Sr. Brand Director, Kerrygold

Ornua•Evanston, IL

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director of Brand Marketing leads brand marketing and innovation for Ornua Foods North America, with Kerrygold at the center of the portfolio. Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, Americas, the role is accountable for brand strategy, portfolio performance, innovation priorities, and brand and portfolio P&L results, including revenue, margin, market share, growth, and brand equity. The leader sets annual and long-range growth plans, directs marketing and innovation investment, and manages Brand Marketing and Innovation leaders and their teams. In partnership with Sales, Finance, Insights, R&D, Supply Chain, PMO, category and customer teams, agencies, and global partners, the role aligns priorities and resources and ensures brand plans and innovation deliver measurable business outcomes. The position also develops the go-to-market approach for expansion in Latin America and adapts global marketing and innovation resources to U.S. market needs. The role is based in Evanston, Illinois, with a hybrid working arrangement: three days per week in the office and a two-week-per-year Work From Anywhere option. The policy supports flexible hours. Domestic and international travel of up to 20% is required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.
At least 12 years of progressive CPG brand management, marketing, innovation, or commercial leadership experience, including substantive responsibility across brand marketing and innovation.
At least five years of people leadership, including leading managers or functional leaders and developing multidisciplinary teams.
Demonstrated accountability for brand, category, or portfolio P&L performance, with a record of growing sales, improving profitability, and building brand equity.
Proven success taking consumer-led innovation from strategy through commercialization and delivering integrated brand plans for consumer products sold through U.S. retail channels.
Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives and influencing executive stakeholders in a matrix organization.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 20%.
Authorization to work for any employer in the United States.
Strategic and commercial judgment connecting consumer needs and brand equity to profitable growth, including making portfolio and investment choices.
Fluency in consumer-led innovation methods, including Design Thinking, concept testing, and disciplined new product development, with a strong understanding of the U.S. retail environment.
Strong financial and analytical capability across P&L management, business cases, margin, forecasting, and ROI; ability to use syndicated data, research, and performance analytics.
Executive communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
Ability to lead through other leaders, set direction amid ambiguity, and build a collaborative culture with high performance, learning, and accountability.
Passion for high-quality food and brands, and judgment in balancing U.S. opportunities, brand integrity, and wider Ornua Group priorities.

Nice To Haves

MBA or other relevant advanced degree.
Food and beverage experience, particularly in dairy or premium consumer brands.
Experience leading across multiple categories or channels and adapting global brand and innovation platforms for the U.S. market.
Experience strengthening team capabilities, innovation governance, and marketing effectiveness in a growing business.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement comprehensive brand strategies to achieve annual and long-range business objectives.
Lead annual brand planning and support long-range portfolio planning, translating business priorities into growth roadmaps, resource choices, and measurable action plans.
Analyze category, shopper, consumer, customer, and competitive information to identify trends, unmet needs, and profitable growth opportunities.
Develop and execute portfolio strategy, including product mix, innovation priorities, lifecycle management, packaging, assortment, and renovation.
Align brand strategy with distribution, customer, channel, and expansion priorities in partnership with Sales and commercial teams.
Develop the Latin America go-to-market expansion playbook, including prioritization and sequencing of initiatives.
Own brand performance across revenue, margin, market share, growth objectives, and overall business health.
Lead pricing, packaging, promotional, and assortment strategy with Finance, Sales, Category Management, and Customer teams.
Lead go-to-market planning and sell-in of new products with PMO, Marketing, Sales, Category, Finance, and Supply Chain; define success measures and adjust tactics as needed.
Manage brand budgets, marketing investments, and resource allocation to maximize ROI and business impact.
Establish and monitor business, brand, consumer, and marketing-effectiveness metrics; build dashboards, reporting, and governance routines and provide performance updates to senior leadership.
Manage innovation priorities, pipeline investments, and budgets, and monitor innovation and portfolio performance against success criteria.
Adapt and reuse OFA and global marketing resources for Latin America brand awareness, commercial and retail materials, innovation, and social and digital support.
Develop a consumer-insight-driven innovation strategy aligned with consumer needs, market dynamics, competition, brand priorities, and financial objectives.
Lead innovation from strategy and concept development through commercialization, including product design, channel strategy, pricing, packaging, forecasting, and launch execution.
Collaborate with the Global Innovation Team to prioritize, scale, and localize innovation for U.S. market needs.
Direct stage-gate governance and investment decisions, assessing strategic fit, opportunity, demand, competition, sales potential, profitability, risk, resources, and timing.
Partner cross-functionally to move innovation concepts from insight through commercialization with clear ownership and strong execution.
Provide innovation support for key customers and translate customer and market needs into growth opportunities.
Work with internal and external stakeholders—including Sales, Finance, R&D, Supply Chain, Category/Insights, PMO, agencies, and executives—to align priorities and deliver initiatives.
Lead, coach, mentor, and develop direct reports and broader team members; strengthen team capabilities and build a collaborative, high-performance culture.
Create processes, systems, and performance measures that improve execution, prioritization, and accountability.
Lead executive communications and manage stakeholders across OFNA and the wider Ornua Group.