Brand Manager

Come join the Tillamook Team, one of the fastest-growing dairy brands in the US, where we Play to Win to create over 200 dairy products in 7 different categories: cheese, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, butter, cream cheese and frozen meals. Our Uncompromising Quality has led us to become the #1 Cheddar, #2 Cream Cheese and #3 Family Size Ice Cream brand, but we’re not stopping there.

We’re loading up for our best years to come and want you to join us.

As a farmer-owned cooperative since 1909, we know that being Good Stewards for our stakeholders and doing a little extra always pays off. We’re looking for team members with a One Team and Genuine Care mindset who are inspired to share the delight of the Tillamook brand with each other and others every day.

The Brand Manager is responsible for leading the strategy on our established branded cheese business. This is a cross-functional role that requires excellent relationship building skills, presentations skills, and project management skills.

This role is responsible for leading the long range plan of our base portfolio across all segments for the Tillamook Cheese brand. This role will initiate and own base product improvements and line extensions as well as P&L stewardship. They will support field sales with category insights to help gain and maintain strong retail distribution relationships while also partnering with marketing and packaging design to bring base business initiatives to life on shelf and in consumer communication.

This role will partner with our Brand Manager on Cheese Innovation to ensure successful launch and ongoing market growth of new platform initiatives for the branded cheese business.

This role reports into the Director of Category Growth, Cheese.

• The internal champion of owned cheese segments at Tillamook; uphold the product and brand strategy, inspires internal teams with the product vision
• Oversee development of category strategy and objectives, while also implementing and reporting out on annual plans, tactics and budgets for product categories
• Define product segment strategies that grow the total cheese portfolio, including but not limited to identifying what products to offer, product positioning, pricing approach, packaging improvement
• Analyze consumer/customer/market trends and recommend corrective actions to meet or exceed annual sales and profit objectives
• Initiate research projects, working with Consumer Insights Manager to develop research scope, analysis information, and develop insights that drive strategic decisions on brands or products
• Know your product P&L, and work with cross-functional partners to set product pricing, analyze and set margin targets, and understand and communicate variances to profit
• Develop strategy briefs for new products, packaging, and communications.
• Participate in customer calls/market visits to continue momentum on base initiatives and to identify improvement opportunities to move the business forward
• Oversee packaging design projects that impact existing portfolio, working with packaging vendors and marketing communications
• Work with Vendor Relations to make sure projects stay on track
• Work with sales to form the merchandising strategy for current portfolio
• Manage SKU rationalization process
• Manage category scorecard reporting to organization
• Understanding of manufacturing, packaging, out-of-store marketing, in-store marketing, sales
• Demonstrate excellent communications skills, with experience in managing complex, cross-functional projects
• Demonstrate strong analytical and quantitative skills
• Utilize MS Office applications, especially Excel and Power Point

EDUCATION:

MBA or equivalent experience in food/beverage…