Brand Manager

Are you a marketer who doesn’t just follow trends—but creates them? Our client Chocolove is looking for a Brand Manager reporting to the VP of Marketing.

Who Chocolove is:

Chocolove was started in 1995 in Boulder, CO with the goal of creating the freshest, best-tasting, European-style premium chocolate made with natural ingredients. Today, Chocolove is a recognized leader in chocolate quality, sustainability and flavor innovation and focuses on creating world-class taste experiences that surprise and delight with every bite. Chocolove offers chocolate bars, mini bars, cups, bites, and seasonal items in more than 40 flavors. Chocolove is made with traceable cocoa beans; Rainforest Alliance Certified, meaning Chocolove’s sourcing practices support a better future for cocoa farmers and their families; and Non-GMO Project Verified. The Chocolove brand is nationally distributed in over 10,000 stores across natural/specialty and conventional retailers as well as sold online in, including on Chocolove.com, Amazon, and more. For more information, visit Chocolove.com.

What You Will Do:

The Brand Manager will help build and execute the Marketing vision for Chocolove in the US with a focus on driving growth, enhancing brand equity, and growing household penetration. Your responsibilities will span from consumer insight generation and concept ideation to product development, packaging design, business case development, and advertising. In this role, you will need to work cross functionally and will often lead through influence and impact. You will help drive sustainable growth by building marketing plans, creative executions, and consumer activations to win the hearts and minds of consumers.

Responsibilities:

• Brand Planning: Develop and execute consumer-relevant, actionable marketing plans that contribute to sales growth, brand health, and profit objectives for the Chocolove brand.
• Research: Leverage research (historical, secondary) and propose new primary research in support of key initiatives. Identify and turn consumer/brand insights into actionable programs that have a beneficial impact on the growth of the business.
• Business Analytics: Responsible for monthly brand performance reporting including POS, Panel, and internal Sales performance.
• Portfolio Management & New Product Development: Propose and lead the development of new products that support the Marketing strategy. Develop go-to-market strategies for launches.
• Collaboration: Build strong collaborative relationships with partners, agencies and cross-functional team members to manage & execute projects.
• Budget Management: Accountable for managing a portion of the marketing budget, ensuring all spending is in line with plan.
• Presentations: Develop and present compelling presentations to sell ideas, gain alignment with others including senior leadership, and provide important business updates.
• Content: Oversee the development and management of marketing content for customer data platforms such as Syndigo, IX-ONE, and other retailer content portals.

Who You Are:

You are a driven, strategic well-rounded brand manager with a passion for the CPG industry. You have experience growing brands, identifying growth opportunities, and gaining alignment to execute against a strategic growth plan. You balance your strong creative skills with a highly analytical approach to planning and measuring performance. You gather consumer insights through quantitative and qualitative market research and translate them into creative marketing initiatives. You are highly entrepreneurial, thrive on collaboration, and able to navigate an organization without a lot of formal processes in place. You are willing to roll up your sleeves and be both a leader and team player.

Qualifications & Experience

• BA/BS in business, marketing, or a related field (MBA preferred).
• 3+ years of Marketing experience preferably as an Associate or Assistant Brand Manager with a track record of successful brand development.
• 2+ years of new product development experience.
• Marketing passion - enthusiasm for consumer marketing, culture, new product ideas and trends.
• Strong knowledge of marketing vehicles, marketing fundamentals, and how brands grow.
• Strong analytical and technical skills; comfortable with syndicated data (Nielsen, IRI, etc.…).
• Excellent project management skills including proven ability to lead cross-functional teams to project completion.
• Demonstrated leadership skills - ability to inspire teams by forging strong relationships and commanding the respect/trust of others.
• Problem Solver / Solution-driven.
• Inherently innovative & collaborative and prioritizes resourcefulness over resources.
• A strong communicator, able to brief others clearly on what is needed.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong business writing and presentation skills.
• P&L understanding and strong financial acumen.
• Propensity to move with speed/agility, fueled by an ownership mindset and strong time management skills.
• CPG food & beverage industry experience a plus.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Salary range of $120-145k plus bonus potential
• Final compensation will be dependent upon skills & experience.
• After 60 days of employment, Full-time employees are eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance, short & long term disability insurance
• Paid time off, paid holidays
• 401(k) program, and other great benefits

Office & Travel Requirements:

• This is a hybrid in-office role in Chicago, IL.
• Must be able to travel to Boulder, CO roughly one week per month.

This job description is not intended to detail every aspect of the job or list every task to be performed. It is provided as a general overview of the responsibilities and skills an employee should possess to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Chocolove is committed to an environment that values and supports all individuals. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, marital status, military or protected veteran status, genetics, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Individual salaries that are offered to a candidate are determined after consideration of numerous factors including internal equity, market data, the candidate’s qualifications- including but not limited to specialty skills, prior relevant industry experience, relevant degrees or certifications. The salary range estimate below is inclusive of all departments, and offered salaries may vary within the given range between departments. A reasonable estimate of the base salary range for this level is $120,000 - $145,000 annualized and other competitive benefits.

From: Miller Cooper