The Brand Manager should be adept at connecting strategy and artistry — combining sharp analytical skills with the ability to translate product knowledge into dealer support and brand messaging.
Brand Strategy & Stewardship
- P&L ownership, oversight, and engagement for overall brand success.
- Own the positioning, identity, and tone of voice for multiple brands across all B2B and B2C channels — shaping and maintaining compelling brand stories.
- Develop and implement market introduction plans, messaging, and brand launch, relaunch, and refresh initiatives.
- Champion brand visibility across markets and internal teams.
- Partner with Sales to support territory growth and assist in advancing or closing key opportunities.
Market & Dealer Engagement
- Actively participate in dealer visits, trainings, demos, and promotional efforts — both in person and virtually.
- Provide competitive insights, product positioning, and deal & promotional enabling tools.
- Identify high-potential dealer opportunities, drive growth, and help close business.
- Conduct ongoing research with educators, dealers, and end-users to inform strategy and messaging.
- Lead school bid processes, rental program strategies, and other education-market initiatives.
- Represent brands at trade shows, educator conferences, and dealer events.
Product Management
- Guide development and launch of new or revitalized product lines aligned with brand strategy, market positioning, and profitability goals.
- Audit product lines for gaps, overlap, and improvement opportunities.
- Establish product line structure, naming conventions, and positioning frameworks.
- Collaborate with internal luthiers, supply chain, and vendors as needed to maintain accurate specifications, pricing, and quality standards.
- Support refinement of existing offerings based on dealer feedback and market needs.
- Manage product lifecycle from SKU rationalization to new model introductions to ongoing assessment.
- Maintain internal systems and processes related to product and brand development, launches, and lifecycle updates.
Brand Operations
- Drive budget planning, margin targets, and pricing alignment, while supporting inventory forecasting for each brand.
- Manage SKU architecture processes, ensuring consistent structure, lifecycle timing, and clean internal system documentation across product lines.
- Coordinate with Supply Chain and Inventory teams on availability, demand planning, and vendor timelines to support sales opportunities.
- Collaborate with Marketing on brand-level initiatives, campaigns, and content that reflect accurate positioning and support revenue targets.
Qualifications & Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in business or marketing
- 8-12 years of Experience: Product or brand management, strong organizational and communication skills, plus a background in strings performance or pedagogy.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Travel up to 25%
- Base plus incentive