Central Garden & Pet

Brand Manager, Marketing Innovation

Central Garden & Pet • $80K — $110K *
Neptune, NJ 07753In-Person
Retail & Consumer Goods
Less than 5 years of experience
1 week ago
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3+ years in brand management, innovation, or product marketing in CPG.
  • Experience leading or supporting new product development and launches.
  • Strong analytical and consumer insight capabilities.
  • Proven ability to manage complex cross-functional projects.
  • Effective communicator with strong storytelling skills.
  • Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field.

Responsibilities

  • Lead cross-functional teams to develop and launch innovative products.
  • Identify market opportunities using consumer insights and trend analysis.
  • Translate insights into actionable product concepts and proposals.
  • Manage new product development projects from inception to commercialization.
  • Coordinate go-to-market strategies including marketing positioning and launch execution.
  • Track product performance post-launch and propose optimizations based on data.
  • Serve as the liaison between internal teams and external agencies for innovation initiatives.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
  • Free Life and Disability Insurance.
  • Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts.
  • 401(k) with a 3% company match and annual discretionary contribution.
  • Paid vacation, holidays, and sick time.
  • Employee Assistance Program.
  • Access to thousands of free online courses.
  • Discounts on cell phones, movie tickets, gym memberships, and more!
  • Education Assistance for college degrees and professional certifications.
  • Referral Program with a cash bonus.
  • Access to on-demand pay.
  • Paid parental leave.
Full Job Description
About the Job

The Brand Manager, Innovation is responsible for partnering cross functionally to lead the development and commercialization of new products and line extensions that drive incremental growth for the Dog & Cat BU portfolio of brands. This role leads innovation projects from concept through launch for the Marketing department, partnering cross-functionally to translate consumer insights into compelling propositions and ensuring successful go-to-market execution.

Based out of our Neptune City, NJ facility, this position is onsite five days per week.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS:

Innovation Strategy & Pipeline Support:

  • Support the development and execution of the innovation roadmap aligned with brand and portfolio growth strategies.
  • Identify whitespace opportunities through consumer insights, trend analysis, and competitive assessment.
  • Contribute to prioritization of innovation initiatives based on consumer value, feasibility, and business impact.


Consumer Insights & Concept Development:

  • Translate qualitative and quantitative consumer insights into compelling product concepts and value propositions.
  • Drive concept development, concept testing, and learning plan execution in partnership with Insights teams.
  • Synthesize insights into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders.


New Product Development (NPD) Leadership:

  • Own day-to-day management of innovation projects, in partnership with the Project Management team, from idea through commercialization.
  • Partner with R&D, Creative, Packaging, Supply Chain, Quality, Legal, and Finance to deliver products on time and within scope.
  • Manage timelines, stage-gate deliverables, and decision-making documentation.


Go-to-Market & Launch Execution:

  • Marketing lead for go-to-market planning including positioning, claims, packaging, pricing, channel strategy, and launch activation.
  • Partner with Sales to support retailer sell-in materials and customer presentations.
  • Oversee development of launch assets in collaboration with Creative, Media, Digital, and Shopper teams.


Performance Tracking & Optimization:

  • Track launch performance including trial, repeat, velocity, distribution, and financial results.
  • Conduct post-launch reviews to identify learnings and optimization opportunities.
  • Apply insights to refine future innovation efforts.


Cross-Functional & Agency Collaboration:

  • Serve as the central point of coordination across internal teams and agency partners for innovation initiatives.
  • Ensure brand standards and strategic intent are consistently reflected across all innovation touchpoints.


IDEAL CANDIDATE ATTRIBUTES:

Required Skills & Experience:

  • 3+ years of experience in brand management, innovation marketing, or product marketing within CPG.
  • Hands-on experience supporting or leading NPD and product launches.
  • Strong analytical and consumer insight skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage complex, cross-functional projects.
  • Strong communication and storytelling skills.
  • Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, or related field.


Preferred Skills & Experience:

  • Experience in food, petcare, wellness, or adjacent consumer categories.
  • MBA or advanced degree.
  • Familiarity with stage-gate innovation processes and consumer research methodologies.
  • Experience working with syndicated data (e.g., Circana, Nielsen).


BENEFITS PACKAGE & EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS:

  • Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
  • Free Life and Disability Insurance.
  • Health and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts.
  • 401 (k) with a 3% company match and annual employer discretionary contribution.
  • Paid vacation, holidays, and sick time.
  • Employee Assistance Program.
  • Access to thousands of free online courses.
  • Discounts on cell phones, movie tickets, gym memberships, and more!
  • Education Assistance (both college degrees and professional certifications).
  • Referral Program with a cash bonus.
  • Access to on-demand pay.
  • Paid parental leave.


About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company is a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn & garden and pet supplies markets. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes a wide range of products under many brands including Pennington, Nylabone, Kaytee, Amdro, and Aqueon. The company was founded in 1980 and has grown to become one of the largest lawn and garden and pet supplies companies in the United States.
Learn more about Central Garden & Pet
Size
6,500 employees
Market Cap
$2 billion
Industry
Food & Beverages
Net Income
$130.7 million
Founded
2018
Revenue
$2.8 billion
NASDAQ
CENT
* Ladders Estimates

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