Brand Manager, Keebler Fudge

.

Job Location: Chicago, IL

 

All Ferrero North America corporate offices operate on a hybrid model with 2 days working from home/3 days working in the office. This role will be based in our corporate office in Chicago, IL.

 

Company Description:

 

Ferrero is a family-owned company with a truly progressive and global outlook and iconic brands such as Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Raffaello®, Kinder Bueno® and Kinder Surprise®. As the love for our brands continues to grow, so too does our global reach. Represented in more than 50 countries, with products sold in more than 170, the Ferrero Group is loved by generations around the world. The secret to our global success? 38,767  dedicated employees who celebrate care and quality to craft a business, careers and brands we are proud of. Join us, and you could be one of them.

 

About the Role:

 

We are looking for a dynamic and intellectually curious Brand Manager for the E.L. Fudge and Chips Deluxe sub-brands, which are part of the Keebler Fudge Portfolio. In this role, you will help build and execute the vision for leadership within the cookies category in the US and execute plans for innovation in the short and long-term. You will manage the day- to-day operations of the sub-brands, lead the cross-functional team in delivering the financial plan, product renovations and innovations and work with our agency partners and internal partners to develop and execute integrated marketing communications plans from in-store to digital & social executions. The Brand Manager will report to the Senior Brand Manager of the Keebler Fudge Portfolio and will have high-level visibility within the organization.

 

Main Responsibilities:

 

Business and Brand Analysis, Monitoring and Reporting 

• Provide in-depth market, competitive and brand analysis to assist in formulating brand strategy 
• Analyze business and brand results to ensure strategies are working and objectives are being realized, recommending course correction where relevant
• Maintain an understanding of the competitive environment to assess impact on business
• Prepare and create engaging, meaningful and persuasive presentations
• Own and actively manage brand marketing budget 

 

 

Product Management

• Lead qualitative and quantitative market research briefing through to interpreting results and making recommendations for innovation and renovation 
• Lead innovation development with cross-functional team from concept to opportunity assessment through launch within our internal stage gate process
• Partner with Finance to ensure profitability with innovation
• Work closely with Category Management and Trade Marketing to develop compelling sell-in stories/toolkits to ensure customer acceptance of innovation

 

 

Brand Equity, Communications Planning and Execution

• Lead agency partners in creative and asset development and execution of consumer and shopper activation
• Ensure coherency across all consumer and shopper touchpoints to drive cohesive and impactful messaging and trademark consistency in all communications
• Participate in brand planning and overall communication planning with interagency team
• Set and track KPIs, offering recommendations for optimization of plans/assets

 

 

Cross-functional Leadership and Self-Management

• Inter-departmental engagement with Shopper Marketing, Trade marketing, eComm, Sales, Supply Chain, Finance and Legal to assist in the planning and execution of new initiatives
• Efficiently manage relations with third party vendors (i.e.: graphic design agencies, research agencies, etc.), obtaining required output while minimizing costs
• Comfortable with presenting in front of senior management

 

Who we are looking for:

 

• Bachelor’s degree is required; MBA is a plus
• 3-5 years of experience in consumer-packaged goods brand marketing
• Solid experience working with syndicated databases, i.e., IRI, ACNielsen 
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects within scheduled timelines
• Solid project management skills from planning stage to execution and final assessment in order to achieve brand objectives and goals 
• Well-versed in Budget Management, Forecasting and P&L management 
• Understanding of nuances of food, drug, mass, club and e-commerce classes of trade

 

How to be successful in the role and at Ferrero:

 

Consumers, quality and care are at the heart of everything we do. So, to be successful at Ferrero, you’ll need to be just as consumer and product centric as we are - dedicated to crafting brilliant results for con