Associate Brand Manager B&J's US Innovation

Job Title: Associate Brand Manager, Ben & Jerry's US Innovation

The Ice Cream division at Unilever is preparing to stand on its own, aiming to become an independent, EUR 8.3 billion publicly listed company by the end of 2025. We’re on a mission to create the ultimate snacking company.​ A place where growth, innovation, founder and ownership mentality, and performance are cultivated and rewarded. And where we craft extraordinary ice cream experiences - transforming ordinary moments into lasting memories.​ Because we know, life tastes better with ice cream.​

About Ben & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., started in 1978 in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, USA, founded by childhood friends and dedicated activists Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. In 2000 Ben & Jerry’s became a wholly owned autonomous subsidiary of Unilever with a unique governance structure that provides for an independent Board of Directors vested with primary responsibility for advancing Ben & Jerry's social mission and ensuring the essential integrity of the brand.

Now owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company, Ben & Jerry’s is one of its most valuable and iconic brands, with annual turnover exceeding €1 Billion, and with high ambitions to double the business, and expand its impact throughout the world. Central to the mission of Ben & Jerry's is the belief that all three parts of its mission must thrive equally. This translates into a high-paced growth environment without compromising our grassroots and activist spirit. That is how we remain a true purpose-led organization with a connected 3-part mission, which you will find reflected in our KPI’s.

Ben & Jerry’s 3-Part Mission:
Social mission: We initiate innovative ways to improve the quality of life locally, nationally, and internationally specifically on Climate Justice, Social Justice, Racial Justice, and Economic Justice
Product mission: We make and distribute the finest quality natural ice cream and euphoric concoctions.
Economic mission: We operate our Company for sustainable, Profitable financial growth.

Role Overview:
We are looking for an intelligent, innovative, and creative Marketer with a passion for brand innovation. The ideal candidate will drive the business forward with out-of-the-box ideas, strong leadership of a cross-functional team, and by challenging the status quo to get things done more efficiently. This position will require an in-depth understanding of innovation and brand development, which includes market trends, consumer insight, and category dynamics. The role will require both strategic thinking and executional excellence to continue growing Ben & Jerry’s, focusing on the US which is our birthplace & largest market. This role is highly strategic and critical for landing the future ambition for Ben & Jerry’s. The individual in this role will lead several exciting product innovation initiatives across new formats, sustainability, future-proofing our supply chain, and exploring adjacent categories.

Who You Are and What You’ll Do:
Associate Brand Manager for Ben & Jerry’s US Innovation will be held accountable for leading development of new products, packaging, and advertising. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
•    Execute new product initiatives in partnership with Marketing, Supply Chain, and R&D that fulfil company strategies, support the social mission, and meet financial objectives for sales, gross margin and profitability.  
•    Lead projects cross-departmentally to ensure that key milestones are met and goals achieved. Brings inconsistencies and problems to the attention of management.
•    Foster strong and collaborative working relationships with cross-functional stakeholders as well as strengthening connections with colleagues in other markets as part of a global innovation team.
•    Collaborate with Consumer Marketing Research in primary consumer research, leading the development of consumer stimulus. Drive secondary research for trend reporting. Utilize results in planning efforts.
•    Provide business analysis to support new product development. Study syndicated data and create competitive intelligence reports. Prepare moderately complex and varied analytical reports. Develop findings and recommendations for management review.
•    Develop stage-gate documents to include compiling information from cross-functional team members and regional marketing teams.
•    Work closely with Design on execution of new product packaging and artwork for product concepts.
•    Partner closely with the Brand Operations marketing team to ensure flawless execution in market.
•    Support Brand Operations teams in the planning of both short and long-term business and marketing initiatives. Coordinate execution of marketing materials requested by Regional and local teams. 
•    Collaborate with global innovation team to support export operations through systems knowledge sharing.
•    Exhibit commitment to the brand's social mission and Marketing's vital role in delivering all three elements of Ben & Jerry's three-part mission statement.  Work with the Social Mission team to integrate the social mission into individual marketing plans.
•    You’re a born leader: This position requires strong leadership skills as you will interact with cross-functional business partners, brand partners in multiple categories as well as agencies. Having a vision and strategic intent will be critical to deliver impactful innovation.
•    You generate powerful insights: Our work starts with understanding what drives our consumers to purchase, and crafting plans based on those insights, including nuances based on the shopping occasion and retail channel. This position will require the ability to write up and validate consumer concepts for innovations and communications.
What You’ll Need to Succeed:
•    Strong Bias for Action & Accountability both for self and others
•    Growth and competitive mindset
•    Passion for innovation and drive to grow the business
•    Strong interpersonal and communication skills
•    Analytical skills to dig into the details and a capacity for deriving insights to ultimately make recommendations for the business.

Ideal Experience:
•    Bachelor degree required, MBA a plus with 2-3 years’ experience CPG innovation workstreams
•    Innovation experience
•    Strong analytical skills
•    Understanding of digital and e-commerce
•    Clear demonstration of successful, consistent delivery to the business
•    Clear demonstration of project management & leadership skills
•    Experience working with different customer channels
•    Ability to operate in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, and to provide innovative approaches in a team-based structure
•    Ability to think strategically, both from a brand and portfolio view

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Unilever is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion to drive our business results and create a better future every day for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. 

For more information about your Federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination isIllegal and Pay Transparency Non discrimination Provision.

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.