Brand Manager-Innovation

J  o  b    D  e  s  c  r  i  p  t  i  o  n

JOB INFORMATION

Title:

Brand Mgr-Innov

Title Description:

Brand Manager-Innovation

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Reports To:

Sr Dir, Insights & Innov

Supervises:

Approved Date:

4/15/2026 3:58:54 PM

Date Last Edited:

4/6/2026 4:26:44 PM

Locations:

CA Chico

Function:

Mkt Insights & Innovation

Business Entity:

Marketing

Cost Center:

Marketing Admin

Employee Type:

FT Exempt 1

Age Requirement:

21+

Employee Supervisory Classification:

POSITION SUMMARY

The Brand Manager, Innovation (Beer) supports the Sr. Director of Insights & Innovation in the new product development process with a primary focus line extensions across the existing Sierra Nevada craft beer portfolio, as well as new-to-portfolio ground up product initiatives. This role works closely with Brand Marketing, Insights, Brewing, Finance, Sales, Supply Chain, Operations and Compliance to shape innovation strategy, build consumer-centric concepts, and bring winning products to market. The Brand Manager, Innovation (Beer) partners day-to-day with the Innovation Project Manager to ensure projects stay on track, deadlines are met, and deliverables are completed with high quality.

•

Support the Sr. Director, Insights & Innovation and work closely with Brand Marketing in identifying and developing new product opportunities with a focus on line extensions (e.g., new flavors, seasonal variants, new pack formats, etc).

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Help develop consumer-led concepts and product propositions, including naming territories, benefit ladders, positioning statements, and occasion-based messaging

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Assist in the development of business cases (volume, pricing, margin, and investment considerations) in partnership with Finance and Commercial teams.

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Evaluate competitive landscape, category trends, and retailer dynamics to ensure innovation is relevant, differentiated, and commercially viable.

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Partner closely with Brand Marketing to ensure innovation initiatives are strategically aligned and on brand (visual identity, tone, claims, packaging hierarchy, etc.).

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Collaborate with Brewing, Supply Chain and Operations to translate concepts into feasible liquid and packaging solutions that meet cost, timing, and quality requirements.

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Assist Brand team in go-to-market planning, including launch timing, channel prioritization, retail strategy, and promotional recommendations.

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Partner with the Innovation Project Manager to track all key milestones and deliverables, ensuring timelines, owners, and dependencies are clearly documented and updated.

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Work with Sales and Trade Marketing to ensure new products are equipped with compelling selling stories, target accounts, and launch materials.

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Help drive strong project hygiene: meeting notes, action items, decision logs, risk/issue trackers, and timeline updates.

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Support internal alignment by preparing leadership updates, steering committee materials, and launch readiness reviews.

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Help maintain innovation tools and systems such as project trackers, stage-gate documentation, learning plans, and post-launch performance trackers.

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Must be willing to work non-standard hours, including some nights and weekends

up to 30%

travel is required – you’ll need to check on your brands in the field and be active in the industry to stay up to date on trends.  Travel may be up to 30% at peak times. 10-20% normally.

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's Degree

in marketing or related field OR any combination of experience and/or education from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved

X

Master's Degree

marketing or related field

X

3 years

marketing experience or 1 years marketing experience with a Master's degree

X

and

1 year

 brand or product management within the CPG industry

X

and

Demonstrated experience identifying product white spaces, building differentiated brands to meet the consumer need, successfully bringing them to market and driving sustained performance at retail  

X

•

Understanding of consumer product innovation processes from concept through commercialization.

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Working knowledge of brand fundamentals, packaging/claims considerations, and retail dynamics.

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Strong cross-functional communication and collaboration skills.

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Project management skills, including timeline management, prioritization, and multi-tasking.

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Strong analytical skills; ability to synthesize research, sales data, and competitive inputs into actions.

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High-quality written and verbal skills; able to create clear, persuasive decks and leadership updates.

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Comfortable working in ambiguity and fast-moving environments while maintaining attention to detail.

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Ability to build strong relationships across departments with cross-functional counterparts.

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Passion for the craft beer industry, beverage alcohol category, and/or the Sierra Nevada brand

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Capable of thriving in a collaborative, learning-oriented culture

Frequencies listed represent the percentage of time spent performing the task during a regularly scheduled shift

| Rarely 0-25% | Occasionally 26-50% | Frequently 51-75%  | Constantly 76-100% |

• Sitting - Frequently
• Walking - Occasionally
• Standing - Occasionally
• Bending (Waist) - Occasionally
• Bending (Neck) - Occasionally
• Lifting - Rarely
• Carrying - Rarely
• Pushing - Rarely
• Pulling - Rarely
• Squatting - Rarely
• Climbing - Rarely
• Twisting (Waist) - Rarely
• Twisting (Neck) - Rarely
• Talking - Occasionally
• Hearing - Occasionally

Frequencies listed represent the percentage of time spent performing the task during a regularly scheduled shift

| Rarely 0-25% | Occasionally 26-50% | Frequently 51-75%  | Constantly 76-100% |

• Indoors - Frequently
• Outdoors - Occasionally
• Humid - Rarely
• Exposure to extreme cold - Rarely
• Exposure to extreme heat - Rarely

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met and respectively encountered 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.