Associate Brand Manager, Health & Wellness Brands

Description

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT and CENTA) is a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the pet and lawn and garden supplies markets.  Our Pet Segment is searching for an Associate Brand Manager to join our pet Health & Wellness Business Unit (BU).  This BU offers products that support the general health and wellbeing of dogs and cats, with a portfolio of brands in the calming, supplements, and flea & tick categories.  The business is sold on e-commerce through retailers like Amazon and Chewy and has a significant presence in the Pet Specialty channel and at Walmart.  There is ample opportunity to extend the distribution footprint behind powerful collaboration with our sales and category management teams and to build insights-based selling strategies, inclusive of product and packaging innovation. 

Reporting to the General Manager, the Associate Brand Manager is accountable for the overall health and growth of the business. He/she sets the vision and strategy, identifies the biggest growth opportunities, prioritizes resources and investments, and aligns cross-functional partners around the plan.  As the hub of the wheel, the Associate Brand Manager will connect consumer, customer, financial, portfolio, and market perspectives to make the right trade-offs and deliver annual plans. 

This position will be based in our Phoenix corporate office. We operate in a hybrid work environment, working from the office four (4) day per week, to balance in-person collaboration, learning and team connection with workplace flexibility.

For additional information, please visit our website at www.central.com.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Business strategy & vision 

• Define brand vision, ambition, positioning, and strategic priorities  
• Develop annual and long-term brand strategy and growth plans  
• Identify and size growth opportunities across consumers, channels, customers, portfolio, and innovation

Business & financial ownership 

• Own overall brand P&L / financial performance and growth targets  
• Develop volume, revenue, pricing, and investment plans  
• Identify performance gaps and determine corrective actions  
• Optimize resource allocation across initiatives and channels  

S&OP & forecasting 

• Own the S&OP / demand planning process for the brand  
• Develop and maintain the brand forecast in partnership w/ Sales, Supply Chain, & Finance  
• Translate marketing plans, innovation, promotions, & market dynamics into demand implications  
• Identify and proactively manage supply/demand risks and opportunities  

Portfolio & innovation 

• Define portfolio strategy and role of each product/SKU  
• Identify innovation opportunities and prioritize pipeline  
• Set innovation strategy, target consumer, proposition, and business case  
• Ensure portfolio choices ladder back to the overall brand strategy  

Consumer, customer & market leadership 

• Own understanding of consumer, category, competitive, and customer dynamics  
• Translate insights into strategic opportunities and business actions  
• Set target audiences, consumer needs, and strategic occasions to prioritize  

Cross-functional leadership 

• Serve as the central connector across Marketing, Sales, eCommerce, R&D, Finance, Operations 
• Align the organization around priorities, objectives, and ways of working  
• Lead key business decisions and resolve cross-functional trade-offs  
• Communicate business strategy and performance to leadership  

Strategic direction for marketing 

• Define the marketing challenge, objectives, audience, positioning, and desired outcomes  
• Establish channel and communications priorities based on the business strategy  
• Brief Brand Marketing and other functional partners against the strategy  
• Evaluate whether marketing is delivering against the broader business objective 

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, finance, business management or a related scientific degree required; an advanced degree is desirable
• 3+ years of product management experience
• 1-3 years of sales experience
• Experience with EPA/FDA regulated products
• Strong project management skills and experience leading cross-functional teams
• Experience working with ad agencies
• Proficient in analyzing/leveraging Sales and Financial data and persuasively presenting findings
• Experience presenting to management and sales organizations
• Experience in sales, working with distributors and internal sales teams
• Strong organizational and time management/prioritization skills
• Strong communication skills; written, oral and formal presentation
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Self-motivator able to deliver satisfactory work under limited supervision

BENEFITS PACKAGE & EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS: 

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Free Life and Disability Insurance
• Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Variable incentive compensation based on individual & company performance
• 401k with 3% company match and annual employer discretionary contribution
• Paid vacation, holidays and sick time
• Employee Assistance Program
• Access to thousands of free online courses
• Discounts on cell phones, movie tickets, gym memberships, and more!
• Education Assistance (both college degrees and professional certifications)
• Referral Program with cash bonus
• Access to on-demand pay
• Paid parental leave

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a leading consumer goods company in the pet and garden industries. Guided by the belief that home is central to life, the Company's purpose is to proudly nurture happy and healthy homes. For over 45 years, its innovative and trusted solutions have helped lawns grow greener, gardens bloom bigger, pets live healthier, and communities grow stronger. Central is home to a diversified portfolio of market-leading brands including Amdro®, Aqueon®, Best Bully Sticks®, Cadet®, C&S®, Farnam®, Ferry-Morse®, Kaytee®, Nylabone®, Pennington®, Sevin® and Zoёcon®. With fiscal 2025 net sales of $3.1 billion, Central has strong manufacturing and logistics capabilities supported by a passionate, entrepreneurial growth culture. The Company is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, and employs over 6,000 people, primarily across North America. Visit www.central.com to learn more

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

#LI-CM1

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.