Sr. Associate Brand Manager, Crackers Innovation

Mars • Chicago, IL

1d • $108,160 - $148,720 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Associate Brand Manager, focused on innovation, helps shape and deliver innovation for Cheez-It and heritage cracker brands including Club, Town House, Toasteds, Zesta, and Carr’s. The role leads line extensions and limited-time offers from ideation through launch, using internal and competitive data and insights to strengthen the innovation pipeline. Working across Marketing, Sales, Customer Marketing, and channel teams, the role aligns project partners, manages timelines and budgets, and identifies opportunities to maximize project success.

The position is office-based in Chicago, Illinois. It is suited to an analytical, action-oriented marketer with strong leadership skills who can manage complex projects and translate insights into clear recommendations. Mars describes its purpose-driven culture, diverse workforce, and learning and development support, including Mars University. The compensation package includes variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in a 401(k) plan, and paid time off. Mars does not sponsor visas for this role, and the position is not eligible for relocation benefits.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• At least 3 years of marketing work experience required.
• Previous experience with Nielsen.
• Strong oral, written, and listening communication skills, including the ability to give effective presentations to all levels of management.
• Solid commercial and financial business acumen to identify opportunity areas and craft viable, profitable projects.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including influencing without direct authority, resolving conflict, and creative problem solving.
• Proven analytical skills, including mining and analyzing data and developing clear, actionable conclusions and recommendations.
• Ability to manage complex projects; strong organization, prioritization, attention to detail, and oral and written communication.
• Initiative, an entrepreneurial approach, and the ability to move projects forward promptly.
• Resilient problem-solving skills and the ability to build consensus and find creative solutions and common ground.

Nice To Haves

• MBA preferred.
• Marketing experience in the CPG industry preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead cracker brand extensions from ideation through launch using the stage-gate process, aligning projects with business goals and managing timelines, budgets, and execution.
• Measure and report in-market innovation performance, translating results from prior launches into clear, actionable lessons.
• Manage day-to-day design budgets for the cracker brands.
• Help shape the crackers innovation pipeline by delivering data and insights for dig sites and recommending whether the pipeline is sufficient to meet business goals.
• Serve as the key liaison to the Multipack, Away From Home, and Convenience teams, driving alignment and collaboration across channels.
• Partner with Customer Marketing to engage Sales teams and support key customer conversations.

Benefits

• Industry-competitive salary and benefits package.
• Company bonus.
• Variable pay.
• Medical benefits.
• Dental benefits.
• Participation in a 401(k) plan.
• Paid time off.
• Learning and development support from day one, including access to Mars University.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level