Sr. Brand Manager, Innovation

Position Summary

Salary - 159K - 179K

Nordic Naturals is the premium leader in the Omega-3 supplement category, committed to delivering the world's safest, most effective nutrients essential to health. The Senior Manager of Brand Management, Innovation owns the commercialization highway and 36-month growth expansion pipeline for Nordic Naturals. Reporting to the Director of Innovation & Insights, this role serves as the commercial lead for translating consumer insights, white-space market opportunities, and breakthrough technology platforms into scalable, market-ready products.

This Sr. Brand Manager, Innovation role manages early-stage product development through concept testing, stage-gate governance, product-market fit validation, and initial commercial launch across omni-channel environments (Retail, DTC, Amazon, Practitioner). The Senior Manager supervises Associate Brand Manager(s) and partners cross-functionally with R&D/Product Development, Consumer Insights, Operations/Co-Man, Regulatory, and Sales to build differentiated, consumer-first platforms that expand the brand beyond core categories.

Key Responsibilities

• Innovation Strategy & Pipeline Commercialization: Lead the commercial development of Nordic Naturals' 36-month innovation pipeline, converting consumer insights and macro wellness trends into scalable brand extensions and multi-platform launches.
• Stage-Gate Process Governance: Serve as the brand lead through the cross-functional stage-gate innovation process, owning gate submission readiness, business case development, financial hurdles, pricing strategy, and launch timelines in partnership with the Innovation PMO.
• Product Positioning & Concept Testing: Develop compelling product concepts, consumer-facing value propositions, claims strategy, and packaging briefs; partner with Consumer Insights to execute quantitative/qualitative concept testing, volumetric modeling, and pricing studies.
• Cross-Functional Project Leadership: Partner closely with Product Development/R&D, Co-Manufacturing, Operations, Regulatory, and Sales to take concepts from benchtop prototyping to commercial scale and shelf placement.
• Omni-Channel Go-To-Market Execution: Partner with DTC, Retail, Amazon, and Sales teams to build distinct channel-launch strategies, trial-driving support playbooks, product packaging architecture, and sales enablement tools.
• Rapid In-Market Testing & Post-Launch Loops: Design and execute rapid A/B in-market pilots (DTC/eComm) to validate concepts prior to mass retail rollout; conduct post-launch learning loops to refine product formulations, messaging, and future pipeline releases.
• Budget & P&L Management: Manage project innovation budgets, deliver gross margin targets, and perform margin analysis on pipeline concepts.
• Compliance & Regulatory Alignment: Ensure all product concepts, messaging, and ingredient claims comply with FDA and FTC dietary supplement regulations.
• Team Leadership & Development: Direct and supervise Associate Brand Manager(s), managing project workloads, skill-building, and career growth within the Innovation team.

Position Qualifications

Competency Statements

• Create Vision & Strategic Intent: Translates innovation goals into clear pipelines, connecting multi-year category roadmaps to long-term business growth.
• Demonstrate Business Acumen: Evaluates financial hurdles, project COGS, retail margin expectations, and market trends to deliver profitable launches.
• Use Intellect & Critical Thinking: Distills complex market data and scientific ingredients into intuitive, consumer-first product propositions.
• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Alignment: Fosters seamless handoffs between Insights, R&D, Operations, Sales, and Brand Marketing.
• Be Solution Driven: Proactively overcomes stage-gate bottlenecks, supply chain constraints, or formula hurdles to maintain pipeline velocity.
• Coach, Develop, Mentor and Provide Feedback: Invests in direct report development, creating a collaborative, high-performing innovation unit.

Skills & Abilities

• Experience: 6-9+ years of experience in Brand Management, Product Marketing, or Innovation within CPG, dietary supplements, wellness, or food & beverage.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, or related field required; MBA preferred.
• Stage-Gate Expertise: Proven track record of managing products through a formal stage-gate commercialization process from ideation through launch.
• Analytical Skills: Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and syndicated POS data analysis (SPINS, IRI, Nielsen).
• Omni-Channel Acumen: Deep understanding of product requirements across Mass/Grocery, Specialty/Natural, Amazon, and Direct-to-Consumer channels.