Associate Brand Manager

Who are we

Yamamotoyama U.S.A., a certified Great Place to Work, stands as a testament to the art of traditional Japanese green tea and nori seaweed products, upholding a commitment to unparalleled quality since 1690. Our culture is enriched by diverse backgrounds, all striving to find their unique voice in a harmonious blend. This spirit of unity in diversity extends to our portfolio, which includes the globally recognized Stash Tea Company, offering an expansive array of premium teas. In addition, we proudly present Ujido, a brand deeply rooted in the art and tradition of Japanese Matcha. Our dedication to excellence is not just in our products, but in the mosaic of voices that shape our legacy.
 

We Encourage You to Apply:

We understand that not everyone fits perfectly into a list of qualifications. If you are passionate about this role, our product, and our history, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all the listed requirements. We value diverse experiences and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. 

Purpose of the Role:

The Associate Brand Manager will be an integral team member in delivering Stash’s in year business goals as they translate marketing strategy into results.  The ABM position contributes to brand success by being responsible for execution of key brand activities that drive brand performance in line with Stash and Yamamotoyama’s sales and share goals. This role takes ownership and leads brand activities end-to-end as an advocate for the consumer. They will be instrumental in driving brand success by leveraging data, consumer insights, and branding fundamentals to optimize everything from shopper marketing to product proposition. 

This role requires a flexible, self-starter to work across a broad array of projects to help deliver our company objectives. The ABM’s role is to help drive the performance, equity, and share of our brands by activating distinctive consumer insights. In this role, you enable the team to know its consumer deeply and execute  engaging brand experiences. This role supports our base business and innovation by collaborating with product development, sales, shopper marketing, integrated marketing, operations and finance to generate demand. 

An ABM must be a strong collaborator with cross-functional partners as they play a key role throughout the corporation, coordinating with other functional areas to ensure necessary actions occur in support of their marketing position. This position often plays a leadership and/or project management role with outside marketing agencies.

Additionally, this position requires strong analytical skills as well as the ability to translate analysis into recommended actions to impact the marketing plan including advertising, promotion, portfolio optimization , pricing, innovation , and retail programs.  The ABM must have a strong understanding of the external environment including general trends impacting the business, competitive assessments, and an understanding of both consumers and customers.

Responsibilities:

• Business Analysis:  Analyze business through multiple data sources (Circana, 84.51, etc) to uncover key insights and translate these insights into impactful business plans & activations.  Keep a continuous eye on competitive trends and activation, providing recommended actions as needed to correct brand performance
• Sales Support & Collateral: Serve as the Marketing Team’s primary point of contact for the Customer Development Team (Sales). Partner with CD to prepare for retailer meetings, ensuring the brand is represented strongly and that brand strategy is translated to the customer level. Drive demand through a variety of retailer and consumer facing activities including trade shows, PoP, etc. 
• Shopper Marketing: Successfully plan and flawlessly execute shopper marketing programs to drive our competitive advantage in store and online while constantly optimizing for effectiveness of programs.  Navigate the complex network of retailer activation partners to provide optimized plans at our top strategic customers.
• Community Management: Collaborate with the integrated marketing team and cross-functional partners to develop a comprehensive content calendar and social media plan. Execute posts across platforms, engage with the online community and provide actionable insights based on audience feedback to strengthen brand presence.   
• Manage Day-to-Day Budget: Own ongoing reconciliation and tracking for the marketing team budget, ensuring a strong attention to detail and an active pursuit of savings and optimization.     
• Brand Planning: Support the creation of annual brand plans by using brand, consumer and marketplace data and trends in order to drive demand and sustain long-term brand health. 
• Positioning & Renovation Projects: Support the team in successfully delivering strategic projects (packaging renovation, line extensions, channel packs) acting as the project leader and/or project manager as needed. 
• Portfolio Strategy: Create and socialize the annual portfolio assortment plan in conjunction with the Marketing Director (sku ranking, adds/deletes). Facilitate and communicate changes across the organization.   

Core Skills:

• Strategic Thinking: Commitment to strategic prioritization, involving strategically managing tasks and projects and making the most of available resources to achieve goals. 
• Analytical Skills: Strong ability to analyze market data, consumer behaviors, and campaign performance to inform brand strategies and decisions. You are consistently integrating the “so what” into your analyses and presentations.
• Creativity: Ability to contribute to  innovative marketing campaigns and strategies that increase brand awareness, consumer engagement, and profitability.
• Enterprise Mindset: Innate enterprise mindset, always thinking about the bigger picture and recognizing how Marketing decisions impact organizational objectives. 
• Effective Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively collaborate with internal teams, external agencies, and to represent the company.
• Time Management: Using time efficiently to complete projects ahead of schedule when possible, including monitoring deadlines and managing workload effectively. 
• Innovative Mindset: Ability to foster and champion innovation, encouraging new ideas and driving the development of innovative products. 

Core Behaviors:

• Agility: Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, often under pressure.  Ability to handle multiple tasks and projects simultaneously. Ability to quickly incorporate feedback and coaching to drive optimized results. Good problem-solving abilities and detail-oriented. Openness to travel as needed for the role.
• Accountability: Strong sense of accountability and willingness to own work outside of your remit as necessary. Demonstrated self awareness, including ability to own mistakes and learn from them. You are a resourceful self-starter who is excited to lean into the work and be a team player.

• Collaborative Spirit: Emphasis on cross-functional collaboration, determined to understand others’ motivations, and dedicated interest in building rapport with team members both in and outside of the Marketing department.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field. Master's degree or an MBA  would be a plus. 
• 1-2 years of experience in brand management, preferably in the beverage or FMCG sector.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite

Physical Requirements: 

For the role of Associate Brand Manager the physical requirements are generally minimal due to the office-based nature of the job. However, some physical demands may include:

• Regularly required to sit for extended periods.
• Frequently required to use a computer, including typing and viewing a monitor.
• Regularly required to talk and/or listen in conversations with customers and team members, both in-person and over the phone.
• Occasionally may need to lift and move small office supplies, up to 25 lbs.
• Occasional travel may be required for trade shows or meetings, which could involve standing for long periods, walking long distances, and transporting light materials.
• Good manual dexterity for the use of common office equipment such as computer keyboards, monitors, copiers, and scanners.

Note: The above physical requirements are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.



The annual pay range for this full-time position is $95,000 -  $105,000. Our pay ranges are guided by the discipline, level, and experience required. Within the range, individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including your specific location, desired skills/ technical competency, relevant experience, and advanced education/ training. Benefits include Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D, LTD, EAP, Wellness Stipend, Vacation Accrual, and 401(k) with Safe Harbor Contribution.  In addition, we offer our employees discounts on our product, tuition reimbursement, continuing education support, and more!

 

Yamamotoyama is an equal opportunity employer. At Yamamotoyama, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment that cultivates creativity and innovation. Although rich in history, innovation is woven into our DNA, and this demands diversity of thought. Our commitment to serving our community wholeheartedly compels us to embrace various perspectives, backgrounds, regions, and experiences.