Sr Manager-Brand Marketing (Franklin, TN or Southern CA Based)

CKE Restaurants, Inc.; Franklin (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

CKE Restaurants, Inc. seeks a Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing to lead the marketing calendar and activation, elevating brand relevance and driving restaurant results.

You will own the end-to-end innovation pipeline from consumer insight through launch, partnering with culinary, supply chain, operations, and executives to ensure continuity, quality, and supplier diversification. The role requires 6-8 years in brand marketing with supervisory experience, 1-2 years in menu development, and a BA/BS

Qualifications

• 6-8 years of brand marketing experience, including supervisory experience.
• Experience in Brand Marketing, Advertising, or related field, ideally in QSR.
• 1-2 years of menu development experience.
• BA/BS degree; MBA or Masters in Marketing preferred.
• Strong, broad marketing skills in a dynamic, promotional space.
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial leader with urgency and energy.
• Excellent communication; ability to adapt messages to audiences.
• Creative problem solver with commercial orientation.
• Ability to connect the dots and lead through ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Lead innovation acceleration for the Brand; craft vision and near-term/long-term roadmaps; assemble cross-functional team.
• Assess and activate new menu and promotional opportunities via insights, trends and competitive landscape.
• Manage national and test market planning; support leadership on strategy integration.
• Design go-to-market strategies and timelines from concept to launch; ensure profitable sales.
• Conduct consumer research and analytics to validate brand strategy and learnings.

Skills

Brand marketing

Leadership

Strategy

Communication

Education

BA/BS degree, MBA preferred

Job description

N SUMMARY

The Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing will be a key player in marketing calendar development and activation for the brand to deliver on objectives with the overall goal of driving restaurant results. This role will lean into high growth, new beachhead categories to elevate brand relevancy and drive sales forward. This high impact role leads the end-to-end innovation pipeline—from consumer insight and concept development through launch—working closely with culinary, supply chain, operations, and executive leaders on business continuity, quality optimization, and supplier diversification.

Job Description

POSITIO

N SUMMARY

The Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing will be a key player in marketing calendar development and activation for the brand to deliver on objectives with the overall goal of driving restaurant results. This role will lean into high growth, new beachhead categories to elevate brand relevancy and drive sales forward. This high impact role leads the end-to-end innovation pipeline—from consumer insight and concept development through launch—working closely with culinary, supply chain, operations, and executive leaders on business continuity, quality optimization, and supplier diversification.

Essential Functions

• Lead innovation acceleration for the Brand; crafting the vision for short-and-long-term roadmap, leading a cross functional team to stand-up the near-in execution including systems and processes to wire the effort and drive ongoing growth of our pipeline
• Assess and activate new menu and promotional opportunities through continuous evaluation of the competitive landscape, consumer insights, emerging food trends, and cultural shifts.
• Manage national and test market planning, supporting leadership to integrate short/long-term strategy
• Design go-to-market strategies and timelines, guiding product development from concept to validations to launch, including cross-functional coordination to ensure flawless consumer experience and profitable sales.
• Conduct consumer research and business analytics to validate and optimize brand strategy; integrate past program learnings to inform future planning and commercialization decisions.
• Creative brief development for internal and external partners, utilizing consumer insights and business priorities to develop messaging and communications recommendation.
• Partnership with Commercialization and Advertising teams to engage internal or external agency resources in creative development and media planning.
• Identify and evaluate brand / supplier partnerships that elevate the brand’s cultural relevance and strengthen its competitive positioning in the marketplace.
• Partner with cross-functional leaders to drive continuous improvement and collaboration across the innovation / stage gate process
• Lead overarching promotional / window communication to unite cross-functional efforts, provide transparency and allow for Operations to prepare in a timely and meaningful manner

Position Qualifications/Core Competencies

• 6-8 years of brand marketing experience required for this role; including supervisory experience

in Brand Marketing, Advertising, or a related field, ideally in the QSR space

• 1-2 years of menu development experience required for this role
• BA / BS degree - M.B.A. or Masters in Marketing degree is preferred.
• Ability to demonstrate broad, well-developed marketing skills in a dynamic, highly promotional space.
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial leader who performs well in a lean, fast-paced environment with a strong work ethic and brings a combination of high energy with a high sense of urgency.
• Strong communication skills, able to speak / write effectively, adapting message to each audience
• Creative problem solver; thinking outside the box to solve and drive business strategy
• A clear commercial orientation and ability to think and act like a general manager.
• Strong intuition, ability to “connect the dots” and lead through ambiguity.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Restaurant Support Center - a fast paced, high activity and a deadline driven environment

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Sitting for extended periods of time, typing and operating a computer and/or mouse, speaking face-to-face with key cross-functional partners regularly
• Travels as needed approximately ten - fifteen (10-15%)

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Sitting for extended periods of time, typing and operating a computer and/or mouse, speaking face-to-face with key cross-functional partners regularly
• Travels as needed approximately ten - fifteen (10-15%)

The COMPANY RETAINS THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR ASSIGN OTHER DUTIES TO THIS POSITION AS DEEMED APPROPRIATE WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE.