The Brand Manager role will primarily be responsible for managing the relationship of partner and white label brands to support and service their needs related to manufacturing, distribution, sales, marketing, machinery, procurement of raw materials, packaging, contracts, compliance, and general branding duties as assigned by VP of Distribution and Sales from time to time. The employee in this role must be a creative, analytical thinker with the ability to appropriately shift priorities, communicate effectively with others, and produce a high volume of quality work under a dynamic and fast paced environment. This employee will have a large degree of autonomy and needs to be able to prioritize and communicate with a variety of departments in the company to serve white label related needs.
Brand Manager Essential Functions:
Develop, implement and execute strategic marketing plans for brands
Attract potential customers and retain existing through brand and product support
Manage and coordinate marketing and creative staff (social media interaction, demo day interaction)
Lead surveys and market research to understand the competitive environment/landscape
Uncover opportunities through and with the sales manager and sales team
Liaison to brands directly
Determine budgets and targets to achieve results
Develop pricing strategies for products
Profitability manager
Clear communication with suppliers/brands as direct filter
Brand Manager Gross Profit
Price Structures
Initiating price and/or managing increases
Lowering/limiting the % of Profit from DA (depletion allowance, “sale”)
Manage A/R of your suppliers (Billbacks)
Distru Gross Profit reconciliation
Brand Manager Inventory Management
Understand Brand: (projections, spikes, plans, lead, and cycle times)
Constantly know and manage overstocks
Become familiar with your items and know their trends
Floor Stock Adjustments (if anything was misplaced)
Pricing
DA Calendar (if one; ie 420, etc.)
Pricing worksheets (allocate time)
Buy-In-Guide- monthly “specials”
Closeouts
Chain account pricing info
Deadlines
Contests/Quotas
Sales meeting General
Beginning of month newsletters
New Item Set Ups
Sales $$ projections
Your calendar
Print Shop
Communication and Collaboration
Working through and with Office Personnel
Be ahead of schedule
Realize others have various responsibilities and pressures
Field sales manager Communication
E-Mails
Presentations at MGR Meetings
Sales Force Communication & Follow up
E-mails & follow up reminders
Sales Meeting Presentations
P.O.S. and Sales information (all types) needed
Limited availability/allocations
Supplier Meetings & Management
Manage them or else they manage you”
Conference Room reservations
Preparation (ask for agenda in advance)
A/R Statement
Anticipate questions/issues
Comments/behavior “say less,….listen more”
Set time limits
Organize your days when you have scheduled meetings
Allow yourself recap and follow up time
Set parameters for In-Store tastings
Manage Suppliers by: Follow up, Service, Managing Relationships
Contests
Self-initiated – Don’t wait for supplier
Well planned, creative, but simple
New Item Management
Supplier Appointments
Set-ups (timely) w/price structure
Suggest order with reasoning
Supplier expectations/DA Calendar
Pricing/Post-Off calendar
Contest (if applicable)
P.O.S. (timely…enough lead time)
Analyze the repeat business
Manage inventory flow/depletions
Exit Strategy
Billbacks and supplier A/R
Understand the importance of the what, how, when, and why of billbacks
Manage and follow up on outstanding debt
Block out time (weekly) dedicated to this
Brand Manager Required Education, Skills and Experience:
Education & Experience:
8 - 10 years’ related experience with B. S. Degree in Business Management, Agricultural Management, or related fields
12 Years experience without degree and demonstrated experience in business management, client relationship management, manufacturing, brand building, dististribution, and sales
Skills
Strong leader with the ability to jump into tasks and projects with little oversight or direction
Excellent relationship and communication skills with the ability to shift messaging and style depending on the audience or person
Experience in a complex regulated industry
Experience doing white label or private label management
Strong grasp of JV partnership structures, LOIs and how to share responsibility effectively
Understanding of software and methods of financial reporting and project management
Passionate experienced manager with the ability to motivate others and maintain positivity in all communication
Intuitive grasp of the impact of design on consumer buying habits
Interested in advanced technological solutions for all facets of the supply chain
Familiarity with branding and marketing and its impact on sales and customer experience
Awareness and appreciation of the importance of branding of products and packaging choice
Brillant problem solving skills with the ability to think through problems clearly and quickly and deliver action oriented solutions
Experience with vertically integrated companies including retail, operations, distribution, wholesale vendor relations, manufacturing, cultivation or agriculture, procurement, machinery and compliance within a highly regulated, complex industry such as cannabis or agriculture
Ability to manage multiple logistical elements of the supply chain simultaneously
Familiarity and experience creating Gantt charts and complex spreadsheets
Ability to stay on brand while working on multiple brands simultaneously
Physical Demands:
The employee is frequently required to use hands to type, handle, feel
The employee is regularly required to walk, sit, talk and hear
The employee is regularly required to stand, stoop, kneel, crouch or reach
The employee must have the ability to occasionally safely lift and/or move a minimum of 30 lbs.
Values:
Authenticity: Grupo Flor cares about the people with whom we work and the communities in which we live. We believe that clear communication builds a better world than suspicion, and that transparency is the key to building trust and confidence in all that we do.
Resourcefulness: Grupo Flor seeks individuals that are adaptive and creative, finding joy in connecting assets and ideas in novel ways that are not immediately apparent to others.
Innovation: Grupo Flor seeks individuals that are excited to not only work in a new industry, but to create one.
