Director of Brand, Growth & Cultural Impact - K-Flavor U.S. (Food manufacturing)
21 days ago
Troy
Job Description Position Summary The Director of Brand, Growth & Cultural Impact – K-Flavor U.S. will report directly to the CEO and lead the transformation, repositioning, and accelerated growth of the company’s U.S. brand portfolio. This role is responsible for: • Building the K-Flavor Protein platform in the U.S., • Modernizing and elevating existing American deli brands, • Driving retail velocity and profitable growth, • Creating culturally relevant, conversation-driving brand momentum The ideal candidate is a brand builder, retail growth operator, and cultural strategist with experience scaling challenger food brands in the U.S. Core Mandate • Define and build the K-Flavor Protein narrative for mainstream America, • Transform and upgrade legacy U.S. brands into premium protein platforms, • Drive velocity, distribution expansion, and margin growth, • Generate cultural relevance and viral brand moments, • Own U.S. market-level P&L performance Key Responsibilities 1️⃣ Brand Platform & Transformation Leadership • Lead U.S. brand repositioning and transformation initiatives, • Define and operationalize the K-Flavor Protein brand narrative, • Build culturally resonant storytelling rooted in Korean culinary heritage, • Upgrade packaging, visual identity systems, and brand architecture, • Elevate legacy deli brands from commodity perception to premium protein positioning 2️⃣ Portfolio Strategy & Architecture • Redesign U.S. brand architecture and portfolio roles, • Define premium vs. value tiers and channel-specific strategies, • Lead SKU rationalization and margin optimization initiatives, • Clarify master brand vs. sub-brand strategy, • Align U.S. innovation priorities with consumer insights 3️⃣ Retail Growth & Velocity Acceleration • Develop and execute category- and channel-specific GTM strategies, • Drive retail velocity, distribution gains, and shelf expansion, • Partner with brokers and retail buyers across East Coast accounts, • Lead trade marketing initiatives in deli, perimeter, and protein categories, • Optimize pricing, promotion, and product mix for profitability 4️⃣ Cultural & Viral Growth Strategy • Develop culturally relevant, conversation-driving brand moments, • Build social-first campaigns designed for shareability and earned media impact, • Partner with creators, chefs, and food influencers to drive organic advocacy, • Translate online buzz into retail sell-through, • Launch retail-linked “moment marketing” initiatives to accelerate trial, • Integrate digital storytelling with in-store execution This is not performance-only marketing. This role owns brand-led cultural momentum that drives real revenue. 5️⃣ Innovation & Commercialization • Translate U.S. consumer insights into innovation pipeline priorities, • Lead commercialization of Korean-inspired protein SKUs, • Develop better-for-you, clean-label, and functional protein positioning, • Partner with HQ R&D to localize and accelerate product launches 6️⃣ P&L & Performance Ownership • Hold accountability for U.S. market-level revenue, margin, and contribution, • Manage marketing budgets with ROI discipline, • Establish KPI dashboards across velocity, margin, and brand health, • Lead corrective action plans in partnership with Sales and Finance 7️⃣ Cross-Functional & Global Leadership • Serve as primary U.S. brand liaison to Seoul HQ, • Align global brand direction with U.S. execution realities, • Partner closely with Sales, R&D, Operations, and Finance, • Support post-acquisition integration and brand alignment Requirements Required • 10–15 years of experience building or scaling U.S. food/CPG brands, • Demonstrated success in brand transformation or challenger brand growth, • Strong retail and trade marketing experience, • Proven accountability for market-level P&L, • Experience working in growth-stage or transformation-stage organizations Preferred • Experience in protein, deli, fresh, or perimeter categories, • Experience with PE-backed or founder-led companies, • Experience building culturally relevant or viral food brands, • Familiarity with Asian or globally inspired food categories Leadership DNA We are seeking a leader who: • Has a builder mentality, • Operates with a challenger mindset, • Is comfortable with ambiguity and rapid decision-making, • Understands culture as a growth lever, • Is obsessed with velocity and execution, • Thinks strategically but executes like an operator Why This Role Matters This is not a maintenance marketing role. This role will define how Korean-inspired protein is understood in the U.S. market — and how legacy brands evolve into scalable, premium platforms capable of national expansion. Benefits Comprehensive health insurance, 401K, PTO, Sick days, incentive/bonus