Summary

The Brand Director for Own Brands & Deli is a critical, highly strategic leadership role responsible for defining and executing the long-term vision, positioning, and market penetration strategy for the company's private label portfolio and Deli business. This role moves beyond tactical brand management to answer the crucial strategic questions of where to compete and how to win in key retailer partnerships and competitive meat aisles. A core responsibility is driving supply chain optimization and profitability through meticulous management of the whole bird, specifically focused on maximizing value and reducing waste (whole bird utilization) within the integrated Deli operation.

The salary range for this position is $143,000 - $215,000 per year, based on experience and qualifications with annual bonus available (variable depending on performance).  

In addition to the base salary, Perdue offers a competitive benefits package, including medical/Rx, 401(k) with employer match after 1 year, critical illness, accident insurance, dental, vison, life insurance, optional group life insurance, short-term and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts and paid time off. 

Principal and Essential Duties & Responsibilities

1. Strategic Market Planning & Positioning (How to Win)

• Own Brands/Private Label Strategy: Lead the development of a comprehensive growth strategy for the entire Own Brands portfolio, identifying category gaps, competitive white space, and retailer-specific opportunities to aggressively grow private label market share and gross margin.
• Deli Portfolio Strategy: Define the strategic role of the branded and private label Deli offerings, ensuring optimal product mix, pricing tiers, and promotional strategies to maximize profitable volume and drive foot traffic for retail partners.
• Market Penetration: Conduct in-depth analysis of the competitive landscape, retailer merchandising practices, and consumer shopping behaviors (especially in the perimeter store) to create "how to win" plans that secure new distribution and optimize existing placements.

2. Profitability & Supply Chain Efficiency (Whole Bird Management)

• Whole Bird/Protein Optimization: Take a leadership role in collaborating with Supply Chain, Operations, and Sales to develop a holistic, profitable plan for the entire whole bird supply. Specifically, focus on whole bird utilization in the Deli business to minimize excess, low-value parts and maximize value realization across all product forms (Ready-to-Eat, Ready-to-Cook, and commodity ingredients).
• P&L Leadership & Margin Optimization: Manage the full P&L for both Own Brands and Deli, focusing on product mix, cost inputs, and pricing/promotion to significantly improve gross margin and profitability. Drive trade spend efficiency and pricing realization in the competitive private label space.
• Innovation & Value Creation: Partner with R&D and Culinary to identify and rapidly commercialize innovative solutions that utilize protein parts currently considered waste or low-value, transforming them into high-margin Own Brand or Deli products.

3. Brand Governance & Retailer Partnership

• Retailer Engagement: Act as the primary strategic brand counterpart for key retailers' private label teams, driving joint business planning and negotiating long-term category strategies that position the company as the preferred supplier.
• Quality & Specification Management: Ensure rigorous quality control and product specification adherence across the Own Brands portfolio, maintaining the integrity and trust required for successful private label partnerships.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Lead high-impact cross-functional teams (including Sales, Operations, Sourcing, R&D, and Finance) to align the organization on strategic priorities, ensuring seamless execution of supply chain efficiencies and go-to-market plans.

4. Performance & Team Development

• Continuously track, analyze, and report on segment performance against established KPIs, including profitability, category share growth in private label, and whole bird utilization metrics.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the direct report team, fostering a culture of data-driven strategy, commercial acumen, and cross-functional ownership.

Direct Reports: Senior Brand Manager Deli, Brand Manager Own Brands

Minimum Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field; MBA preferred.

Experience Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive brand and/or category management experience within the CPG or Food industry, with significant experience in Private Label, Own Brands, B2B, or highly integrated supply chain environments (e.g., meat/poultry).
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, answering "where to play and how to win" questions, and influencing major retailer category strategies.
• Proven track record of managing complex P&Ls and driving significant profitability improvements, ideally tied to supply chain efficiency or whole animal utilization.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex financial, market, and operational data to drive strategic decisions.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, essential for leading cross-functional teams and managing high-stakes retailer relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team.

Experience Preferred

Environmental Factors and Physical Requirements

Position is mostly sedentary but may require occasional moving to other offices or buildings. May need to move light equipment or supplies from one place to another. May need to access files, supplies and equipment.  Work activity is in an office, open-partitioned, cubicle environment.