Senior Brand Manager

Sr. Brand Manager

About the Role

Clover is not your typical CPG company. Our family ownership gives us flexibility and speed to make decisions quickly, and a willingness to take on big challenges. We have the brand strength of a 100 year old brand beloved in the community for its quality products and alter ago – Clo – alongside the business strength of an established local company. We have big plans for 2020 and beyond in both our base brand as well as innovation, and we hope you will join us on our journey.

Based in the most charming small-big town in the North Bay – Petaluma – and reporting to the Vice President of Marketing, the Sr. Brand Manager will develop and support key strategies related to both marketing communications and product strategy. You will lead long-term strategic planning while concurrently managing day-to-day tasks to meet deadlines. Excellent time and project management skills are key, as is the ability to be flexible and adapt to situations. We are not a huge corporation and we move quickly - the Sr. Brand Manager will need to be nimble and willing to get his/her hands dirty to get things done.

Our marketing team is small but mighty. Though we are best known for our high-quality milk, Clover has products in over ten different categories. This keeps it interesting – we promise you’ll never get bored - but poses challenges as we allocate our marketing messages, bandwidth, and budget. The diverse array of products requires a unique ability to prioritize, collaborate, and manage time. Our team works hard, but we support each other and we certainly know how to have fun.

This role will have two direct reports, an Asst. Brand Manager and a part-time Project Administrator.

Salary range: $127,000 - $149,400 DOE

Current Product Strategy & Pricing / Market & Competitor Analysis

• Prepare category reviews, market assessments and persuasive presentations that effectively summarize a situation and/or sell-in recommendations with data and rationale.

• Partner with Sales to develop assortment and trade marketing strategies, including product prioritization by category, merchandising, and the articulation of the key benefits.

• Monitor consumption data to be able to highlight marketplace trends and retail or competitive changes.

• Leverage data to ensure that marketplace pricing aligns with pricing/promo strategies.

• Support Sales team with product slides for account presentations.

• Partner with the Finance to build P&Ls to be able to assess the financial strength of different products / product lines.

• Work with the Vice President of Marketing to develop and implement sustainability efforts (zero waste, new packaging, etc..), as well as communication strategies around such efforts.

• Lead packaging update projects from brief writing to commercialization, managing both packaging agency and cross functional partners to hit on time launches.

Brand Marketing

• In partnership with the Vice President of Marketing and the Director of Marketing Communications, lead the development of annual brand plans, marketing objectives and communications content.

• Provide the Marketing Communication and Sales teams with the key benefits and competitive points of difference for each product segment.

• As a participant in the creative review process, provide clear vision and concise feedback that ensures creative is compelling, accurate and on brand.

New Product Commercialization / Vendor Transition

• Partner with the Vice President of Marketing to develop a robust innovation pipeline (market research, packaging design/development, launch plans, etc.).

• Utilize the Stage Gate process to ensure that all requirements have been met and that necessary approvals have been given before proceeding to the next Stage of the new product development.

• Collaborate with cross-functional partners during development of new product ideas and current product improvements.

• Work cross-functionally to support and commercialize current product improvements and new product innovation.

• Develop product briefs for new products as well as line extensions, based on research into successful competitive products as well as innovative new ingredients/packaging.

• Partner with finance to develop a full P&L model once product(s) moves into the formal development process.

• Partner with sales to track new item distribution and performance.

What You Bring to the Team

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred

Experience

• Minimum of 7+ years experience in a CPG brand marketing role, food industry preferred

• A combination of big and small company or start-up experience is a plus

• Strong analytical skills and financial acumen

• Knowledge of how to build and manage project timeline

• Comfort building and navigating P&L (ideally also a basic IRR model)

• High level of proficiency in scan data analysis using SPINS, Nielsen, and/or IRI data

• Excellent PowerPoint and Excel skills

Soft Skills

• Energetic self-starter who is strategic and results-driven

• Passion for mission-based companies and for building lifestyle brands that consumers love

• Outstanding communication skills, both oral and written

• Highly detail oriented

• Team player who is comfortable with ambiguity + deadline pressures

• Confidence presenting to senior leadership

• Ability to be persuasive and procure buy-in from upper management

About Clover Sonoma

Third-generation family-owned and operated, Clover Sonoma is recognized as a leader at the forefront of the dairy industry with their full line of conventional and organic dairy products. The Petaluma-based company in California’s beautiful Sonoma County has always held themselves to higher industry standards and was the first dairy in the United States to become American Humane Certified for the humane treatment of their animals. In addition, Clover holds their partnership of family-owned dairy farms to a higher standard with its own unique Clover Promise of Excellence -- a set of regulations to ensure the highest level of animal welfare, product quality, and sustainability measures are followed. Clover is also known for their involvement in the community and most notably their infamous mascot, Clo the Cow, who’s witty puns and billboards have been delighting Northern California for over 50 years! With a history of ‘do-gooding’ built into their DNA, Clover was proud to become a Certified B Corporation® in 2016 - meaning that we use business as a force for good by putting people and planet alongside profit.

Clover Sonoma is a proud equal-opportunity employer. We value and embrace diversity for the benefit of our employees, our consumers, our products, our community, and the planet. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace for everyone. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, age, religion, marital status, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.