Director of Brand Management, Open Farm
CA$130-160k
2-5 days a week in office
Ethically sourced & humanely raised pet food
Be an early applicant
Ethically sourced & humanely raised pet food
101-200 employees
Be an early applicant
CA$130-160k
2-5 days a week in office
101-200 employees
Company mission
To empower pet parents with high quality nutrition for pets, crafted from humanely raised and sustainable sourced ingredients.
Role
Who you are
- You are an OMNI leader
- You set category direction and economics based on channel input, then work cross-functionally to brief and align every channel
- This is a builder and execution role: we need someone who creates frameworks from a blank page, not someone who adapts an existing playbook, and who can go deep into the weeds to make sure we execute with excellence
- 10+ years in CPG brand management, category management or general management, with at least 3 years leading people. Pet, food, or other premium consumer categories are preferred
- Proven management of a P&L (brand, category or business unit) with direct accountability for revenue and margin
- A track record of building category strategies, PPA, portfolio strategies and SKU optimization from scratch, and being able to describe the thinking, data and decisions you personally led
- Led GTM for multiple launches and tentpoles, across retail and DTC/e-commerce channels
- Strong marketing fundamentals across all 4Ps – true generalist, who can be flexible and also lean in on comms side
- Highly analytical and curious: you go to the data first, ask why, and are comfortable building your own models
- Able to build commercial models
- A generalist with strong marketing fundamentals across all 4Ps, someone who can be flexible between commercial and comms side of the brand
- Strong influence without authority. You lead cross-functional teams through alignment, not hierarchy
- Strong collaborator, with the ability to persuade and influence
- Clear communicator who can present to executives and simplify complexity
- Strong AI capabilities: able to build agents and automate analysis and workflows
- Is commercially driven and thinks like an owner of the business, not only the brand
- Builds from a blank page and creates frameworks others adopt
- Is an OMNI leader who naturally connects dots across channels and functions
- Is curious about the consumer, the shopper, the numbers and the competition
- Some who understands the role brand play in building the business and can lean on all brand fronts
- Someone who can roll up the sleeves to get things done, and who sees opportunities in every situation
What the job involves
- The Director of Brand Management is a commercial business owner and the vertical lead for the Brand Management function
- You own category management end to end: you set the category strategy, manage the P&L, shape the portfolio, and lead the go-to-market plans for tentpoles and innovation, working across distribution channels, Creative, Retail Marketing, Brand Marketing, Social, Creators and PR
- Own the category strategy: where the category is growing, where we play, where we win, and how we plan to grow share across channels
- Own pet-parent and shopper insights: segmentation, need states, category dynamics, competitor moves and shopper behavior by channel
- Translate insights into category strategy, claims, positioning and product briefs, and make sure they reach every channel team
- Partner with Sales and channel teams on category plans and joint business plans for each channel
- Manage the category P&L: net revenue, gross margin, activities ROI and marketing investment. Forecast, track and course-correct against plan
- Build and run the base business plan, including initiatives, renovations and in-year performance reviews
- Build the portfolio strategy and Price Pack Architecture from scratch across channels, with defined price ladders, pack-size roles and channel-specific assortments
- Set clear guardrails for decision making: what we launch, what we price, what we stop and what needs to be true
- Lead SKU rationalization and portfolio optimization with Supply Chain, Finance and Sales, using margin, velocity, complexity and incrementality data
- Set the renovation roadmap and manage the life-cycle of core platforms
- Lead the go-to-market for tentpole moments and innovation, from concept to launch and post-launch learning
- Ensure that the brand spirit is integrated, and that activations are pushing the envelope so that we can punch above the weight
- Collaborate with the Innovation team for smooth transitions, and align cross-functional teams across Sales channels, E-commerce, Finance, Creative and Marketing
- Define success metrics up front and report on them after launch
- Be the connecting point across Marketing, Creative, Retail Marketing, Social, Creators and PR. Write clear briefs and align on priorities and ways of working
- Build simple, repeatable planning and decision rhythms so channels move faster and in the same direction
- Lead and develop Brand Managers and build the Brand Management function as the business scales
- Partner with the VP of Marketing on structure, hiring and capability building
- What Success Looks Like
- Delivers against revenue and margin goals, and can clearly explain the drivers
- Builds frameworks and guardrails that teams use to make faster decisions
- Launches land on time and deliver on their business cases
- Cross-functional partners feel aligned, briefed and supported
- Understands the brand foundation and all the marketing levers we can pull, to create GTM plans and execution that exceed expectations
- You will have real ownership, a seat at the table, and the chance to design the commercial engine of a premium, mission-driven brand with a team that moves quickly and cares deeply
Our take
Much like humans, eating a balanced and nutritious diet is important to ensure a pet is happy and healthy. On top of this, owners are usually keen to purchase products that meet the same ethical and sustainability standards of goods they would buy for themselves - but big pet food brands often do not cater for any of these requirements.
Open Farm sells nutrition-focused pet food for dogs and cats at online and retail stores, with ingredients obtained from sources with excellent animal welfare standards and low carbon footprints. From its recipes to its packaging, the company displays a strong focus on ethics and environmental responsibility, and stands out for its transparency.
As consumer sentiment trends towards more conscious purchasing, there is a widening market for products such as Open Farm's. The company has been steadily growing its presence in the expanding pet food sector, and introduced an online carbon footprint tool that allows consumers to see the carbon footprint of all its products.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
26% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (1 round)
Jan 2021
$65m
GROWTH EQUITY VC
Total funding: $65m
Company benefits
- Health, Medical & Dental Benefits
- Wellness Days & Summer Hours
- Mental Health Support
- Wellness Stipend
- Slack Interest Groups
- Pet Feeding Program
- RRSP and 401(k)
- Hybrid & Remote Work
Company HQ
Little Italy, Toronto, ON
Leadership
Isaac Langleben
(Co-Founder & CEO)Experience as Investor and Board Member of Canada Pooch from 2011 to 2019. Co-founder and Board Member of Diggs Pet since 2016.
Jacqueline Prehogan
(Co-Founder & CBO)Experience as Senior Associate of PricewaterhouseCoopers and RSM Richter. Founder and CEO of Canada Pooch since 2011.
Salary benchmarks
We don't have enough data yet to provide salary benchmarks for this role.
Submit your salary to help other candidates with crowdsourced salary estimates.
Share this job
View 7 more jobs at Open Farm