Trade Marketing Manager

Reporting to the Director of Marketing Operations, the Trade Marketing Manager position will on behalf of the marketing department, act as a liaison between the Marketing and Sales teams, helping to both drive traffic to our dispensaries, and provide account-based sales support, programs and promotions for both wholesale and retail sales teams. This role requires a dynamic, collaborative, and experienced trade marketer with a high level or organization, strong communication skills, a keen understanding of the retail environment and a growth mindset. The ideal candidate will be hungry to take on new challenges and join a fast-paced environment while having the opportunity to raise our game in implementing trailblazing retail marketing strategies.

Location: Remote with preference to candidates who reside in our states of operation: IL, MI, OH, PA, NJ, MA, MD and occasional travel to retail locations

Primary Responsibilities:

• Partner with Brand Marketing, Field Marketing, and Commercialization to ensure best-in-class state of readiness is achieved for all innovation launches. Oversee creation, enhancement, and dissemination of selling, educational, and training tools as part of the commercialization/GTM process.
• Manage trimester POS & swag program, core items, seasonal/campaigns, and one-offs. Manage and liaise with the POS/swag warehouse and designers, agencies, and suppliers to source and design items, ensuring on-time deliveries, accurate POS/swag allocations, and activation in market.
• Coordination of shipping, fulfillment, budgeting, and order planning in collaboration with wholesale and retail sales teams. Manage catalog of POS and swag items and develop and disseminate education/what good looks like via brand merchandising planograms.
• Manage brand marketing sales collateral and asset ecosystem in support of our sales teams (wholesale and retail). Maintain digital asset management system, updating and organizing content, and providing regular and ad hoc education to users.
• Execute the marketing seasonal retail & wholesale program calendar, including planning, briefing, asset development, and collaborating with the marketing team on integrated activation. Perform post-mortem analyses and identify improvements with the Marketing Analyst. Manage retail activation agency - briefing, planning and execution - to support promotions and couponing in owned Ascend stores and competitive dispensaries.
• Develop Customer marketing selling stories in support of launches and programs/initiatives. Build and execute customer specific programs that align with brand objectives to drive retail activities in support of the company's growth and profit objectives.
• Provide marketing based wholesale and retail sales education on assets, POS & swag, and programs in collaboration with internal Training & Development, Brand and Retail marketing teams.
• Support Retail team in creation of sellable branded merchandise at our dispensaries.
• Manage marketing communication to sales teams. Collaborate, run meetings, and manage projects with cross-functional partners within Marketing and across the organization including Compliance, Legal, Commercialization, Procurement, and more.
• POS and swag budget management.
• Monitor and track the success of retail marketing initiatives, sharing key learnings and best practices with the wider team. Monitor and analyze program performance metrics, optimize results, and drive ROI of spend.
• Travel: Market visits as needed to keep current on market trends and proactively make recommendations to optimize opportunities and mitigate threats.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• Minimum of Bachelor's degree - preferably in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.
• At least +7 years of Marketing experience, with 3+ years of experience specifically in Trade Marketing and/or category management
• Experience in CPG, cannabis, alcohol or tobacco will be an asset
• Proficiency in MS-Office with emphasis on Excel, PowerPoint, Word
• Strong project management and budget management skills; detail oriented / organized to ensure seamless program execution.
• Interest and passion for retail marketing, understanding of the full marketing mix.
• Ability to manage/work with multiple vendors and partners & stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, communicating updates effectively.
• Strong ability to influence cross-functionally.
• Ability to analyze data, draw insights and make strategic recommendations.
• Ability to translate consumer and sales insights and data into actionable marketing programs.
• Ability to effectively present programs to internal and external audiences (both large and small).
• Ability to work independently and as a part of a cross-functional team, in a fast-paced environment; must be a self-starter able to work well under pressure.

Company Overview

Ascend Wellness Holdings (AWH) is a vertically integrated cannabis cultivator, processor and provisioning center operator with assets in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We seek to foster a robust and inclusive cannabis industry through a premium, unmatched customer-focused retail experience. We are looking to build a world-class team that will help carry out our mission of helping to shape the future of cannabis as a leading healthcare solution. We are committed to improving the quality of our patient's lives by offering unrivaled quality, consistency and meticulously curated products that satisfy our customers unique, individual needs. When it comes to customer service experience, our dispensaries will set a new standard of excellence, emphasizing health and wellness by a highly knowledgeable team. A team that is committed to our values, our people, and our communities; we are looking for people who are inspired by our vision and stay dedicated to our mission as we continuously expand.

EEO Statement

Ascend Wellness Holdings, LLC and its subsidiaries is an equal opportunity employer and celebrate the population of differences and does not discriminate in its hiring / hiring practices, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Nothing in this job specification restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Critical features of this job are described under various headings above. They may be subject to change at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons. The above statements are strictly intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of employees in this position.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship.