complexity, shaping category-first selling stories, and delivering measurable business results, this is your opportunity to leave an enduring mark on iconic brands.

What are we looking for?

• Experience: Minimum of 5 years of commercial experience in CPG marketing, innovation commercialization, commercial strategy, category management, or demand planning.
• Launch Track Record: Proven experience leading the commercialization, go-to-market planning, and customer activation of new product launches within a consumer-packaged goods (CPG) environment.
• Analytical & Strategic Agility: Consultant-style analytical toolkit with structured problem-solving skills and the ability to move seamlessly between long-term strategic vision and hands-on execution.
• Customer & Shopper Acumen: Demonstrated expertise in developing comprehensive consumer, shopper, and customer strategies, activations, and promotional plans.
• Market Insights: Strong fluency in category trends, competitive dynamics, shopper behaviors, and translating consumer insights into commercial advantages.
• Leadership & Influence: Proven ability to influence, align, and mobilize cross-functional partners and senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional interpersonal, stakeholder management, storytelling, and presentation capabilities.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Working knowledge of Sales & Operations Planning (SOP) processes and Strategic Revenue Growth Management (RGM) principles.

What will be your key responsibilities?

• Innovation Strategy & Development: Partner closely with Innovation Marketing, Consumer Insights, and R&D to identify consumer needs, whitespace opportunities, and emerging category trends. Help shape innovation pipelines, product concepts, packaging, and commercialization strategies that deliver meaningful growth.
• Innovation Launch Excellence: Develop and execute omni-channel launch strategies that maximize awareness, trial, and sustainable adoption. Ensure customer activation plans, selling stories, assortment strategies, and launch tactics are optimized across all go-to-market channels and key accounts.
• Sales Plan Execution: Drive the annual sales strategy to deliver net sales and operating profit goals for assigned brands and innovation initiatives. Assess sales plans for risks and opportunities, craft solutions, and make trade-off decisions across channels to balance the business.
• Channel & Customer Leadership: Develop a deep understanding of assigned channels (SWOT, target consumer, competitive landscape, customer strategy) and apply it to channel plans. Own the AMPS strategy (Availability, Merchandising, Pricing, Space), champion the voice of the customer, and co-create bespoke pack and channel solutions.
• Trend & Competitive Intelligence: Maintain an active pulse on industry trends, category performance, competitor launches, and evolving consumer habits to ensure innovation pipelines remain differentiated and commercially relevant.
• Innovation Performance Management: Track and evaluate post-launch performance across the commercialization lifecycle (evaluating distribution, velocity, trial/repeat, and financial metrics), delivering actionable recommendations to scale winning initiatives and optimize future launches.
• Forecast & Revenue Growth Management: Partner with Sales and Demand Planning to translate sales trends into reliable demand signals, collaborating with Finance to build accurate volume and revenue forecasts.
• Deliver Business Results: Drive volume, market share, and profit delivery against division financial targets while managing marketing and overhead budgets to ensure innovation investments maximize ROI.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
• Join a purpose-driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry-competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

#KINDjobs #LI-Onsite

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment. The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting: USD 153,600.00 - USD 211,200.00

Mars is a family-owned business with more than $35 billion in global sales. We produce some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, BEN’S ORIGINAL®, and COCOAVIA®. Alongside our consumer brands, we proudly take care of half of the world’s pets through our nutrition, health and services businesses such as Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, AniCura, VCA™ and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our 140,000 Associates into taking action every day towards creating the world we want tomorrow.