Brand Manager - Private Label, Grease, and Speciality

Valvoline Global•Lexington, KY

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

Why Valvoline Global Operations? At Valvoline Global Operations, we’re proud to be The Original Motor Oil, but we’ve never rested on being first. Founded in 1866, we introduced the world’s first branded motor oil, staking our claim as a pioneer in the automotive and industrial solutions industry. Today, as an affiliate of Aramco, one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies, we are driven by innovation and committed to creating sustainable solutions for a better future. With a global presence, we develop future-ready products and provide best-in-class services for our partners around the world. For us, originality isn’t just about where we began; it’s about where we’re headed and how we’ll lead the way. We are originality in motion. Our corporate values—Care, Integrity, Passion, Unity, and Excellence—are at the heart of everything we do. These values define how we operate, how we treat one another, and how we engage with our partners, customers, and the communities we serve. At Valvoline Global, we are united in our commitment to: • Treating everyone with care.• Acting with unwavering integrity.• Striving for excellence in all endeavors.• Delivering on our commitments with passion.• Collaborating as one unified team. When you join Valvoline Global, you’ll become part of a culture that celebrates creativity, innovation, and excellence. Together, we’re shaping the future of automotive and industrial solutions. Valvoline Global Operations Headquarters is located in Lexington, KY. We prefer local candidates willing to work an in-office work schedule (3 days per week). This position offers a full relocation package for non-local candidates. How You’ll Make An Impact The Brand Manager, for Private Label, Grease, and Specialty is responsible for leading Valvoline North America’s private label strategy and implementation across NAPA and additional distributor accounts. This role owns development, commercialization, pricing, and lifecycle management of private label product portfolios, ensuring competitiveness, profitability, and strong customer partnerships. This leader works closely with Product Strategy on the initiative master plan and collaborates with Category Management and Analytics to shape pricing and promotional strategies. Due to the importance of private label in this role, experience managing or supporting private label products—ideally in the automotive aftermarket—is highly valuable. The Brand Manager also directly leads our growing, branded Grease business. Additionally, this role directly manages an Associate Brand Manager responsible for branded Transmission Fluids and Gear Oils, where we maintain strong #1 category leadership, and a fast-growing Antifreeze business.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
4+ years of experience in brand management, private label marketing, or product marketing.
Experience managing private label products—preferably in the automotive aftermarket—or private label experience in any consumer category is highly preferred.
People management experience.
Strong strategic and commercial thinking.
Process and detail-oriented.
Experience with pricing and category analysis.
Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
Excellent communication and project management skills.

Nice To Haves

MBA preferred.
Background in CPG, specialty retail, and distributor channels is preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the marketing lead for NAPA private label and distributor customers, delivering business reviews, line reviews, and strategic recommendations in conjunction with Sales.
Translate customer requirements, category trends, and competitive insights into product recommendations and category storytelling.
Lead the private label strategy for NAPA and other distributor customers, ensuring competitive and profitable product offerings.
Contribute to innovation, product and portfolio development, SKU architecture, with the Product Strategy team, leading new items through the stage gate process into commercialization.
Analyze and assess the feasibility, attractiveness, and strategic fit of bidding on new private label business opportunities, including competitive benchmarking, capability assessment, and financial implications.
Partner with Sales on joint business planning, customer negotiations, and program execution to hit annual financial targets.
Partner with Category Management and Analytics, Pricing, and the Trade Marketing team to develop pricing strategies, promotional frameworks, and competitive assessments.
Develop the annual category strategy for Grease, including portfolio positioning, pricing direction, promotional strategy.
Analyze category, customer, and marketplace performance trends to identify opportunities for assortment optimization, innovation, and demand creation.
Partner with Sales to support customer-specific category presentations, line reviews, and recommendations that drive distribution gains and incremental growth.
Collaborate with Supply Chain, Product Strategy, and Finance to ensure forecasting accuracy, margin performance, and operational readiness for new or updated Grease SKUs.
Manage and develop one Associate Brand Manager leading Transmission Fluids, Gear Oil, and Antifreeze.
Provide coaching and strategic direction to hit annual financial targets.
Own additional customer meetings and content development as needed by the business.