Our Proprietary Brands team focuses on building brands that are exclusive to PetSmart and that pet parents and pets love.  Our team partners with product development, merchandising, product design, product integrity and global sourcing to bring the brand essence to life in product form.

About the Job

The Senior Brand Manager is responsible for developing the overall direction and strategy including sales and margin for assigned Proprietary Brands and categories.  Core responsibilities will include both existing brand management as well as brand development from concept through launch including brand governance, product development, packaging development, online experience and in-store execution ensuring consistent execution of brand standards through the entire Customer journey.

The Senior Brand Manager needs to be a strategic thinker with the ability to embrace change and foster new opportunities to grow the business.  This individual understands the customer, the category, the market and is up to date on product trend knowledge.  Makes customer-led recommendations to meet and exceed sales and margin targets.  Manages several diverse categories simultaneously. The Senior Brand Manager will collaborate with cross-functional teams including Sourcing, Process Management, Quality, Merchandising and Marketing to create the best Brand experiences for our Customers.  This manager is expected to be able to thrive in ambiguity while inspiring cross-functional teams to deliver results with an overall optimistic and “can do” attitude.  This role leads a direct report.

Job Responsibilities

• Manages a portfolio of proprietary brands to deliver business objectives and meet consumer needs through a strong knowledge of the category, competitive landscape and future trends.
• Influences sales and margin targets for assigned categories. Actively manages the business and partners with merchants to deliver sales, margin and proprietary brand penetration goals.
• Leads cross-functional team to define customer and brand opportunity, product specification and ensure product submission meets or exceeds consumer expectations. Develops assigned categories; stays abreast of category trends and market changes. Maintains knowledge of competition and applies the information as necessary to grow sales and profit.
• Develops assigned brands and categories through brand management, new product development, reformulation and packaging ideas.
• Understands core brand tenets, including brand positioning and guardrails to deliver best quality product within brand standards. Continuous support of the brand architecture and ongoing monitoring of brand health to improve performance and positioning.
• Understands the entire new product innovation cycle and how it affects consumer response to product performance.
• Steers end-to-end commercialization process ownership and management (direct and influenced). Follows processes that ensure owned brand participation is seamlessly integrated and aligned with relevant internal teams – merchant, sourcing, technical product development, etc.
• Analyzes sales and customer reviews to inform brand strategies and category and product decisions to drive compelling assortments
• Cultivates direct report(s) through continuous training and mentorship, setting obtainable performance goals, and providing clear communication and constructive feedback.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and at least 10 years of experience in Retail, preferably in Merchandising, Private Brands or Product Development (MBA preferred)
• A data-driven mindset with experience in category management and the ability to leverage analysis to make business recommendations.
• Experience with creating growth strategies for assigned brands and categories.
• Experience developing and delivering presentations to various audience levels within an organization.
• A collaborative mindset and the ability to work with internal resources and external stakeholders to develop strategies that meet department goals within budget and established timelines.
• Ability to manage deadlines and milestones across multiple simultaneous projects.
• Have a passion for brands, customer empathy, and excitement about new products
• Ability to quickly influence and establish relationships, gain credibility, trust and respect across all levels of the organization
• Ability to approach the business from a creative point of view, as well as a strategic and analytical one
• Critical thinking skills; Ability to navigate complexity/ambiguity

About the Culture

Our home office offers outstanding amenities in a fun and rewarding workplace including:

• Pet-friendly environment, bring your pets to work!
• A work-life balance and family events such as movie nights, art events, and holiday festivals
• “Top Dog” gym with equipment, fitness classes, massage therapists, and personal trainers
• “Sit & Stay” Café serving fresh breakfast and lunch options
• Starbucks cart—productivity at its finest!
• “Lil’ Paws” learning center and onsite daycare facility
• Volunteer events with PetSmart Charities
• Learn more about #LifeAtPetSmart here: https://www.lifeatpetsmart.com/life-at-petsmart/
• Check out Associate stories and share in some celebrations at PetSmart: https://www.blog.lifeatpetsmart.com/
• Explore PetSmart Benefits here: https://benefits.petsmart.com/

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