Sr Director, Brand and Shopper Marketing

Working cross-functionally with Innovation, Sales, Finance, Operations, eCommerce, and Communications, this leader connects brand strategy to marketplace execution, ensuring Elmhurst delivers a compelling consumer experience and sustainable business results. This leader serves as the steward of the Elmhurst brand, overseeing brand strategy, portfolio management, consumer insights, shopper marketing, and product commercialization to drive long-term profitable growth.

About Elmhurst

Elmhurst 1925 is a plant-based food and beverage company built on a legacy of innovation and a commitment to delivering high-quality, clean-label products. As we scale, our focus is on building a durable brand, innovative products, and business that delivers profitable growth, strong consumer connection, and long-term value. We are an entrepreneurial, fast-moving organization looking for individuals who are curious, accountable, and motivated to build.

About the Role

This leader serves as the steward of the Elmhurst brand, overseeing brand strategy, portfolio management, consumer insights, shopper marketing, and product commercialization to drive long-term profitable growth. This role is responsible for defining the brand's strategic direction, translating consumer and shopper insights into actionable portfolio and commercialization strategies, and ensuring consistent execution from innovation through retail activation. Working cross-functionally with Innovation, Sales, Finance, Operations, eCommerce, and Communications, this leader connects brand strategy to marketplace execution, ensuring Elmhurst delivers a compelling consumer experience and sustainable business results.

What You Will Do

Brand Strategy & Positioning

• Own brand architecture, positioning, messaging hierarchy, and strategic direction 
• Develop, manage, and codify brand guidelines across the organization 
• Ensure consistency of brand expression across all consumer touchpoints, including retail, digital, eCommerce, social, and shopper environments 
• Lead development and optimization of brand claims, messaging frameworks, and communication territories 
• Partner with Consumer Insights to identify opportunities, monitor brand health, and inform strategy 
• Ensure all brand initiatives align with business objectives and target consumer needs

Portfolio Strategy & Renovation

• Lead portfolio strategy and product prioritization efforts 
• Develop renovation roadmap in partnership with Innovation, Sales, and Finance 
• Brief and guide Innovation team on consumer, category, and brand opportunities 
• Partner on product development, packaging, commercialization, and go-to-market plans 
• Own commercialization readiness across Marketing in partnership with Sales, eCommerce, Operations, and Innovation 
• Ensure portfolio investments are aligned with growth opportunities and strategic priorities

Consumer Insights & Research

• Own the consumer insights agenda and annual learning plan 
• Lead development and management of qualitative and quantitative research programs 
• Translate research findings into actionable business recommendations 
• Identify emerging consumer trends, category shifts, and whitespace opportunities 
• Champion consumer-centric decision making across the organization

Shopper Marketing & Retail Activation

• Define shopper marketing strategy across channels, customers, and retailers 
• Develop retailer-specific programming to drive trial, velocity, and household penetration 
• Partner with Sales on Joint Business Planning (JBP), customer presentations, and sell-in strategies 
• Collaborate with Sales, Finance, and eCommerce to develop pricing, promotion, and retail media strategies 
• Ensure alignment between brand strategy and retail execution 
• Lead development of shopper toolkits, merchandising programs, and retail activation plans

Planning, Performance & Resource Management

• Support annual brand planning, goal development, and budget allocation 
• Manage relevant agency relationships, scopes of work, and performance expectations 
• Monitor and report on brand health, portfolio performance, and business impact 
• Identify growth opportunities and optimization priorities across brand and shopper initiatives 
• Foster a high-performance, accountable culture across internal teams and external partners

Team & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead and develop Brand, Product Portfolio, Shopper Marketing, and Consumer Insights capabilities 
• Partner closely with: 
• Communications & Creative
• eCommerce & Performance 
• Innovation 
• Sales 
• Finance 
• Operations 
• Agency Partners
• Executive Leadership 
• Align brand and shopper strategies with company growth objectives 
• Build strong cross-functional processes that improve speed, quality, and execution

What You Bring

·       Deep passion for building brands, creating consumer demand, and driving profitable growth 

·       Strong product management and portfolio strategy capabilities, including pipeline development, SKU rationalization, and lifecycle management 

·       Deep understanding of shopper marketing, retail activation, pricing, promotion, and customer-specific programming that drives trial, velocity, and repeat purchase 

·       Proven ability to translate consumer, shopper, and category insights into compelling brand, innovation, and commercialization strategies 

·       Strong understanding of how different communication channels contribute to distinct business objectives—from awareness and consideration to conversion, loyalty, and advocacy 

·       Ability to balance long-term brand building with short-term commercial performance and growth 

·       Data-driven decision maker with strong commercial acumen and experience leveraging research, analytics, and performance data to guide investment decisions 

·       Curiosity and enthusiasm for leveraging AI-enabled tools, workflows, and insights to improve marketing effectiveness, accelerate speed-to-market, and increase organizational productivity 

·       Exceptional communicator and influencer with the ability to align diverse stakeholders around a common vision and strategy 

·       Proven people leader who builds high-performing teams, develops talent, and fosters a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement 

·       Comfortable navigating ambiguity, challenging conventional thinking, and leading transformational change in a fast-paced growth environment

Salary Range: 180 - 220k

Brand:
Elmhurst 1925

Requirements:

Qualifications

·       Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Product Development, Innovation, Communications, or related field required; MBA preferred 

·       12+ years of progressive, integrated experience across Brand Marketing, Product/Portfolio Management,  Shopper Marketing, Innovation, and/or General Management roles 

·       Proven success operating within both large-scale organizations and entrepreneurial growth environments, with the ability to balance strategic rigor and agility

·       Proven track record of building, scaling, and revitalizing consumer brands within CPG; beverage experience preferred

·       Demonstrated success leading portfolio strategy, pipeline development, SKU rationalization, and commercialization success

·       Background in consumer insights, research, and brand health measurement, with the ability to translate learning into business actions

·       Strong understanding of retail dynamics, pricing, promotion, and shopper marketing 

·       Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, forecasts, resource allocation, and business performance KPIs

·       Experience leading integrated marketing campaigns across paid, owned, earned, and shopper channels 

·       Experience developing and managing external agencies and strategic partner relationships

·       Proven success building, leading, and developing high-performing teams within cross-functional organizations

Success Looks Like

·       Clear, differentiated brand positioning and consistent execution across all touchpoints 

·       Stronger brand health, household penetration, and velocities 

·       Optimized portfolio focused on growth, profitability, and strategic priorities 

·       Effective commercialization and launch execution across innovation initiatives 

·       Integrated communications and shopper programs that drive measurable business results 

·       High-performing agencies, partners, and internal teams aligned against shared objectives 

·       A scalable brand and shopper marketing engine that supports long-term profitable growth