Sr. Brand Manager, KIND

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

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental benefits

Participation in 401k plan

Paid time off benefits

Variable pay

Job summary

Mars Incorporated, home to the KIND brand, is seeking a Senior Brand Manager to steward the brand equity and commercial innovation across North America and globally. You will translate brand platforms into compelling communications and commercial ideas, leading cross-functional teams and agency partners to drive ROI and brand growth.

The role sits at the intersection of equity and commerce, owning LTOs, partnerships, and campaigns while ensuring global assets travel to local markets.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree required, preferably a BA/BS in Marketing or Business Administration; MBA or other graduate degree is an asset.
• 8+ years of experience in Marketing, Brand Management, or related commercial roles within the CPG industry, ideally including time on a scaled consumer brand.
• Ownership of brand equity and communications development from brief to in-market measurement and optimization.
• Ability to lead creative, media, PR, and social agency partners with a clear point of view on the creative product.
• Track record of building commercial ideas (LTOs, licensed or cultural partnerships) delivering brand excitement and topline growth.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen with experience managing a marketing budget and ROI-focused investments.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment and influencing senior stakeholders with data.
• Bias for action, comfort with ambiguity, and ability to move quickly with incomplete information.

Responsibilities

• Own the KIND brand platform, positioning, and identity across touchpoints and occasions.
• Translate the platform into brand book, messaging architecture, and design principles.
• Own brand health measurement and diagnosis, turning results into actionable plan implications.
• Judge creative and commercial work against the platform and push for strategic risk where needed.
• Own NA annual and multi-year communications strategy, targeting audiences and campaign architecture.
• Write briefs and lead creative development with agency partners through production and in-market execution.
• Partner with media and omni teams to define the channel plan with reach and frequency goals.
• Coordinate with global markets to travel assets, provide toolkits, and bring learnings back to NA.

Skills

Brand equity

Communications strategy

Cross-functional leadership

Budget management

ROI analysis

Agency management

Market insights

Decision making

Education

BA/BS in Marketing or Business Administration

MBA or graduate degree (asset)

Job description

Job Description:

The Senior Brand Manager, Brand Equity & Commercial Innovation is the steward of the KIND brand accountable for how the brand shows up in culture, in communication, and in commerce across North America and globally. This role owns the equity agenda end to end: translating the brand platform into a sharp communications strategy, bringing it to life through integrated campaigns, and converting it into commercial ideas that make the brand feel exciting, relevant, and worth choosing.

The role sits deliberately at the intersection of equity and commercial. Alongside brand stewardship, it owns commercial innovation: limited-time offers, cultural collaborations, and brand partnerships that recruit new consumers, create news in the category, and give retail and omni partners a reason to lean in. This is a builder's role: it takes the judgment to protect what KIND stands for and the entrepreneurial instinct to take creative and commercial risk where the brand needs it.

As IAT lead, the Senior Brand Manager brings creative, media, insights, omni, shopper, sales, and external agency partners into a single plan with one set of objectives and one measure of success. This role also owns the equity A&CP budget and making allocation and trade‑off decisions grounded in ROI, reach, and brand‑building priorities and serves as KIND’s brand voice to regional and global stakeholders, ensuring the platform travels with consistency while flexing to local market realities.

What are we looking for?

• Undergraduate degree required, preferably a BA/BS in Marketing or Business Administration. MBA or other graduate degree is an asset.
• 8+ years of experience in Marketing, Brand Management, or related commercial roles within the CPG industry, ideally including time on a scaled consumer brand.
• Demonstrated ownership of brand equity and communications development from brief, through creative development and production, to in‑market measurement and optimization.
• Proven ability to lead creative, media, PR, and social agency partners and get breakthrough work out of them, with a clear and defensible point of view on the creative product.
• Track record of building commercial ideas LTOs, licensed or cultural partnerships, seasonal and tentpole programs, that deliver both brand excitement and measurable topline.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen, with experience managing a marketing budget, building business cases, and holding investment to an ROI standard.
• Experience leading cross‑functional teams without direct authority in a matrixed environment and influencing senior stakeholders with data and consumer insight.
• Bias for action and comfort with ambiguity and able to move at pace, take a position, and make decisions with incomplete information.

What will be your key responsibilities?

Brand Stewardship & Equity Ownership

• Own the KIND brand platform, positioning, and identity acting as the definitive guardian of what the brand stands for and how it shows up across every touchpoint, portfolio segment, and occasion.
• Translate the platform into clear, usable guidance brand book, messaging architecture, design principles, and creative guardrails
• Own brand health measurement and diagnosis, tracking equity, awareness, and consideration and turning results into concrete implications for the plan rather than reporting for its own sake.
• Judge creative and commercial work against the platform: protect the brand where consistency matters, and push for risk where distinctiveness matters.

Communications Strategy - North America & Global

• Own the annual and multi‑year communications strategy for KIND in North America, from audience and design targets through channel role, message hierarchy, and campaign architecture.
• Write the briefs and lead creative development with agency partners driving the work from strategic response through to production and in‑market execution, with the standards, feedback discipline, and pace to get to breakthrough.
• Partner with media and omni teams to define the channel plan against clear reach and frequency ambitions, ensuring communications recruit new buyers as well as convert existing ones.
• Serve as the connective tissue to global markets: ensure the platform and campaign assets are built to travel, provide guidance and toolkits to local teams, and bring global learning back into the NA plan.

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
• 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