Senior Brand Manager

Senior Brand Manager – Brand Growth & Innovation

Location: Elmwood Park, IL, USA | Work Model: Hybrid | Travel: 10–20%

A senior brand leadership opportunity focused on driving growth, innovation, and long-term brand strategy across a leading consumer products portfolio. This role will own strategic innovation planning, translate consumer insights into commercial opportunities, and lead cross-functional teams through the development and execution of new products and brand initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and lead a 3–5 year strategic innovation roadmap aligned with consumer needs, market trends, business priorities, and regulatory requirements.
• Build and manage a validated, consumer-driven innovation pipeline from concept development through commercialization.
• Partner with senior stakeholders to shape strategic business plans and establish long-term brand priorities.
• Develop and refine brand architecture, segmentation, demand spaces, positioning, and other foundational brand tools.
• Align brand strategy and innovation priorities across adjacent categories and broader business teams.
• Collaborate with global teams to scale successful innovation and establish consistent front-end development practices.
• Identify future capabilities required to strengthen category leadership and support sustainable growth.
• Own key commercial objectives, including net sales, operating profit, gross margin, and market share, with a strong understanding of P&L levers.
• Use distribution, pricing, shelving, and merchandising insights to optimize execution across channels and customers.
• Explore new business models, including commercialization of successful innovations, agile concept development, prototyping, and digital test-market approaches.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration across marketing, commercial, manufacturing, product development, technology, supply chain, and other business functions.
• Manage and influence agency partners on strategic, long-term brand and innovation initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related discipline; MBA or relevant Master’s degree preferred.
• 10 years of marketing and brand management experience, ideally within a consumer products or CPG environment.
• Strong experience in P&L management, brand strategy, innovation, and commercial execution.
• Demonstrated expertise in consumer insights, segmentation, target development, and brand positioning.
• Experience developing product innovation, renovation, commercial concepts, and strategic briefs.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and the ability to influence within a matrix organization.
• Experience leading external agency partners on complex, long-term initiatives.
• Strong strategic, analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Willingness to travel approximately 10–20% of the time.

Industry

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) | Brand Management | Marketing | Product Innovation

This is a senior-level opportunity for an experienced brand and innovation leader looking to shape long-term growth strategy, build consumer-led innovation pipelines, and influence major commercial initiatives within a global consumer products environment.