Sr Director, Brand and Shopper Marketing

**About Elmhurst** Elmhurst 1925 is a plant-based food and beverage company built on a legacy of innovation and a commitment to delivering high-quality, clean-label products. As we scale, our focus is on building a durable brand, innovative products, and business that delivers profitable growth, strong consumer connection, and long-term value. We are an entrepreneurial, fast-moving organization looking for individuals who are curious, accountable, and motivated to build. **About the Role** This leader serves as the steward of the Elmhurst brand, overseeing brand strategy, portfolio management, consumer insights, shopper marketing, and product commercialization to drive long-term profitable growth. This role is responsible for defining the brand's strategic direction, translating consumer and shopper insights into actionable portfolio and commercialization strategies, and ensuring consistent execution from innovation through retail activation. Working cross-functionally with Innovation, Sales, Finance, Operations, eCommerce, and Communications, this leader connects brand strategy to marketplace execution, ensuring Elmhurst delivers a compelling consumer experience and sustainable business results. **What You Will Do** **Brand Strategy & Positioning** - Own brand architecture, positioning, messaging hierarchy, and strategic direction - Develop, manage, and codify brand guidelines across the organization - Ensure consistency of brand expression across all consumer touchpoints, including retail, digital, eCommerce, social, and shopper environments - Lead development and optimization of brand claims, messaging frameworks, and communication territories - Partner with Consumer Insights to identify opportunities, monitor brand health, and inform strategy - Ensure all brand initiatives align with business objectives and target consumer needs **Portfolio Strategy & Renovation** - Lead portfolio strategy and product prioritization efforts - Develop renovation roadmap in partnership with Innovation, Sales, and Finance - Brief and guide Innovation team on consumer, category, and brand opportunities - Partner on product development, packaging, commercialization, and go-to-market plans - Own commercialization readiness across Marketing in partnership with Sales, eCommerce, Operations, and Innovation - Ensure portfolio investments are aligned with growth opportunities and strategic priorities **Consumer Insights & Research** - Own the consumer insights agenda and annual learning plan - Lead development and management of qualitative and quantitative research programs - Translate research findings into actionable business recommendations - Identify emerging consumer trends, category shifts, and whitespace opportunities - Champion consumer-centric decision making across the organization **Shopper Marketing & Retail Activation** - Define shopper marketing strategy across channels, customers, and retailers - Develop retailer-specific programming to drive trial, velocity, and household penetration - Partner with Sales on Joint Business Planning (JBP), customer presentations, and sell-in strategies - Collaborate with Sales, Finance, and eCommerce to develop pricing, promotion, and retail media strategies - Ensure alignment between brand strategy and retail execution - Lead development of shopper toolkits, merchandising programs, and retail activation plans **Planning, Performance & Resource Management** - Support annual brand planning, goal development, and budget allocation - Manage relevant agency relationships, scopes of work, and performance expectations - Monitor and report on brand health, portfolio performance, and business impact - Identify growth opportunities and optimization priorities across brand and shopper initiatives - Foster a high-performance, accountable culture across internal teams and external partners **Team & Cross-Functional Leadership** - Lead and develop Brand, Product Portfolio, Shopper Marketing, and Consumer Insights c…