Brand Manager

Marussia Beverages USA•Columbus, OH

15h•Onsite

About The Position

The Brand Manager brings Watershed Distillery’s brand strategy to life across touchpoints, building consumer affinity and profitable growth through planning, execution, and a strong Homeplace experience. Reporting to the Head of Brand, this hands-on role leads day-to-day brand activity and the Watershed brand home, including the distillery, tours, bottle shop, and events. The Brand Manager translates brand strategy into campaigns and programs, manages agencies and creative delivery, partners with Sales, and leads the Distillery Experience Manager. The role also supports Watershed’s next stage of growth.

Requirements

At least 3 years of experience in the beverage alcohol industry, with working knowledge of the three-tier system and distributor partnerships.
5 to 7 years in brand or marketing roles, including experience owning brand plans and budgets.
Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, communications, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Experience managing agencies and leading integrated campaigns.
Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
Ability to travel to markets and attend occasional evening and weekend events.

Nice To Haves

Hospitality, experiential marketing, or brand home experience.
Experience launching new products, packages, or brand refreshes.
On-premise channel experience with bars and restaurants.
Knowledge of TTB labeling and alcohol advertising compliance requirements.

Responsibilities

Build and deliver the annual Watershed brand plan and maintain a marketing calendar that coordinates launches, seasonal moments, partnerships, Homeplace events, and in-market programs.
Manage campaigns, storytelling, and content across consumer, trade, digital, social, and PR channels; brief agencies and guide work from brief through launch.
Maintain Watershed brand guidelines and serve as day-to-day steward of the brand voice and identity.
Lead the Distillery Experience Manager in delivering brand-aligned tours, tastings, events, and bottle shop programming that delight visitors and contribute to revenue.
Develop local partnerships, sponsorships, and community initiatives that strengthen Watershed’s place in the community.
Partner with Sales to develop programs that drive distribution, velocity, trial, and repeat purchase and can be executed by distributor and field teams.
Manage the brand marketing budget and track performance against the brand P&L owned by the Head of Brand; report on brand health, campaign effectiveness, and return on investment.
Conduct post-mortems on major campaigns and launches.
Support the Head of Brand on new products, packaging, and limited releases, managing projects from brief to launch.
Conduct regular market visits with Sales, distributors, and retailers; analyze consumer, competitive, and market insights.
Track budgets and KPIs, prepare QBR materials, and review marketing materials for brand-guideline, TTB, and advertising-code compliance.