Marketing Program Manager

CBU | Naperville | Full Time | Permanent

Wilton is a US heritage brand with a 95-year history in baking and decorating. Now fully integrated into the Dr. Oetker family, Wilton aspires to be the most influential and successful cake decorating brand. Learn more about Wilton at www.wilton.com.

Job SummaryDo you have a passion for all aspects retailer execution with a consumer-centric growth mindset? Wilton Brands has an immediate opening for Program Manager. Reporting to the Senior Brand & Product Manager, this critical role is accountable for supporting seasonal program execution. Work in tandem with the Senior as well as the Associate Brand & Product Managers to help lead seasonal execution, from concepting ideas, developing assortment recommendations, forecast review, pulling together sales presentations, and partnering cross-functionally to execute in-store activations. This role includes program and timeline management of shopper marketing and seasonal and retailer-specific programming. We welcome candidates who have broad knowledge of various Consumer Product Goods categories.

Essential ResponsibilitiesOwnership: 

• Manage and oversee all operations for product commercialization and product life cycle management across multiple product lines and seasonal programs. This includes collaborating with marketing colleagues on product development including the brief and communicating business requirements as an input to the product development process to drive innovation. 
• Monitor product line performance, trends, insights, and feedback to identify opportunities to promote and grow the business and/or needs to consolidate and rationalize the product line.
• Oversee development and approval of packaging artwork as needed, including coordination with design agency and sourcing.
• Maintain comprehensive product, category, competitive and industry information and assist in communication of this information within the company.
• Manage insight driven innovation and renovation to improve the product range by collaborating across all contributing departments ensuring alignment with the brand strategy.
• Other duties as assigned.

Assist:

• Development and execution of annual and long range brand and product business plans with a total P&L approach encompassing both commercial and operational opportunities in order to manage objectives, growth and profitability for categories and products. 
• Assist/lead in defining the product price, promotion, and margin guidelines. 
• Assist in cross-functional efforts on seasonal product design. 
• Sourcing & resourcing project management as it pertains product line responsibilities
• Engagement with Sales partners to review strategic account plans as a part of the annual planning process to ensure alignment with brand and product plans. 
• Analyzing customer specific SKU assortment recommendations. 
• Contribute to developing out stage gate and business cases for specific products and programming. 
• Development of in-store activations including displays 

Visibility: 

• Ongoing marketing campaigns through all seasons.
• Collaborates with all key Wilton product categories and leaders across categories and departments.
• Help coordinate with Brand & Community team and agency partners to plan and execute marketing communication and activation opportunities.
• Liaise with Sales, Brand & Community team, and agency partners to develop shopper marketing programs for key accounts.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university with an emphasis in Marketing, Business or related field. 
• 1-5 years prior marketing experience in brand management, Consumer Packaged Goods, retailer experience, and/or product management. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Team player with good interpersonal skills to lead/coach cross-functional teams.
• Experience being hands-on with a can-do attitude and approach toward navigating opportunities and challenges in a transformative company environment.
• Experience exercising both general management and marketing fundamentals to meet brand and product business objectives.
• Self-starter with effective project management and multi-tasking skills, with ability to prioritize and meet deadlines with acute attention to detail in a cross functional team environment.
• Possess excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.
• Strong analytical skills essential for market and competitive evaluation, pricing, and product category management.
• Proficient in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word: ERP experience is preferred.
• Knowledge of IRI or Nielsen for syndicated and panel data.
• Experience planning, executing, and measuring marketing campaigns.

Physical Demands

• Professional office environment, sedentary in nature.
• Routinely use standard office equipment such as (laptop computers, monitors/keyboards, printers, and telephones).
• Processes information and communicates effectively with others.
• Travel domestically as needed – light travel possible to participate in key customer meetings