The Senior Customer Marketing Manager role provides a significant opportunity for leadership and ownership as incumbent will be responsible for proactively identifying growth opportunities for current brands within identified key customers, leading the development of the company’s division marketing capabilities, and overseeing the shopper-level commercialization of new innovation within the portfolio, all in effort to guide the organization towards our Plan for Growth.

In the this role you will be accountable for guiding the strategic development and creative deployment of channel marketing programs for the entire branded portfolio through all channels and across all sales divisions- both those directly managed by the role (Canada and National Accounts), working to ensure outstanding execution in order to meet or exceed business objectives. Channel programs will utilize inputs ranging from brand strategy to commercial, shopper, and consumer insights.

Successful candidate will be passionate about retail, marketing, and digital initiatives that drive purchase behavior.  You will lead strategic shopper marketing planning and execution, drive brand strategy through our retail and wholesale partners, and influence the shopper along the omni-channel path to purchase. You will provide marketing and consumer expertise to customers to ensure development of integrated business plans to efficiently achieve volume, share, and profit objectives.  Your ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in this position will be key, as will be your comfort working cross functionally, with Brand Marketing, Sales, wholesaler partners and designated agencies.

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Planning: Lead the development of strategic integrated customer plans in line with brand priorities and customer calendars. Input into the annual brand and budget planning process, partnering with internal and external stakeholders including agencies to deliver breakthrough customer programs and initiatives
• Commercialization: Adapt national brand plans for region and customer-specific field marketing plans. Proactively leverage new technologies and capabilities to drive shopper engagement via digital, social, and ecommerce. Improve the brand experience in the customer environment based on solutions that integrate the physical and digital shelf. Prepare/Participate in division programming meetings and business reviews on an ongoing basis.
• Innovation: Provide input into portfolio innovation through ongoing customer insights. Lead the pitch, programming, and eventual roll out of all innovation for approved customers. Track customer execution and performance on innovation on an ongoing basis
• People Leadership: Oversee the development of Two (2) Division Marketing positions. Foster a success-oriented, positive, accountable, and collaborative environment.  Determine needed training and development plans
• Business and Financial Management: Responsible for the management of designated Trade Marketing expenditures across brands. Work with Analytics to measure and analyze sales impact, wholesaler execution and the profitability/ROI of marketing expenditures. Plan/Manage allocated resources for customer-specific programs
• Communication: Maintain constant and concise communication with Field Sales and Brand Marketing as it relates to ongoing projects and programs. Develop communications for upper management as needed pertaining to marketing updates, budget recaps, and program evaluations. Develop presentations for key internal and external meetings
• Stewardship: Be an ongoing ambassador for the company and its brands, and consistently support company values

Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or related field preferred; with 8+ years’ shopper- focused marketing experience in the food or beverage industry, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated results in trade programs with channel management.
• Project Management experience
• Experience managing agency partner relationships.
• Self-motivated with the ability and initiative to actively learn and adapt in a growing organization.
• Excellent verbal and written communications; exceptional interpersonal and collaborative skills; ability to work with “team first” approach.
• Strong analytical, communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Proficient computer skills including E-Mail, Spreadsheets, Word, PowerPoint, etc.

About Versique
Versique is a high-performance recruiting firm based in Minneapolis, MN specializing in interim solutions, direct hire, and executive leadership search. We believe people are the ultimate business advantage. Our experienced functional recruiting teams work within a variety of areas of expertise (HR, Finance & Accounting, Demand Generation, IT, and Engineering) and broad industries (Healthcare, Banking, Consumer Packaged Goods, Manufacturing, Private Equity, and Family-Owned). Voted as a “Star Tribune Best Places to Work” three years in a row by our employees, Versique is one of the largest and fastest growing staffing and recruiting firms in the Midwest. The Versique brand represents a powerful combination of “versatile” and “unique” as it hints at the concept of “search” in its pronunciation: ver-seek.

Versique is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse workforce. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status, among other factors.

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