Senior Manager, Brand Experience & Activations

At Birkenstock, our business is a reflection of who we are. We have a passion for our products, an appreciation of their heritage and a genuine belief in their benefits. Our business is a reflection of what we represent - quality products that are comfortable, unique, timeless and respectful of the world around us.  Our mission is to deliver happiness and satisfaction.

To provide quality products and services, we need quality people. We are looking for talented people who share our values of accountability, responsiveness, excellence, teamwork, respect, integrity and a positive attitude.

JOB TITLE:                                          Senior Manager, Brand Experience & Activations

LOCATION:                                         SF Bay Area/NYC/LA

REPORTS TO:                                    Lead Director, PR & Special Projects

TYPE:                                                    Exempt

SALARY:                                              $120k - $130k

Note: Relocation and any associated costs are the sole responsibility of the person hired for this position.           

THE ROLE 

BIRKENSTOCK is seeking a Senior Manager, Brand Experience & Activations to join the team and help shape how the brand comes to life across the United States, translating brand strategy into distinctive, culturally relevant experiences that deepen consumer connection and drive business impact.

Sitting at the intersection of brand strategy, culture and execution, this role will develop the experiential strategy and deliver experiences that translate BIRKENSTOCK’s brand values into meaningful real-world moments — from retail openings and consumer activations to cultural programming, partnerships and special projects.

We are looking for someone who can move fluidly between big-picture thinking and hands-on execution. Someone who understands not only how to produce an event, but how to build a brand experience: What story are we telling? Why should BIRKENSTOCK show up here? How should it feel? And what does it take to bring that vision to life?

This person will partner closely with the department lead to translate brand strategy and creative direction into actionable plans, independently lead priority initiatives and workstreams and bring greater strategic structure, measurement and scalability to a growing area of the business. This is an individual contributor role with significant cross-function and external partner leadership.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead brand experiences and activations end-to-end, thinking holistically about the consumer experience – from concept, programming and storytelling through planning, execution, on-site management and post-event reporting
• Maintain a strong pulse on culture across fashion, art, design, food, music, wellness and sport, identifying relevant opportunities and communities for BIRKENSTOCK to show up in ways that feel authentic and distinctly its own
• Manage experiences including retail openings and programming, consumer activations, community events, VIP and media experiences, partnerships and special projects
• Translate creative and creative direction into actional experiential plans, balancing ambition, brand integrity, consumer impact and operational realities.
• Lead on-the-ground execution while managing multiple activations and workstreams across markets, timelines and stakeholders
• Serve as a connective force across Retail, Creative, Communications, Social, Digital, Merchandising and other teams, creating alignment around plans, responsibilities and deliverables
• Manage experiential agencies, producers, fabricators, vendors and external partners from briefing and scoping through execution
• Own project budgets, scopes, timelines and estimates
• Develop systems, frameworks and ways of working that create greater consistency, efficiency and scalability across the experiential program
• Establish objectives and KPIs for experiential initiatives and evaluate performance against them
• Develop clear, compelling recaps and presentations that communicate plans, performance, learnings and recommendations to senior leadership and global stakeholders
• Ensure experiential initiatives consistently reflect Birkenstock’s brand strategy, identity, values and point of view while allowing for relevant cultural and market expression.
• Partner with Creative and Brand leadership to shape experiential concepts and establish clear creative and brand principles for execution.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 7+ years of experience in experiential marketing, brand experience or activations, ideally within a leading consumer brand and/or agency
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, high-touch brand experiences from concept through execution
• Strong strategic and creative instincts, cultural intuition and a discerning point of view on how physical experiences contribute to broader brand storytelling
• Exceptional project-management and operational skills, with experience managing multiple workstreams, budgets and external partners
• Strong cross-functional communication skills and the ability to create alignment and influence across teams
• Excellent written, verbal and visual communication skills, including the ability to develop clear, executive-ready presentations
• Experience building processes and frameworks and an analytical mindset for measuring performance
• Resourcefulness, sound judgment and the ability to anticipate problems, identify solutions and make decisions as conditions change
• A collaborative, low-ego approach and willingness to be hands-on when the work requires it

TRAVEL & WORKING EXPECTATIONS

Frequent travel is an essential part of this position.

BIRKENSTOCK experiences happen across the United States, and this role requires being physically present where the work is happening. Candidates should expect regular domestic travel and frequent evening, and weekend work tied to events, activations and key brand moments.

This is a meaningful part of the role, not an occasional requirement. The right person will be energized by traveling to markets, working on the ground with partners and teams, and seeing experiences through to live execution.

The position is otherwise remote, with access to BIRKENSTOCK offices depending on the employee’s location.

BIRKENSTOCK USA, LP IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.