Brand Manager

The Opportunity:

As a Brand Manager, you’ll be an integral member of the Brand Marketing team, responsible for the progress and performance of our brands. The ideal candidate will bring strong consumer/shopper orientation, well-rounded business acumen and the capability to develop & execute world-class communications that propel Maple Leaf brands to new heights.

Any MLF team member interested in being considered for this role are encouraged to apply online by January 30. Applications received beyond that date are not guaranteed consideration.

Reason for vacancy:
Existing Headcount
Compensation: $94,000 - $141,000 CAD base pay annually plus annual short-term incentive Snapshot of a Day-in-the-Life:

• Manage the growth of Maple Leaf brands throughout the country, including defining and delivering on progress for critical brand metrics (brand share, net promoter score) and influencing their sales growth alongside key stakeholders
• You will own brand outcomes, not activities, setting a few, material targets (share, penetration, margin mix) and deploying resources against the 20% of initiatives that drive 80% of impact
• Develop & execute demand creation strategies and tactics both in and out of store. This includes the brand marketing plans that support share, sales and profit progression across multiple categories and channels. Liaise with category marketing teams to ensure clear understanding of category needs to deliver against plans and help overcome purchase barriers and challenges.
• Partner with creative and media agencies to develop cohesive, impactful and measurable consumer experiences that get noticed and drive business performance, while collaborating with all key internal stakeholders for alignment. As the leader, you will guard and grow distinctive brand assets to build mental availability and remove friction at-shelf to build physical availability.
• Coaching and developing marketing associates through radical candor and clear development planning
• Understand brand analytics (Nielsen, shipments, communications KPIs) to synthesize key insights and measure ROI and effectiveness of marketing programs to inform recommendations for the brands moving forward
• Develop & manage annual ad & promo budgets, including monthly forecasting and reconciling, ensuring optimization in all channels throughout the year. Allocate investment by ROI and strategic priority; kill low-impact work fast to protect capacity for the few big bets.
• Provide overarching brand stewardship across all channels (i.e. standards, packaging, executional mandatories, communication campaigns, in-store displays etc.)
• Execute sponsorship deals, inclusive of digital and on-site activations and various partnership assets to deliver maximum value

What You’ll Bring :

• Bachelor’s Degree plus track record of results within a CPG environment.
• Must be proactive and performance driven, have a bias for action and be able to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience managing a large complex business with a proven success in market (ideally withing CPG/brand management).
• A strong team player, mentor and coach to direct reports & cross-functional team members with well-developed “people interaction” skill set.
• The ability to adapt easily to changing market dynamics.
• Competency requirements:
  • Commercial Acumen, Budget Planning & P&L Management – Fluent in P&L levers, pricing/promo trade-offs, media effectiveness, budget management and portfolio strategy.
  • Business Understanding and Insights - Demonstrates the ability to understand and draw conclusions from internal & external data sources with the ability to build, track, and course correct business plans to achieve targets.
  • Brand Reviews & Plans – Leads the annual brand reviews & planning process assessing current business. Plans include objectives and strategies for each opportunity, brand investment levels, volume/consumption builds, risk analysis, and an integrated marketing calendar.
  • Sales Knowledge & Connectivity - Demonstrates understanding of customer strategies and motivations and applies to marketing planning process & initiative execution.
  • Strategic Leadership - Demonstrates big picture thinking…