Senior Manager, Brand Strategy & Innovation - Nathans Brand

Smithfield Foods•Smithfield, VA

21h•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Brand Strategy & Innovation will serve as the strategic business leader responsible for driving profitable growth, brand equity, innovation and commercialization across the Nathan’s Famous retail portfolio. This role will lead marketing strategy development with a keen focus on product innovation, packaging development, retail promotion, advertising and creative production, and brand partnerships to drive brand relevance, consideration and conversion. This role will lead the development and execution of annual and long-range brand plans, ensuring all initiatives are rooted in consumer insights, aligned with business objectives, and designed to win at retail. As a key member of the Marketing Team, you will work cross-functionally with Business Management, Sales, Finance, R&D, Supply Chain, Legal, Shopper Marketing and external agency partners to deliver breakthrough innovation, compelling consumer communications, and best-in-class commercial execution. Given the unique nature of the Nathan’s business, this role may also partner with Nathan’s licensing and franchise stakeholders to identify opportunities that leverage the iconic restaurant heritage of the brand, ensuring consistency and alignment across consumer touchpoints.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Marketing or related field and 8+ years of relevant experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience, required.
2+ years of demonstrated experience in team management/development or project leadership is required.
8+ years of progressive brand management or marketing experience within a CPG, Food Manufacturer or QSR / Restaurant organization.
Demonstrated success leading brands, innovation initiatives, and commercial business results.
Experience developing annual brand plans and long-range strategic growth plans.
Strong cross-functional leadership and influencing skills.
Proven ability to analyze complex business issues and develop actionable recommendations.
Experience managing and developing people.
Strong financial acumen and understanding of P&L management.
Excellent communication, presentation and storytelling skills.
B-B or B-C marketing experience with a food manufacturer, CPG company or agency.
Understanding of brand & associated product management disciplines, key marketing strategies, media and selling dynamics.
Familiar with Power BI, SAP and PMDM.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Power point and Excel, required.
Strong communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills required.
Superior project management and process improvement skills.
Ability to prioritize projects, organize resources and direct projects efficiently to produce high quality and quantity outputs that adds value to the company, required.
Ability to manage multiple projects at a time.
Ability to maintain a keen attention to detail, multitask and work well under pressure.
Ability to work well with others in fast paced, dynamic environment.
Ability to be respectful, approachable and team oriented while building strong working relationships and a positive work environment.
Ability to lift up to 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Experience in food, beverage or protein categories.
Experience working with licensed brands, franchise organizations, or restaurant-related businesses.
Experience leading innovation commercialization from concept through launch.

Responsibilities

Lead development of annual brand plans and long-range strategic growth initiatives that drive sustainable sales, profit and market share growth.
Own brand P&L performance and partner closely with Finance, Business Management and Sales to deliver business objectives.
Analyze category, consumer, customer and competitive trends to identify growth opportunities and business risks.
Establish clear brand positioning, strategic priorities and performance metrics that guide decision-making across the organization.
Present recommendations and business updates to senior leadership and business partners with confidence and influence.
Champion a consumer-first mindset across all aspects of the business.
Translate consumer insights, market trends and emerging food culture into actionable growth strategies.
Lead innovation pipeline development from ideation through commercialization, including new products, packaging, flavor platforms and brand experience.
Partner with R&D, Operations, Sales and Shopper teams to bring innovation concepts to market successfully, as well as to optimize / renovate existing products as needed.
Ensure innovation initiatives align with consumer needs, retailer priorities and financial objectives while protecting Nathan’s brand health and positioning.
Partner with Sales, Category Management, Shopper and Customer teams to develop compelling retail activation strategies.
Ensure brand plans translate effectively into customer selling stories, merchandising programs and retail execution.
Collaborate on customer presentations, retailer-specific opportunities, and commercialization plans.
Serve as steward of the Nathan’s brand, ensuring consistency across all consumer-facing touchpoints.
Collaborate with Nathan’s licensing partners and franchise stakeholders to identify opportunities that leverage restaurant equity and iconic brand heritage.
Partner with franchise and foodservice teams to understand restaurant operations, menu innovation, consumer trends and back-of-house considerations that may influence retail opportunities.
Evaluate opportunities to strengthen connections between the retail and restaurant experiences to drive brand growth.
Manage and develop direct reports, providing coaching, feedback and career development support.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
Lead efforts to modernize and elevate the Nathan’s brand with younger consumers while preserving and leveraging the brand’s iconic heritage, authenticity and restaurant equity.
Develop organizational capability by mentoring junior marketers and cross-functional team members.
Lead with a growth mindset and contribute positively to Smithfield Foods’ high-performance culture.
Work with leadership and agency partners to develop the annual marketing plan and create sales tools (imagery, videos, sell sheets, POS).
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure accurate, consistent product information and reduce errors.
Lead legal approval of materials and customized sales presentations.
Drive strategic initiatives in meetings with Business Management and Sales.
Enhanced understanding of P&L and its impact on marketing, while attending customer presentations to foster a customer-focused approach.
Lead development and execution of integrated marketing campaigns that build brand equity, drive consumer engagement and deliver measurable business results.
Develop annual communications strategies and consumer marketing plans aligned with brand objectives, growth initiatives, and key selling seasons.
Partner with internal and external agency teams to create breakthrough creative campaigns across paid, owned, earned and shopper marketing channels.
Manage agency relationships, including creative, media, public relations, social, experiential and influencer partners.
Oversee development of advertising assets, promotional programs, packaging communications, and content that reinforce the Nathan’s brand positioning and drive consumer consideration.
Collaborate with Sales and Shopper Marketing teams to develop customer-specific activation programs that translate brand strategy into retail execution.
Identify and manage potential partnerships to support brand growth.
Drives a positive employee experience through leadership by way of employee development and coaching.
Directly manages one or more marketing professionals, including Associate Brand Managers, Brand Managers, interns or other team members assigned.
Provides ongoing coaching, performance feedback, and career development support to direct reports.
Establishes clear objectives, priorities and development plans aligned with individual and business goals.
Conducts performance evaluations and supports talent planning, succession planning and organizational development initiatives.
Acts as a business leader for the Nathan’s brand, effectively influencing stakeholders at all levels of the organization and driving alignment across multiple functions to achieve strategic business objectives.