Sr Director, Brand and Shopper Marketing

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 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
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-scalex 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

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