Associate Brand Manager

Job Title: Associate Brand Manager

Reports to: Senior Associate Brand Manager

Location: Evanston, IL

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Ornua is undergoing explosive growth in North America. The Kerrygold business in North America is a powerhouse within Ornua, with an iconic and beloved brand and a highly-engaged, highly inclusive, and high-performing team that, together, have delivered double-digit, profitable growth on the business for the last twenty years.

In response to this growth, we are building the brand team for the future with the addition of expanded general management brand capabilities on the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Reporting to a senior associate brand manager, the associate brand manager will own or contribute to the delivery of several aspects of the Kerrygold business in North America on a growing brand team.

• Contribute to the development and deployment of the short-term and long-term brand strategy.
• Monitor business performance, translate data into opportunities or actions, and implement action plan on key metrics (market share, volume and revenue trends and drivers, competitive performance).
• Manage portfolio strategy and assortment optimization with clearly defined roles for each segment of the business.
• Support monthly demand review process, develop and manage driver-based business & forecast model with demand planning.
• Partner with sales team on customer marketing initiatives and building structure with new sales strategy team.
• Partner with NPD (innovation) team to guide innovation through development, customer sell-in, and lead new products through market launch with best in class support plans.
• Drive cost-saving and product renovation strategies and pipeline.
• Lead diverse cross-functional teams with multiple stakeholders, complex inputs, and time sensitive deadlines.

Desired Skills and Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required in a relevant discipline; MBA preferred
• 5+ years of experience (or combination of education and experience), experience in Consumer Goods (CPG)  
• Leads with curiousity
• Strong analytical mindset, ability to translate data into insights and actions
• Financial acumen, ability to navigate a P&L
• Comfort with ambiguity and operating in a growing and evolving organization
• Creative problem solver
• Experience working effectively on cross-functional teams in matrixed organization
• Proactive and action-oriented, sees opportunities to add value or optimize and takes action
• Strong project management skills and attention to detail
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including presenting to senior business leaders

Company Background:

Ornua is a leading dairy co-operative which sells premium dairy products globally on behalf of its Member Co-operatives, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. 

Ornua has revenues of €3.4 billion and is supported by a global team of approximately 2,800 employees. The Group operates as a commercial organisation across 10 business units, including 12 production facilities located in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. 

The commercial organisation is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Ireland’s most successful food export: Kerrygold. Consumer markets are served by production facilities in Ireland, Germany and the UK and by in-market Sales & Marketing Teams in Asia, Germany, Ireland, MEA, Poland, Spain, rest of Europe and North and Latin America. 

It also manages the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products, the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers globally, and the implementation of de-risking and trading strategies to manage market volatility. These activities are supported by production facilities and in-market teams in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. 

The Kerrygold business in North America is a powerhouse within Ornua, with an iconic and beloved brand and a highly-engaged, highly inclusive, and high-performing team that, together, have delivered double-digit, profitable growth on the business for the last twenty years.

Total Rewards at Ornua Foods North America will include a competitive salary and annual bonus scheme. The following are a list of other benefits you can avail of: low employee contribution for Medical, Vision and Dental benefits cover; 401k; Paid Time Off; Maternity Leave (20 weeks); Parental Leave; Flexible working; Fitness Reimbursement; Charity Donation; Complimentary Kerrygold products; Free car parking and secure bicycle storage; Free healthy snacks and drinks in the office; Reward & Recognition program; Volunteering opportunities; Service Anniversary Awards. The salary range for this role is $97,000 to $118,000 and the candidate will be offered a salary commensurate with their level of experience.

Ornua Foods North America Inc is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.