JOB SUMMARY
The Marketing Manager makes meaningful contributions to Marketing, Sales and Company objectives by providing leadership and support for multiple projects with a focus on Core Products and an emphasis on branding, product promotion, new product launches, category management, CRM and digital messaging management. This position requires an individual who can creatively and efficiently manage all aspects of the marketing strategy for the company as detailed below.
DESCRIPTION OF SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
This position does not currently have supervisory responsibilities.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
The Marketing Manager will be responsible for strategic input and execution in all aspects specific to marketing efforts for the company’s Core Products and especially involved with these key areas.
35% Product & Category Management (Specific to Core Products)
Daily:
- Researching and developing product innovation strategies to drive category growth in multiple channels including multi-unit, independent, K-12, C&U, healthcare, military and vending
- Monitoring existing product sales and developing business plans for sku rationalization
Weekly:
- Develop and maintain competitive profiles including strengths, weaknesses, strategies, technical capabilities, product portfolios, marketing initiatives and pricing. Monitor their activities to identify changes in strategies and develop strategies for the company to take advantage of perceived weaknesses to enhance our market position.
- Oversee the execution of marketing and category plans and activities
Monthly/As needed:
- Contributing to maintaining the high standards of quality of products by actively working with R&D and Quality Assurance to evaluate any proposed product or packaging changes and their effects on existing quality and consumer marketing strategies
- Lead product projections in order to ensure that the strategic direction of a product is in line with overall company goals and objectives
- Conduct market research
- Identify trends in the marketplace when suggesting new products or product enhancements
- Review change to the marketplace and industry and adjust marketing plan accordingly
- Develop marketing/category strategy and key initiatives to deliver objectives
- Align Marketing, Sales, R&D and Operations behind plans
- Lead category planning process; facilitate key stakeholder participation and buy-in
- Develop consumer and customer insights as related to category
- Use data analysis to increase organizational understanding of key drivers of business performance and make fact-based decisions
- Gauge product performance with monthly analysis and action plan for key products
- Act as the group marketing representative for the obsolete inventory management group – quarterly review and disposition action
- Update/create all existing Core Product POS
- Manage Custom POS program
25% Marketing & Brand Management (Specific to Core Products)
Daily:
- Executing tactics that support the annual marketing plan with regard to new product development, positioning, messaging, sales training
- Recommend and develop campaigns and promotions across channels to drive growth with core customer base
- Direct all aspects of assigned agencies’ or vendors’ efforts on research specific to core business
Weekly:
None specified
Monthly/As needed:
- Measure effectiveness of tactical execution by developing ROI models against all spend initiatives
- Continually analyze company market share vs. competition
- Develop brand awareness initiatives by market to meet company mind share goals
- Create effective messaging by segment for core product group
- Continually update core products website with product changes, new recipes and additional category support information
- Create point of sale communication, promotional tool and advertising
- Partner with R&D, sales, operations, purchasing and finance departments to ensure marketing plans and products support organizational goals of core business growth
- Develop annual marketing plan that supports the growth of core business
25% Sales Support
Daily:
- Be accessible for support for all product category needs
Weekly:
None specified
Monthly/As needed:
- Communicate core product initiatives to company internal sales and the broker community
- Develop and deliver customer-specific presentations; highlighting the company’s strengths, resources, technologies, category, segment, brand knowledge; and tailoring innovative new solutions to assist the customer in growing their business
- Develop custom POS for specific multi-unit core customers an distributors
- Identify business trends and up-to-date information to support key efforts and recommendations to the sales team
- Provide sales team with pull strategies and the tactics to successfully execute against those strategies including relevant, proactive, business-building tactics
- Develop and present content at the semi-annual sales meeting
- Attend bi-monthly sales conference calls
20% Digital Media Management
Monthly:
- Overseeing Core Products on company website including site content, recipes, product pages, etc.
- Execute all digital messaging developed encompassing core product messaging
- Actively manage core product social media initiatives
- Strategizing on CRM continued development
SECONDARY JOB FUNCTIONS include the following. Other Duties may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the secondary job functions.
Project Management on New Product Development initiatives, new marketing initiatives and other corporate initiatives.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIESwhich may be representative but not all inclusive of those commonly associated with this position.
EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE an equivalent combination of education, training and experience will be considered.
- A Bachelor's degree is required. MBA strongly preferred
- A minimum of 5-6 years of related experience expected with a track record of proven success in a leading food manufacturer. Experience should include prior leadership roles in foodservice marketing
- Ethnic foodservice experience desired
- Proven experience interacting with both internal and external customers
- Experience working with field sales teams
- Strong teamwork and collaboration skills
- Customer orientation with good understanding of foodservice business
- Demonstrated success in leading people and teams
- Ability to work autonomously, prioritize and meet deadlines within specified time constraints
- Excellent oral and written communications skills
- Ability to travel (up to 20%), domestically
LICENSING/CERTIFICATION REQUIRED: None although Driver’s License preferred
SPECIAL TRAINING REQUIRED: Demonstrated success in and/or training obtained for team and project leadership
COMPETENCIES to perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:
LANGUAGE ABILITY: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers. Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format. Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.
MATH ABILITY: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
REASONING ABILITY: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
COMPUTER SKILLS: Proficiency is required in programs including all Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word). Experience in Gimp and/or Photoshop, is helpful.
EQUIPMENT SKILLS: Laptop operation
BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS:
- Aptitude for project management, particularly in leading dynamic, cross-functional teams with focus and diplomacy
- Meticulous follow-through
- Reliable business sense
- Passion
- Ability to collaborate
- Ability to multitask
- A high sense of urgency
- Excellent communication skills, particularly in facilitating communication that delivers profitable results
- Ability to stay on task and meet deadlines appropriately
- Strong level of organization
- Ability to prioritize
- Foresight and ability to think ahead of the next step
DECISION MAKING:
This position will be required to make the following decisions:
- Product expansion and sku rationalization
- Segment strategies
- Product messaging
- Cost spending recommendations
This position will need approval from the Director of Marketing to make the following decisions:
- Broker programs
- Price changes
- Formula changes to existing skus
LEADERSHIP:
- Act as the product expert for internal and external staff
- Direct cross functional teams
CONFIDENTIALITY:
- Product Management: Formulas, ingredient statements, line spec information
- Public Relations: Factory capacity/functional capabilities i.e. run rates/product production information (related to articles)
- Budget Management: Dollars spent ytd, projections for the coming year
PHYSICAL ABILITIES commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Regularly: sitting, talking, hearing, Repetitive wrist, hand and/or finger movement,
- Frequently: Feeling objects
- Occasionally: Grasping, pushing, standing, walking, climbing or balancing
- Rarely: driving, Stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling,
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include:
- Clarity of vision at 20 inches or less.
- Precise hand-eye coordination.
- Ability to identify and distinguish colors.
- The level of attention that is usually required during a typical workday in order to accomplish the essential duties of this position is: concentrated attention
WORK ENVIRONMENTenvironmental or atmospheric conditions commonly associated with the performance of the functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is:
- Rarely subjected to: Subject to oils (mechanical or food), work near moving mechanical parts, extreme cold (non-weather)
- The noise level in the work environment is: Loud (office is above manufacturing facility)
