Global Brand Director

POSITION SUMMARY: The Global Brand Director will spearhead the growth and optimization of the brand's product portfolio. They will create, develop, and execute key marketing initiatives, as well as strategic brand marketing plans for assigned brands. This involves analyzing current brand performance and market conditions to identify risks and growth opportunities. KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Brand Strategy Lead annual brand strategy planning with the input of the senior leadership team; Develop annual plans that ensure long-term brand growth for assigned brands by analyzing product, category, consumer, and market dynamics. Plan will include strategies for product mix, product style, packaging, promotions, sales by channel forecasts, pricing, and positioning; Oversee all content and design aspects related to packaging; gather input and communicate changes in a timely manner to the production team; Oversee trade and consumer communications, including P.R. efforts, brand website development/updates and online marketing initiatives including social media, event listings, search engine marketing and other online marketing opportunities to promote business growth; Own and manage social media across all platforms; track KPI's, monthly reporting, influencer outreach and brand engagement; Create and curate content to be leveraged across all communication channels; In conjunction with the CTO and Social Media Manager / external agency, develop and implement web, social and digital media strategies. Manage brand spend within budget; Provide and create sales/distributor/broker brand presentation templates as needed Regularly monitor brand metrics (shipments, depletions distribution, velocity, channel mix) and prepare monthly executive summary of overall business performance trends, programming, P&L and key strategic and tactical issues; Work with Promotions Manager to develop chain or regional specific materials; Lead the development of brand marketing programs and initiatives in collaboration with Sales and outside vendors to achieve the brand's annual sales & profit targets, e.g. national/regional promotions and digital initiatives; Leads new product development and line extensions, partnering cross-functionally to implement package changes and product launches; Work closely with Production / Procurement Managers, attend press checks, help with label design changes/revisions; Participate or leads tasting meetings to understand and guide product strategy; Participate and present brand initiatives at annual sales meeting; Represent the brands at key trade and consumer events; Lead Vendor/Agency Management & Negotiation; Select and manage PR agency to develop and execute the brand PR plan; Work with COO to ensure pricing and compliance are up to date and relevant for each SKU; Be an ambassador for the brands (requires occasional travel and on and off-site support; Clearly articulate and link consumer communication strategy with in-market teams; Provide on-going brand development and communication strategy with brand partners, including agencies, distributors & outside equity partners; Work nimbly with ability to develop & adjust plans to meet fluid profit/growth objectives; Play a central role in monitoring adherence of brand guidelines and strategic direction to ensure the vision develops a clear brand/category position; Develop and evaluate local, national, and international market initiatives to assist in maintaining the brand's vision, while protecting brand image/equity; Maintain and effectively manage overall brand P&L. Brand Leadership Appoint & manage all agency partners to insure proper execution against plan; Ensure all brand, consumer, and trade communication strictly align with brand strategy; Lead the development, implementation and oversight of Brand Plans, POS development, training, sales materials, local tools, on-line strategy, sampling programs, field marketing, CRM initiatives, print media, PR, sponsorship / activation and ABL campaigns; Lead brand communications while sharing best practices, KPIs and learning's. Set up information reporting processes and review against plan; Plan and make recommendations for the allocation of A&P budgets and the deployment thereof to achieve overall profit delivery plan. Maintain fluency with the Sales and Product Development Teams on all new product initiatives to ensure they support brand strategy and proper portfolio management; Collaborate cross-functionally with C-Suite, Operation, Sales, E-Comm and Marketing teams to ensure that resource allocation is being deployed properly, that all KPIs are achieved and that all initiatives are in line with the brand strategy; Effectively support and communicate brand objectives, strategies and available resources to the field teams and that they have defined KPIs and reporting tools; Collaborate with the CEO, COO, CFO, CTO and Creative Director to develop and execute brand price structures within articulated retail objectives. Effectively translate the brand plans into local execution with KPIs and supporting budgets; Assume ultimate accountability for delivering company targets. Establish Clear Short and Long-Term Priorities with Sales & Marketing Teams Endorse quarterly sales plans that fully support annual sales targets. Drive ownership and accountability into sales partners and Distributor Managers- create a strong sense of ownership with distributor partners to ensure they are properly supporting the brand; Provide Sales, Marketing and Distributor teams with tools and resources to support the brand's growth objectives. Assist in Distributor Programming where needed- specifically in key markets; Develop reporting process and consolidate all brand execution reporting into a usable & actionable format to recommend any course correction and share with stakeholders Ensure brand team personnel are fully capable of presenting all brand key USP's in a consistent and effective manner. Market Execution Understand and provide input to both our Sales and Distributor partners to ensure they fully understand global brand strategy and acting as owners; Lead QBR's to evaluate territory and channel programming ensuring resources and brand budgets are going against the right opportunities; Engage in regular market visits to continually drive home local strategy, ensuring the brand is being represented and activated locally; Audit market activity through KPI's and monthly reporting- share local learnings with the greater team to leverage what is and isn't working, how A&P budgets are being deployed in each market; Proactively Provide Actionable Market Feedback Company-wide monthly reporting for all consumer facing personnel; Use objective KPI's to proactively review what is sticking with consumers in local markets; Solicit local team feedback on the brand's competitive set and what those brands are doing to resonate with target consumers. Key SIP Advisory Duties: Act as a category expert, bringing new and innovative opportunities to SIP; Participate in regular quarterly brand planning meetings for each portfolio brand; Present low cost, high quality, and international sourcing opportunities to SIP lead; Keep a pulse on consumer direction of both domestic and international markets by monitoring trends and identifying where SIP can capitalize on them; Provide input on supply-chain and sourcing solutions for all anticipated brand product launches as well as better alternatives to current product offerings. Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Management, or related field (MBA preferred). Minimum of five years brand management experience in alcohol beverage or related consumer packaged goods and knowledge of retail trade channels (on and off premise). Genuine passion for the adult beverage industry. Strong analytical and strategic skills that help lead to drawing insights through consumer research data and trend information. Strong business acumen, organizational and problem-solving skills. Ability to lead agencies in creating consumer and retail programs. Good understanding of effective social media communication and how to drive engagement with consideration for brand voice and tone. Excellent writing, presentation, and communication skills. Ability to focus on multiple tasks and deadlines and effectively prioritize and manage them, while maintaining a high level of attention to detail. Positive and enthusiastic attitude exhibiting leadership qualities that bring out the best in those they work with. Takes initiative and possesses entrepreneurial drive for success. Proficient in MS Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel); Experience launching new brands and line extensions; Effective project management skills: ability to plan, organize, and follow through on a variety of projects; ability to expertly execute all aspects of the job on-time, within budget. The above information is representative of the work performed in this position; however, it is not all- inclusive. The omission of a specific duty or responsibility does not exclude it from the position if the work is similar or related to the essential duties and responsibilities. Other tasks may be assigned as needed. posted through a third party for ZipRecruiter, Indeed & Glassdoor.