VP AND GENERAL MANAGER

Description

Summary:

The Vice President and General Manager, UpLift Brands will be an important leadership role reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. This role will be critical in growing a branded business unit for Emprise Group (the "Company"). UpLift Brands is a focused, innovative branded health, beauty and hygiene company, offering consumers a broad range of products under the Germ-X®, Citroma, Sonoma Spa and other value-brand names. This role will be responsible for the development and execution of the Company's branded business strategy, which will include the achievement of certain established performance targets. In addition, this role will be expected to partner with other key leaders to support the organizational transition from an operating company model focused primarily on private brand household and personal care products to a holding company model with multiple distinct, but complementary, business units focused on a broad range of consumer-packaged goods. The Vice President and General Manager, UpLift Brands will be expected to build an entrepreneurial, innovative, creative and successful branded business team and to develop collaborative and respectful relationships with key members of the Company's Consumer Product Partners and administrative shared services teams.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop a strategic plan for UpLift Brands to support the achievement of the Company's short- and long-term performance objectives and ensure that Company leadership has a clear understanding and vision of the branded business strategy.
• Develop and maintain efficient and cost-effective marketing and trade promotional strategies, including digital brand presence and social media platforms, within an established marketing, advertising and trade spending budget
• Manage budgets, financial results and cash flows of UpLift Brands and regularly report to Company management and board of directors on business unit performance
• Identify, recruit, develop and support a team of energetic, passionate, creative, entrepreneurial and driven professionals who will work collaboratively and respectfully with each other and with members of the Company's other business units and administrative shared services group to ensure UpLift Brands performance objectives are achieved
• Review and, as appropriate, refresh and expand branded product portfolio to include new branded products, product lines, formulations, packaging, etc.
• Leverage consumer insights, consumption and category trends, shopper behaviors and other relevant information to inform the development of a robust new product pipeline, marketing plans and strategies and new product distribution opportunities. Closely coordinate branded product and distribution strategy with the private brand product and distribution strategy in order to maximize Company profitability on a consolidated basis across all business units and to minimize product overlap and potential cannibalization
• Establish robust stage-gate process for identifying, prioritizing and expediting new product development and commercialization
• Regularly review business performance and make recommendations for improvement
• Develop and maintain a network of cost-effective contract manufacturing partners capable of supporting manufacturing requirements of the branded business
• Work closely with the supply chain to ensure timely and efficient ingredient and packaging procurement, product manufacturing and distribution of all branded products within the framework of an established inter-company contract manufacturing arrangement
• Ensure the integrity of the branded portfolio across all categories and channels
• Develop a network of energetic, passionate, creative and performance-driven brokers who have deep customer relationships and have a demonstrated ability to increase distribution, velocities and sales
• Establish strong customer relationships across various management levels at key accounts
• Oversee and ensure best-in-class customer service standards are satisfied while ensuring appropriate inventory levels and safety-stock targets are achieved
• Ensure that all legal requirements are met, including all labor laws, environmental (EPA) and product (FDA) regulations and other applicable rules and regulations
• Maintain, oversee and protect an intellectual property portfolio, including a portfolio of patents, trademarks and other assets and explore opportunities to leverage the intellectual property portfolio to enhance financial returns
• Create value for all employee-owners of the Company through a strong understanding of how the Company's various business units work together to support the achievement of the Company's short- and long-term performance objectives

• Supervisory Responsibilities:
• Branded business unit
• Education Requirements:
• Bachelor's degree required
• Master's degree in business administration or similar degree strongly preferred
• Experience Requirements:

10+ years of experience in a managerial or business unit leadership role. Experience in the personal care or health and beauty care industry is strongly preferred.

• Competencies:

• Extensive knowledge of the consumer products industry, national brand/private label industry, and/or the personal care or health and beauty care industry.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential.
• Demonstrated decision-making and problem-solving skills capable of identifying and addressing business issues quickly and effectively.
• Strong business and financial acumen required to translate company-wide performance objectives into actionable and achievable business unit priorities
• Ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with key leaders outside of the UpLift Brands business unit, including key members of the Company's private brand business unit and administrative shared services group
• Willing to challenge other key leaders when needed and to ask the tough questions in a professional and respectful manner
  • Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: none
  • Travel: Frequently

Work Environment:

This job operates in a professional office environment and is an in-person role. This is not a remote-work position. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here 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.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.