Brand & Channel Marketing Manager

From our home in

Janesville, Wisconsin

, Impact Confections has been delighting candy lovers with bold flavors and timeless favorites for generations. We’re proud to be the makers of

WARHEADS®

, the iconic sour candy that dares taste buds everywhere, and the classic

Melster® Candies

, known for nostalgic treats like Circus Peanuts and seasonal delights that families have cherished for decades.

SUMMARY

We are seeking a strategic, data-driven, and highly creative

Brand & Channel Marketing Manager

to lead the development and execution of marketing plans for our confection’s portfolio. This role blends brand building, shopper marketing, and channel strategy to drive household penetration, accelerate velocity, and maximize brand presence across retail partners.

The ideal candidate brings strong CPG experience, a passion for sweet treats, and a proven ability to translate consumer insights and retail dynamics into impactful programs.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Brand Strategy & Management

• Own annual brand planning for assigned confection brands, ensuring alignment with company objectives and growth targets.
• Manage brand positioning, messaging frameworks, and visual identity across all channels.
• Manage new product development funnel from ideation to launch for both core and seasonal lines of product including consumer preference, retail fit and go-to-market planning, packaging development.
• Collaborate with sales team to develop presentations and sales materials
• Partner with cross-functional teams (Sales, R&D, Operations, Finance) to guide brand priorities and forecasts.
• Lead licensing strategy for brands to develop successful royalty programs.

Channel & Shopper Marketing

• Develop tailored channel marketing strategies for grocery, mass, drug, convenience, club, and e-commerce accounts.
• Create shopper-focused programs that influence purchase decisions at the point of sale.
• Collaborate with sales teams to build custom account-specific marketing plans for key retailers.
• Optimize trade marketing investments and measure ROI of shopper activation.

Marketing Execution

• Lead the creation of all brand assets including in-store materials, digital content, seasonal programs, and promotional campaigns.
• Partner with external agencies on creative development, media planning, and content creation.

Insights, Analytics & Performance Tracking

• Leverage syndicated data (Nielsen/IRI), retailer POS data, and consumer research to identify opportunities and diagnose business challenges.
• Monitor category trends, competitive activity, shopper behavior, and retailer requirements.
• Provide actionable insights for innovation, pricing, promotion, and assortment decisions.
• Track KPIs across brand health, campaign performance, and financial metrics.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, Business, or related field; MBA a plus.
• 5–8 years of CPG marketing experience, preferably within confectionery, snacks, or food/beverage.
• Strong understanding of brand management, shopper marketing, and go-to-market planning.
• Experience partnering with major retail channels (Walmart, Target, Kroger, Convenience, etc.).
• Analytical mindset with proficiency in syndicated data tools (Nielsen, IRI, Spins).
• Excellent project management skills and ability to lead cross-functional teams.
• Creative thinker with strong communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Creative Services Manager, Marketing & Sales Coordinator, and Marketing Project Manager.

COMPUTER SKILLS

Performs basic database updates, queries and searches, and printing of documents. Ability to learn other application software is essential to performing job tasks.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to communicate with co-workers and/or read instructions or written standards for production in English.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to perform or learn mathematic skills as needed, such as basic accounting terminology.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out basic step instructions. Ability to deal with standardized situations with only occasional or limited variables.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand and use hands to finger, handle, or feel and daily requires walking, reach with hands and arms, and taste or smell. This role must frequently lift and/or move up to 30 lbs. and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 lbs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

I have reviewed the contents of this Job Description and agree that it is an accurate representation of the position. I also understand this Job Description includes only those tasks considered to be essential to the position and that I may on occasion be required to perform other duties.