Chief Marketing Officer

PetSafe Brands•Knoxville, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is an executive leadership role responsible for setting and executing the marketing vision and strategy. Reporting directly to the CEO, the CMO serves as the chief brand architect and growth catalyst — owning the strategies that drive brand equity, consumer engagement, and commercial results at scale. This leader provides executive oversight across four key functions: 1) Brand & Communications, 2) Creative Services, 3) Digital and 4) Marketing Insights & Analytics. The CMO serves as a critical member of the Executive Growth Team (EGT), partnering cross-functionally to integrate marketing into every dimension of the business strategy.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive marketing experience, with at least 5–7 years in a senior executive leadership role (VP or above) with P&L or enterprise budget responsibility.
Demonstrated success leading brand strategy, integrated marketing, and portfolio management in a consumer products environment; experience in the pet industry, adjacent specialty retail, or multi-brand consumer goods strongly preferred.
Proven ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing, multi-disciplinary marketing organizations across brand, creative, digital, and insights functions.
Track record of driving measurable brand equity growth and commercial results at scale, including new market entry, product launch, and retail partnership strategies.
Deep expertise in digital marketing, eCommerce, performance media, and the evolving retail media landscape (Amazon, PetSmart, Chewy, Walmart, DTC).
Strong executive presence with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization, including Board-level communication.
Proven experience managing and optimizing agency ecosystems, external creative partners, and media buying relationships.
Exceptional ability to leverage consumer research, market intelligence, and data analytics to inform and refine strategy.
Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.

Nice To Haves

experience in the pet industry, adjacent specialty retail, or multi-brand consumer goods strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the senior marketing voice on the Executive Growth Team, providing data-informed recommendations on brand investment, market positioning, consumer trends, and competitive landscape.
Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing, multi-disciplinary marketing organization, fostering a culture of creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Own the annual marketing budget, allocating resources with a focus on ROI, efficiency, and strategic impact.
Build and maintain strong relationships with external agency partners, vendors, and industry stakeholders to amplify the company’s marketing capabilities.
Oversee brand strategy ensuring distinct yet cohesive positioning and messaging that drives competitive differentiation.
Provide executive leadership and direction on PR, internal/external communications, and social media strategy.
Serve as the ultimate steward of brand equity - owning visual identity systems, tone of voice, and brand architecture across all consumer and trade expressions.
Lead the development of national and multi-brand campaigns, media strategy, and brand storytelling that build awareness, emotional connection, and loyalty with pet parents.
Own the brand narratives and reasons to believe across the portfolio — ensuring messaging is rooted in clear, differentiated points of view that resonate across channels, audiences, and retail environments.
Ensure the development of compelling, on-brand creative content and assets across all brands and all channels.
Champion a portfolio-wide creative vision that differentiates PetSafe Brands in the marketplace and resonates with diverse target audiences across product categories.
Establish and uphold creative standards and brand guidelines that enable consistency at scale while allowing for brand-level differentiation within the portfolio.
Provide executive oversight of digital marketing strategy, including performance media, paid social, SEO/SEM, and eCommerce content, ensuring brand integrity across all digital touchpoints.
Partner closely with the commercial teams to ensure brand campaigns, creative assets, and messaging are effectively translated into retailer-specific activations across Amazon, PetSmart, Chewy, Walmart, and direct-to-consumer channels.
Serve as the brand authority in joint planning with commercial teams, ensuring executional efforts at retail and online are grounded in consistent brand identity, narrative, and reason to believe across all brands.
Champion a data-driven marketing culture — establishing enterprise-wide KPIs and performance dashboards that translate consumer and market insights into actionable strategy.
Define and monitor key marketing performance metrics across all brands; leverage data to optimize spend, sharpen targeting, and improve campaign results continuously.
Own consumer research and market intelligence capabilities, ensuring the organization maintains a deep, current understanding of pet parent needs, competitive dynamics, and category trends.