Sr. Brand Manager

About the Team

It's no surprise people are passionate about the health and happiness of their pet and our Merchandising (buying) team is no different. When it comes to the products and solutions in our stores, our incredible teams of merchandising associates have everything covered – from head to tail! From keeping up with the top trends to developing new, innovative solutions, our buyers help ensure every pet parent can find exactly what their pet needs at PetSmart. Join our team and show your love for pets by creating products as special as pets themselves!

About the Location

Collaborative Work Environment:At PetSmart, teamwork and connection are core to how we thrive. This role is based at our Phoenix Home Office, with an expectation of working a minimum of four days in the office each week. In a standard work week, associates may work up to one remote “flex day” (with leader approval). Our hybrid approach is designed to foster strong collaboration while also supporting flexibility and individual success.

About the Job

The Senior Brand Manager is responsible for developing the overall direction and strategy including sales and margin for assigned Proprietary Brands and categories.  Core responsibilities will include both existing brand management as well as brand development from concept through launch including brand governance, product development, packaging development, online experience and in-store execution ensuring consistent execution of brand standards through the entire Customer journey. 

 

The Senior Brand Manager needs to be a strategic thinker with the ability to embrace change and foster new opportunities to grow the business.  This individual understands the customer, the category, the market and is up to date on product trend knowledge.  Makes customer-led recommendations to meet and exceed sales and margin targets.  Manages several diverse categories simultaneously. The Senior Brand Manager will collaborate with cross-functional teams including Sourcing, Process Management, Quality, Merchandising and Marketing to create the best Brand experiences for our Customers.  This manager is expected to be able to thrive in ambiguity while inspiring cross functional teams to deliver results with an overall optimistic and “can do” attitude.  This role leads a direct report.

 

Job Responsibilities

 

• Manages a portfolio of proprietary brands to deliver business objectives and meet consumer needs through a strong knowledge of the category, competitive landscape and future trends.
• Influences sales and margin targets for assigned categories. Actively manages the business and partners with merchants to deliver sales, margin and proprietary brand penetration goals.
• Leads cross functional team to define customer and brand opportunity, product specification and ensure product submission meets or exceeds consumer expectations. Develops assigned categories; stays abreast of category trends and market changes. Maintains knowledge of competition and applies information as necessary to grow sales and profit.
• Develops assigned brands and categories through brand management, new product development, reformulation and packaging ideas.
• Understands core brand tenets, including brand positioning and guardrails to deliver best quality product within brand standards. Continuous support of the brand architecture and ongoing monitoring of brand health to improve performance and positioning. 
• Understands the entire new product innovation cycle and how it affects consumer response to product performance.
• Steers end-to-end commercialization process ownership and management (direct and influenced). Follows processes that ensure owned brand participation is seamlessly integrated and aligned with relevant internal teams - merchant, sourcing, technical product development, etc.
• Analyzes sales and customer reviews to inform brand strategies and category and product decisions to drive compelling assortments
• Cultivates direct report(s) through continuous training and mentorship, setting obtainable performance goals, and providing clear communication and constructive feedback.

 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and at least 10 years of experience in Retail, preferably in Merchandising, Private Brands or Product Development
• A data-driven mindset with experience in category management and ability to leverage analysis to make business recommendations.
• Experience with creating growth strategies for assigned brands and categories.
• Experience developing and delivering presentations to various audience levels within an organization.
• A collaborative mindset and the ability to work with internal resources and external stakeho