Sr. Brand Manager, Innovation

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

Job summary

Nordic Naturals is seeking a Senior Manager, Innovation to own the commercialization highway and a 36-month growth expansion pipeline. The role translates consumer insights and market opportunities into scalable, market-ready products across omni-channel environments—from Retail to DTC to Amazon—while leading a team.

You will partner with R&D, Co‑Manufacturing, Operations, Regulatory, and Sales to ensure launches meet consumer needs and regulatory standards, and you will manage budgets and

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; MBA preferred.
• Stage‑Gate Expertise: 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.

Responsibilities

• Lead 36-month innovation pipeline from consumer insights to market launches.
• Own gate submissions, business cases, pricing, and launch timelines in Stage‑Gate governance.
• Develop concepts, value propositions, claims, and testing to validate product-market fit.
• Partner with R&D, Co-Manufacturing, Operations, Regulatory, and Sales to scale concepts.
• Craft channel launch strategies for DTC, Retail, Amazon, and Sales enablement.
• Design rapid A/B in‑market pilots and refine formulations and messaging post-launch.
• Manage budgets and deliver gross margin targets for the pipeline.
• Ensure FDA/FTC compliance for concepts, messaging, and ingredients.
• Direct and mentor Associate Brand Manager(s) within the Innovation team.

Skills

Brand management

Product marketing

Innovation

CPG

Dietary supplements

Wellness

Food & beverage

Stage-Gate Expertise

Analytical Skills

Omni-Channel Acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or related field

MBA preferred

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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Voluntary Self-Identification

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.