Sr. Brand Manager, Innovation

Nordic-Naturals; Watsonville (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Nordic Naturals seeks a Senior Manager of Brand Management, Innovation to own a 36‑month growth pipeline and drive cross‑functional product commercialization across omni‑channel environments.

The role partners with R&D, Regulatory, Ops, and Sales to translate consumer insights into scalable, consumer‑first platforms and successful launches.

Qualifications

• 6–9+ years of experience in Brand Management, Product Marketing, or Innovation within CPG, dietary supplements, wellness, or food & beverage.
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or related field required; MBA preferred.
• Stage-Gate Expertise: proven track record of managing products through a formal stage-gate commercialization process.
• Analytical skills: advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and syndicated POS data analysis.
• Omni-Channel acumen across Mass/Grocery, Specialty/Natural, Amazon, and DTC channels.

Responsibilities

• Lead the commercial development of Nordic Naturals’ 36-month innovation pipeline, translating consumer insights into scalable brand extensions and multi-platform launches.
• Govern the cross-functional stage-gate innovation process, owning gate submission readiness, business case, pricing and launch timelines.
• Develop product concepts, consumer value propositions, claims strategy, and packaging briefs; partner on concept testing and pricing studies.
• Collaborate with Product Development/R&D, Co-Man, Operations, Regulatory, and Sales to scale concepts to shelf.
• Drive omni-channel go-to-market strategies with DTC, Retail, Amazon, and Sales teams; build launch playbooks and sales enablement tools.
• Design rapid in-market pilots (DTC/eComm) and post-launch loops to refine formulations and messaging.
• Manage budgets, margins, and P&L for pipeline projects; ensure compliance with FDA and FTC dietary supplement regulations.
• Coach and develop Associate Brand Managers; foster a high-performing Innovation team.

Skills

Brand Management

Product Marketing

Innovation

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Stage-Gate Process

Budget & P&L

Regulatory Compliance

Leadership

Analytical Skills

Omni-Channel

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing or Business

MBA preferred

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

POS data analysis (SPINS/IRI/Nielsen)

Job description

Nordic Naturals is the premium leader in the Omega-3 supplement category, committed to delivering the world’s safest, most effective nutrients essential to health. The Senior Manager of Brand Management, Innovation owns the commercialization highway and 36-month growth expansion pipeline for Nordic Naturals. Reporting to the Director of Innovation & Insights, this role serves as the commercial lead for translating consumer insights, white-space market opportunities, and breakthrough technology platforms into scalable, market-ready products.

This Sr. Brand Manager, Innovation role manages early-stage product development through concept testing, stage-gate governance, product-market fit validation, and initial commercial launch across omni-channel environments (Retail, DTC, Amazon, Practitioner). The Senior Manager supervises Associate Brand Manager(s) and partners cross-functionally with R&D/Product Development, Consumer Insights, Operations/Co-Man, Regulatory, and Sales to build differentiated, consumer-first platforms that expand the brand beyond core categories.

Reasonable Accommodations Statement

To accomplish this job successfully, this individual must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential function satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to help enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Innovation Strategy & Pipeline Commercialization: Lead the commercial development of Nordic Naturals’ 36-month innovation pipeline, converting consumer insights and macro wellness trends into scalable brand extensions and multi-platform launches.
• Stage-Gate Process Governance: Serve as the brand lead through the cross-functional stage-gate innovation process, owning gate submission readiness, business case development, financial hurdles, pricing strategy, and launch timelines in partnership with the Innovation PMO.
• Product Positioning & Concept Testing: Develop compelling product concepts, consumer-facing value propositions, claims strategy, and packaging briefs; partner with Consumer Insights to execute quantitative/qualitative concept testing, volumetric modeling, and pricing studies.
• Cross-Functional Project Leadership: Partner closely with Product Development/R&D, Co-Manufacturing, Operations, Regulatory, and Sales to take concepts from benchtop prototyping to commercial scale and shelf placement.
• Omni-Channel Go-To-Market Execution: Partner with DTC, Retail, Amazon, and Sales teams to build distinct channel-launch strategies, trial-driving support playbooks, product packaging architecture, and sales enablement tools.
• Rapid In-Market Testing & Post-Launch Loops: Design and execute rapid A/B in-market pilots (DTC/eComm) to validate concepts prior to mass retail rollout; conduct post-launch learning loops to refine product formulations, messaging, and future pipeline releases.
• Budget & P&L Management: Manage project innovation budgets, deliver gross margin targets, and perform margin analysis on pipeline concepts.
• Compliance & Regulatory Alignment: Ensure all product concepts, messaging, and ingredient claims comply with FDA and FTC dietary supplement regulations.
• Team Leadership & Development: Direct and supervise Associate Brand Manager(s), managing project workloads, skill-building, and career growth within the Innovation team.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Competency Statements

• Create Vision & Strategic Intent: Translates innovation goals into clear pipelines, connecting multi-year category roadmaps to long-term business growth.
• Demonstrate Business Acumen: Evaluates financial hurdles, project COGS, retail margin expectations, and market trends to deliver profitable launches.
• Use Intellect & Critical Thinking: Distills complex market data and scientific ingredients into intuitive, consumer-first product propositions.
• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Alignment: Fosters seamless handoffs between Insights, R&D, Operations, Sales, and Brand Marketing.
• Be Solution Driven: Proactively overcomes stage-gate bottlenecks, supply chain constraints, or formula hurdles to maintain pipeline velocity.
• Coach, Develop, Mentor and Provide Feedback: Invests in direct report development, creating a collaborative, high-performing innovation unit.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Experience: 6–9+ years of experience in Brand Management, Product Marketing, or Innovation within CPG, dietary supplements, wellness, or food & beverage.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or related field required; MBA preferred.
• Stage-Gate Expertise: Proven track record of managing products through a formal stage-gate commercialization process from ideation through launch.
• Analytical Skills: Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and syndicated POS data analysis (SPINS, IRI, Nielsen).
• Omni-Channel Acumen: Deep understanding of product requirements across Mass/Grocery, Specialty/Natural, Amazon, and Direct-to-Consumer channels.

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As set forth in Nordic Naturals’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

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