Brand Manager

Overview

Based in our Corporate Headquarters in Schaumburg, IL, Mizkan America is a subsidiary of the Mizkan Group, a global, family-owned company that has been Bringing Flavor to Life™ for almost 220 years. As one of the leading makers of vinegars, condiments, and sauces in the United States, Mizkan America maintains 12 manufacturing facilities that serve the retail, food service, specialty-Asian and food-ingredient trade channels.

We are committed to following our two core principles: continuously challenging the status quo and delivering only the finest products for our customers. Our leadership seeks out, embraces, and implements ideas for improvement from all of its employees. Transparency and accountability are two key factors that drive our company’s overall management approach.

We are looking for people who are seeking to deliver their best so that we can deliver ours. Above all, we’re dedicated to maximizing the potential of our greatest assets—our team members. That’s reflected in our ongoing commitment to recruit, develop, reward, and retain our talented, multicultural workforce. We hope to see you as part of our team’s future success!

COMMENTS:The Brand Manager will work for Mizkan America, Inc. at the Schaumburg location. This position will report to the Sr. Marketing Director. This job description reflects assignment of essential functions. It does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that the assignments.

The Brand Manager provides strategic leadership for the Bertolli pasta sauce portfolio and acts as the general manager of the business. This role is responsible for delivering net sales, operating income, share growth, and consumption targets while driving both brand equity and innovation. This role will lead the development and execution of the marketing and communications strategy supporting consistent growth and plan delivery while enhancing brand equity.

In addition, the position will be responsible for commercialization, project management, innovation, portfolio strategy, category management, communications and managing the Bertolli global license. A successful Brand Manager demonstrates strong leadership, partnership, strategic thinking, and alignment with Mizkan values, fostering a culture of collaboration and high performance.

Brand & Business Leadership

• Serve as the central point of coordination (“hub of the wheel”) for all brand ‑ related and cross ‑ functional activities that influence the 4
  
  Ps.
• Act as a business owner by developing and executing a comprehensive brand plan to achieve growth and profitability objectives.
• Refine brand positioning and consumer targets; ensure all activations and communications align with the brand strategy.
• Lead business analytics—consumption, gross sales, and marketing budget—providing insights and clear action plans.
• Manage syndicated data sources and prepare performance reports and analyses.
• Collaborate with Trade Marketing to define and support pricing strategies and guidelines.
• Partner with Sales to strengthen channel strategy and expand physical availability across retail channels.
• Maintain and evolve brand guidelines and masterbrand principles to ensure cohesive positioning across all licensed categories.
• Coach and mentor Associate Brand Manager(s) to support their development and performance.

Brand Marketing & Communications

• Lead the development and execution of consumer ‑ facing content and communications.
• Define, align, and track key brand performance metrics annually.
• Develop campaign platforms, write agency briefs, and lead the Integrated Marketing Team (IMT) from idea to activation.
• Establish campaign KPIs and performance measurement frameworks.
• Apply category and consumer insights to identify growth opportunities.
• Work with Connected Commerce to build and activate omni ‑ channel marketing plans — including retailer media, e ‑ commerce, and in ‑ store initiatives.
• Partner with Sales Planning to support trade development and execution.

Innovation, Renovation & Commercialization

• Lead development and execution of innovation and renovation strategies through cross ‑ functional collaboration.
• Partner with the…