Associate Brand Manager - Buffalo Trace Distillery

Sazerac Company Overview

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka. 

We’re proud of our award-winning culture and distilleries. Our Louisville office has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery has earned the title of “world’s most award-winning distillery” through the dedication of our craftsmen for well over 200 years. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Sazerac provides extraordinary opportunities for growth with competitive salaries and benefits in an exciting, entrepreneurial industry.

Job Description/Responsibilities

One of the most highly visible ABM roles in our Company, the Associate Brand Manager – Buffalo Trace & Buffalo Trace Distillery will be responsible for making sure some of the most prominent Buffalo Trace Distillery brands - Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, EH Taylor, and more – win with consumers across all channels in our most important countries and US states. Responsible for guiding vision, strategy, and innovation, this more than just a marketing role – it is a true general management role that prepares the candidate for eventual P&L ownership through the lens of best-in-class brand building training and experiences.

What we offer you:

• Responsibilities on strategically important brands working on global brand building, channel execution, business tracking, and innovation plans from the start.
• Dedicated training & brand management skill development in line with our vision to be the industry’s most desired place to be.
• Attractive pay & compensation packages benchmarked vs. industry peer roles that pay based on relevant experience & tenure.
• Continuous coaching, mentorship, guided self-development, and resources via career and personal development plans.
• A picturesque, non-traditional office space at Buffalo Trace Distillery – the World’s Most Award Winning Distillery and a National Historic Landmark.

Your role:

As an Associate Brand Manager, you will have opportunity to work on some of the industry’s most coveted brands, directly driving the business results. You will engage with cross-functional teams (including Sales, Finance, Operations, Creative Agencies and more) to develop strategies and execution plans across key global markets to ensure your brand's success. You will work on brands consumers want, with the support and guidance of marketing leaders with significant demonstrated brand building expertise, within one of the industry’s largest and most respected companies. As you demonstrate increased capability and deliver results, your role will expand to continue your skill development, expand your scope of responsibility, and deliver your customized career development plan.

You are perfect for the role if you have strong brand management credentials, high creativity, and strong desire to build new programs, capabilities, and business ideas from the ground up. You will lead a mix of brand building, marketing, and innovation projects enabling you to develop leadership breadth and depth. Overall, we want builders who aren’t afraid to take smart risks and who like to create, execute, learn, and adapt.

• Prioritize the execution of initiatives on assigned brands and country combinations. For managed brands/projects, develop marketing activation plans, budgets, standards, channel & pricing strategy and ensure plan is executed to reach sales and profit objectives. Identify and see through to completion areas to save money, improve efficiency and add value to the company.
• Work cross functionally to build assigned categories/brands into a viable and profitable global consumer business consistent with the company's overall strategy and goals. Support the development of strategies to achieve consumer objectives and solve customer problems.  
• Prioritize time & resources on assigned categories/brands & brand/country/state objectives most critical to achieving volume, profit and KPI targets. Learn and use Cognos, VIP, BI tools and other resources to measure and analyze progress against brand/country/state combinations.
• Brief effective & efficient creative campaigns based on clear insights and consumer messaging strategy. Manage the agency relationships, packaging, marketing materials, promotion, public relations and media for all support and assigned category/brand NBD, projects and programs.
• Utilize PDS system and available resources to identify areas for continuous self-improvement. Regularly dedicate time to growing the skills outlined in the Development Plan. For direct reports, conduct optimal performance discussions, articulate consistent skill evaluations, recommend actions and tactics, and measure progress. 
• For assigned categories/brands, support company protocol to concept, plan, develop, launch and successfully execute NBD opportunities that drive growth. Navigate NBD projects through internal cross-functional teams and processes leading to on-time & on budget delivery.
• For assigned categories/brands, support the development of strategic brand planning work, new initiative plans and special projects.

Salary range - $105,000 - $157,000

*Placement within the salary range is calculated based upon years of directly relatable experience for the position.

Qualifications/Requirements

MUST

• Bachelor's Degree
• 3 years relevant experience (minimum)
• 3 years Business experience, at least
• Combination of demonstrated brand building and performance marketing experience.
• Excellent oral & written communication skills across all levels of an organization
• Demonstrated creative or new business development project management experience.
• Strong computer skills and high comfort using technology and systems
• Self-starting, high persevearance, ability to quickly learn new systems/processes
• Brand management Experience in a FMCG or global spirits company.
• Willingness to travel domestically

PREFERRED

• MBA
• Undergraduate degree in Business, Marketing or Communications
• 1 year Experience with three tier distribution system
• 1 year Experience in New Business Development
• 3 years working in progressive Brand Management roles on a widely distributed flagship brand

Salary : $105,000 - $157,000