Senior Brand Manager

Please note:
This role is located in Grand Rapids, MI.

The Senior Brand Manager is responsible for leading the development and execution of brand strategies that drive growth, strengthen brand equity, and build lasting consumer connections. This role combines strategic thinking, market research, and strong executional excellence, while ensuring alignment with business objectives and commercial priorities. Acting as the central steward of the brand (brief writer and brand strategist), the Senior Brand Manager collaborates closely with internal teams, external agencies, and key stakeholders to deliver breakthrough communications, innovation, and consumer engagement initiatives.

The position requires a deep understanding of the U.S. beer and beverage market, strong marketing expertise across digital and traditional channels, and proven experience in managing agencies and third parties to deliver measurable impact (from strategy to execution).

• Brand Strategy & Positioning
  • Define and refine the brand’s long‑term vision, positioning, and consumer value proposition.
  • Translate consumer insights and category trends into compelling strategies and activation plans.
  • Drive portfolio strategies to maximize relevance and competitiveness in the U.S. market.
  • Main KPIs:
    • YoY improvement in key equity metrics (e.g., Brand Awareness, Consideration, usage and promoter).
• Market Research & Insights
  • Work in market research projects to monitor consumer behavior, category dynamics, and competitor activity in collaboration with the Consumer Insights manager.
  • Leverage data and insights to inform decision‑making and optimize marketing strategies.
  • Partner with the insights team and research agencies to continuously track brand health.
  • Main KPIs:
    • Quarterly trackers delivered on time with action plans.
    • Develop and share at least two major insights reports per year delivered to leadership/commercial teams.
• Integrated Marketing Communications
  • Develop and oversee annual brand plans, ensuring consistent and effective communication across all consumer touchpoints.
  • Collaborate with creative, media, and PR agencies to produce impactful campaigns.
  • Lead digital and paid media strategies, optimizing investments to drive awareness, engagement, and conversion.
  • Ensure storytelling reflects brand values and resonates with U.S. consumers.
  • Main KPIs
    • Media Efficiency Metrics:
      • CPM, CPC, CPV improvements vs. previous year.
      • Increase in digital engagement rate by X%.
    • Content Performance: increase in organic engagement or improvement in social share of voice.
• Partnerships & Sponsor ships
  • Identify, negotiate, and manage strategic partnerships and sponsor ships that enhance brand relevance and consumer engagement.
  • Develop activation plans to bring partnerships to life across digital, on‑premise, and experiential channels.
  • Collaborate with event, media, and communications teams to maximize visibility and ROI from sponsorship investments.
  • Build long‑term relationships with key partners, influencers, and cultural organizations aligned with brand positioning.
• Analytics & Performance Tracking
  • Define KPIs and track performance of marketing initiatives, campaigns, and brand health metrics.
  • Use analytics to evaluate ROI and continuously improve marketing strategies.
  • Provide clear reporting to senior leadership, highlighting successes, learnings, and opportunities.
  • Main KPIs:
    • Reporting Accuracy & Timeliness: on‑time delivery of monthly/quarterly performance dashboards.
    • Brand KPI Dashboard Development:
      Maintain dynamic KPIs covering awareness → conversion funnel with quarterly updates.
    • Media, creative, or messaging testing and optimization when budget allocation allows us to run these researches.
• Budget Management & Optimization
  • Own and manage the annual brand marketing budget for Founders, ensuring efficient allocation across initiatives and channels.
  • Track spending, analyze performance, and recommend optimizations to maximize ROI.
  • Partner with finance and leadership teams to ensure transparency, accountability, and strategic resource deployment.
  • Continuously evaluate marketing investments to drive effectiveness and cost efficiencies.
  • Main KPIs
    • Budget…