Sr. Manager, Marketing Analysis

El Pollo Loco Holdings•Costa Mesa, CA

27d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a strategic and data-driven Senior Manager, Marketing Analysis to lead sales forecasting and the evaluation of marketing, pricing, menu, and promotional performance across our business. This role will be responsible for developing insights that drive sales and profitability, inform executive decision-making, and shape our go-to-market strategies. You'll partner closely with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Operations to ensure we are making smart, customer-centered, and financially sound decisions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, Economics, Statistics, or related field
6+ years in marketing or business analytics, with 2-3 years in a managerial role.
Proven ability to develop financial models, forecast frameworks, and business cases that guide strategic decisions.
Demonstrated strength in executive storytelling: able to translate data into clear, compelling recommendations.
Experience leading and developing analytical teams; able to drive accountability and elevate capability.
Advanced proficiency in Excel/Sheets and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker, etc.); SQL or Python experience is a plus.
Strong problem-solving skills, intellectual curiosity, and an internal motivation to drive business growth through analytics.
Strong relationship builder with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.
Ability to work at the Support Center consistent with the hybrid work policy.
Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MBA or Master's in Analytics) preferred.
Experience in QSR, food & beverage, retail, or other consumer-facing industries preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic thought partner to Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, Operations, and external agencies, translating complex data into clear recommendations that drive brand, guest, and financial outcomes.
Lead the end-to-end analytical strategy to evaluate marketing effectiveness, media performance, pricing/discount strategies, menu architecture, product innovation, and guest behavior.
Develop robust data models, dashboards, and business cases that quantify ROI and optimize marketing campaigns, loyalty programs, CRM initiatives, and promotional activities.
Design and lead test-and-learn initiatives-including A/B tests and controlled pilots-to evaluate marketing, product, pricing, and menu strategies and accelerate organizational learning.
Assess topline sales, traffic, product mix, and guest segmentation utilizing internal and third-party tools to uncover growth opportunities and guide channel and campaign optimization.
Lead annual and quarterly planning cycles through advanced sales forecasting, target setting, and scenario modeling that guide investment decisions.
Partner with Consumer Insights to monitor industry trends, competitive dynamics, and consumer behavior to contextualize performance and inform brand strategy.
Build, maintain, and continuously refine advanced forecasting models that incorporate historical performance, market conditions, and external factors to improve accuracy and strategic planning.
Partner closely with IT team to strengthen data hygiene, ingestion, validation, and automation of reporting pipelines.
Build and maintain scalable dashboards and visualization tools that empower business users with timely, accurate, and actionable insights.
Lead, mentor, and develop analytics team-fostering a culture of curiosity, analytical rigor, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Synthesize complex data into clear, compelling narratives and present insights, strategies, and recommendations to senior leadership.