Associate Brand Manager

About Us:
Since 1935, we’ve been on a mission to bring a little extra happiness to everyday life and inspire connections over food. We select the finest ingredients the world has to offer, craft premium products made with love, and never settle for shortcuts. We believe that when we share our food, we share a part of ourselves — and that’s the only way we’d put our name on it. 

Today, our small family company has grown into a national leader in specialty olives, peppers, and sauces under the leadership of CEO Jeff Mezzetta, and our commitment to quality has never wavered. With an 80-year legacy behind us and a bright future ahead, we’re seeking passionate, driven candidates to help us bring our cherished family traditions to a new generation.

The ideal candidate will have an immediate connection to our Core Ingredients:  

• Crunchy Crunchy: We are hungry for excellence.
• Own It: We think and act as an owner – with appetite, initiative, and responsibility.
• Connection: We build authentic relationships that foster trust and open communications.
• Vibrance: We come to work eager and passionate about fulfilling our vision. When we share our work, we share a part of who we are.

Associate Brand Manager 

Mezzetta is seeking a highly-motivated Associate Brand Manager. This role serves as a member of the brand marketing team, managing Class II product lines, projects & budgets, providing business analysis, and executing parts of the marketing plan. 

The Role:  

The Associate Brand Manager will lead specific product lines at Mezzetta. This involves overall P&L leadership including sales growth and profit delivery. You will play an integral role in partnering with key COEs (Sales, Shopper Marketing, R&D, Category Management, Finance, Operations, Creative, and external agencies) to successfully drive business growth and achievement of corporate financial goals.  

Our ideal candidate will have a passion for and experience in managing growth in market share and profitability of core product lines. You need CPG experience and the ability to translate brand building fundamentals into retail activation.  

What you'll do:  

• Lead a portfolio of Class II products and categories- responsible for sales growth, profit delivery and P&L management 
• Lead the development and execution of multi-year marketing plans  
• Conduct situation assessment and establish business unit objectives and goals in partnership with Sales leadership  
• Lead development and execution of business unit marketing plans including communication strategy and marketing tactics  
• Lead the development of national DSMP (Distribution, Shelf, Merchandising, Pricing) guidelines  
• Lead the commercialization of new product launches including go-to market targets, category-centric selling story, tracking  
• Integrate shopper marketing programs to amplify the plan  
• Monitor base business and new product performance to deliver actionable recommendations to achieve business unit objectives and goals  
• Partner with sales teams in joint business planning with retail partners to achieve business unit growth goals (BU and Mezzetta Corp goals)  
• Lead digital marketing as part of brand planning, development of creative assets, execution in market, and results measurement and assessment  
• Collaborate and engage with cross functional teams (sales, creative, category management, finance, operations, COE’s) to achieve growth goals  

Who you are and what you'll need for this position:  

• 3-5 years of CPG experience 
• Strong analytical skills. Experience with pricing analysis, share analysis, category and competitive reviews a plus
• Self-starter with the ability to prioritize in a fast-paced environment and meet changing deadlines and priorities  
• Strategic thinker with the ability to connect long-term vision to short-term goals and initiatives  
• Ability to influence internally and externally to drive compelling marketing plans and consumer engagements  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills  
• Familiar with Nielson and other marketing databases and tools.  
• Ability to manage marketing and trade budgets; make needed adjustments to hit targets.  

Qualifications 

• Bachelor's Degree in any major (Marketing and/or Finance preferred). Master’s degree preferred.
• 3+ year(s) of previous experience in marketing analytics or a related field. CPG experience preferred.
• Strong, proven analytical skills 
• Project and budget management 
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams 
• Organizational skills with attention to detail and accuracy 
• Strong PC skills (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) 
• Demonstrated ability to effectively build team relationships 
• Ability to manage multiple projects with executional excellence 
• Prefer familiarity with data tools such as Nielsen and/or IRI 

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace:
At Mezzetta, we embrace diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment where you know you belong. Part of that commitment includes a zero-tolerance policy and being an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions at Mezzetta are solely based on merit, qualifications, abilities and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, national origin, disability, military or veteran status, family or parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. All of us share in the responsibility of fulfilling this commitment and creating a culture where our team can thrive.