Senior Brand Manager

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you'll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman's, and Pangburn's have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let's continue making chocolate lovers happy!

A day in the life...

We are seeking a driven and strategic Sr. Brand Manager to join our fast-paced and growing Marketing Team. In this role, you will own the development and execution of brand plans, projects, and initiatives for your assigned segment or portfolio, aligning with both short- and long-term business goals. You'll work cross-functionally to keep the brand relevant to consumers, strengthen brand equity, and deliver profitable growth for the company. A key part of your role will also be leading relationships with external vendors and agency partners to ensure flawless execution of initiatives.

This position blends analytical rigor with collaboration, requiring strong attention to detail as well as close partnership with Sales, R&D, Finance, and Operations. The ideal candidate brings a solid background in CPG brand management and a passion for building brands. With proven performance, this role offers strong growth potential within Russell Stover and career pathways across Lindt & Sprungli worldwide.

What you will be doing...

Marketing Strategy

• Develop consumer-relevant, annual marketing plans which contribute to sales, profit and brand health objectives and execute for assigned brand.
• Leverage working knowledge of consumer, category and brand and continually identify and recommend business-building initiatives which deliver against the company's business and marketing objectives.
• Thoroughly understand the Russell Stover Brand and sub-brands. Develop brand plans and initiatives, including PR, digital support, promotions, packaging and creative, which fully align and strengthen the brand's positioning.

Research and Analytics

• Lead or conduct routine analysis of the brand, key initiative, competition, category, customer and consumer. Synthesize key findings and indications which enhance brand and company performance.
• Lead and assist with insight gathering research that collects consumer and competitive knowledge that can be utilized to enhance and evolve the brand's product development, promotional acceptance and communication evolution, among others.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of internal brand metrics, such as sales and profit, and contribute to sales projections and financial planning.

Product/Portfolio Management

• Responsible for managing an assigned portfolio to include SKU rationalization, mix strategies and profit optimization.
• Responsible for meeting the full portfolio P&L
• Evaluate product portfolio and the marketplace and make recommendations for new product launches and product improvements to ensure Russell Stover growth and brand relevance in the marketplace.
• Analyze market potentials on an ongoing basis for existing and new products and develop competitive concepts to ensure the long-term, profitable growth of the Russell Stover business
• Analyze viability and profit/sales potential for new segments, markets, and consumers.
• Develop and implement strategies and plans to maximize the profitability of assigned products / product categories while maintaining consistent quality standards.
• Manage NPD development from ideation and concept to launch working with R&D, Operations, Production, Engineering and Creative. Secure and engage cross functional support to meet required deliverables in a timely manner.

Brand/Customer Support

• Develop marketing communication plans including consumer promotions, digital and social media and PR.
• Communicate regularly with the Sales Directors, Field Sales Force, and Trade Marketing to ensure that marketing programs are properly implemented.
• Attend sales calls and actively participate in selling at the customer level.

If visiting our manufacturing plants, you will be expected to:

• Adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to ensure product quality and maintain compliance with food safety standards.
• Complete and follow FSQA training and programs to comply with regulatory requirements, ensure consumer safety, and support the plant's food safety and quality objectives.
• Promptly report and take appropriate action on any observed or potential food safety hazards, process deviations, or non-conformities by notifying the designated plant supervisor, in accordance with your role and responsibilities.
• Actively contributes to the continuous improvement of the company's Food Safety Culture through engagement and actions aligned with your role.

This job posting is not all inclusive and other duties may be assigned.

Do you have what it takes?

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree
• 6 years of marketing experience within CPG focused on brand management
• Experience managing projects with a cross functional team
• Experience leading or managing a team
• Proficient using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Confident Problem Solver / Solution-driven individual
• Able to thrive in a fast paced, collaborative environment
• Displays a commitment to continuous self-improvement to develop critical marketing management skills
• Strong time management skills to accomplish tasks and meet projects deadlines
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to speak, read, and write English fluently, with or without an accommodation.

Do you stand above the rest?

(Preferred Qualifications)

• MBA
• Chocolate industry experience highly preferred

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.

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