Brand Manager

Company Overview

Adams Group is a fifth-generation, family-owned company with over 100 years of history rooted in the B2B food ingredients industry. Known for our legacy of quality and innovation, we are now embracing a bold new chapter - our launch into the consumer retail space. With our first line of oil SKUs entering the retail market this year and ambitious plans for expansion, Adams Group is a "100-year-old startup" brimming with energy, purpose, and potential. We are a close-knit team of driven, sharp, and passionate professionals committed to doing whatever it takes to bring this vision to life. If you're scrappy, entrepreneurial, and energized by the challenge of building something from the ground up - without the red tape of corporate bureaucracy - this could be the perfect role for you.

Position Summary

Adams Group - a fifth-generation, vertically integrated food company crafting food with integrity from seed to shelf - is seeking a Brand Manager to lead brand and product strategy, marketing communications, and sales support for its B2B business across oils and grains. This position covers across all areas of marketing (brand strategy, marcomm, and innovation) and will function as a core partner to Sales, Operations, Sourcing, and Leadership in elevating the Adams B2B brand.

This role is responsible for defining where the Adams brand sits within the B2B ingredient ecosystem today, determining where it should optimally play, and executing the ongoing marketing communications required to professionalize and strengthen the Adams B2B presence. Innovation responsibilities will exist but will be lighter than in the consumer-focused Marianne’s role, allowing greater focus on the website, sales materials, tradeshows, digital marketing, and trade advertising.

This person will report to the Director of Brand Strategy & Innovation and work cross-functionally to ensure the Adams B2B brand shows up consistently, professionally, and competitively across B2B channels.

Brand Strategy

• Build and refine the Adams B2B brand strategy, identifying Adams’ current competitive position and defining its aspirational positioning across oils and grains.
• Lead development of Adams’ B2B value proposition, brand architecture, messaging pillars, and differentiation framework.
• Define the optimal role Adams should play within B2B ingredient categories and ensure alignment across commercial, marketing, and operations.
• Create category-specific messaging for oils (including organic lecithin, high-oleic oils, avocado oil, etc.) and grains (wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, etc.).
• Partner with Sales to ensure messaging is reflected in customer presentations, sell sheets, and digital presence.
  
  

Innovation

• Build the Adams B2B innovation roadmap, including new product formats, new certification types, packaging formats, and value-added ingredient solutions.
• Participate in the stage-gate process for B2B launches.
• Work with sourcing and agronomy partners to explore emerging opportunities in crop/seed innovation and how they translate into B2B product solutions.
• Leverage data (Datassential, SPINS, Mintel, and other B2B sources) to identify ingredient trends and customer needs across oils and grains.
• Work closely with operations, sourcing, and quality to assess feasibility, scalability, cost structures, and customer requirements.
  
  

Insights & Analytics

• Conduct routine competitive assessments across B2B ingredient suppliers
• Visit retail stores and industry exhibitions to monitor emerging ingredient and labeling trends and translate insights into B2B product opportunities.
• Prepare trend reports and opportunity briefs for leadership and cross-functional teams.
  
  

Marketing Communications

• Manage and update the Adams Group website, including content refreshes, product information, sustainability messaging, and B2B landing pages.
• Oversee Adams Group social presence (e.g., LinkedIn), ensuring consistent and professional representation of the brand and its capabilities.
• Develop all B2B sales enablement materials, including: sell sheets, technical one-pagers, category overview decks, customer- or segment-specific value propositions
• Support and execute trade advertising, including creative development, media placements, tradeshows, and coordination with agencies as needed
• Maintain a consistent Adams B2B brand identity across all touchpoints and materials.
• Partner with the Director of Marketing Communications as needed; Director of MarComm will continue to manage PR and higher-level strategic messaging.
  
  

Sales & Customer Partnership

• Serve as a strategic partner to the Sales organization, supporting customer meetings, co-developing presentations, and shaping customer-specific value propositions.
• Partner closely with Sales to gather ongoing feedback about customer needs, opportunities, and whitespace areas.
• Support new business development efforts by identifying high-potential categories and customer-facing innovation concepts.
  
  

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Work closely with operations, quality, and R&D to build product requirements, evaluate feasibility, and guide commercialization.
• Collaborate with sourcing and farming partners to explore emerging opportunities at the seed, crop, or varietal level (framed broadly and non-proprietarily).
• Ensure the Adams B2B brand and innovation agenda is aligned with commercial, operations, sourcing, and quality stakeholders.
  
  

Qualifications

Required Experience

• Bachelors Degree, MBA Optional
• 5 years of experience in brand management, innovation, or product marketing, preferably in the CPG or food & beverage industry.
• Demonstrated experience managing innovation projects from concept through launch.
• Hands-on experience with syndicated data tools such as SPINS or Nielsen.
  
  

Required Skills

• Intermediate to Advanced Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint Skills
• Strong project management skills with proven ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines.
• Familiarity with sales processes, customer-interfacing, and commercial dynamics in the B2B ingredient/food supply chain.
• Strong strategic and analytical thinker with the ability to define clear category and brand positions.
• Deep understanding of B2B ingredient markets and the ability to translate trends into actionable opportunities.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex information and build compelling B2B messaging.
• Highly collaborative working style with strong cross-functional influence.
• Strong project management skills and attention to detail; able to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, resourcefulness, and comfort operating in a fast-evolving business.
  
  

Food Safety Policy

Adams Group is committed to producing and distributing high quality products through adherence to industry and regulatory standards. As an Adams Group employee, you will be trained on our food safety policies and will be held accountable to adhering to them. You will be encouraged and required to notify supervision about actual or potential food safety issues. Everyone at Adams is involved in delivering safe food - within your scope of work you will be empowered to act to resolve food safety issues.