THE ORGANIZATION

Our client, The Little Potato Company, began its journey in 1996 with the owners (Jacob and Angela – father and daughter) wanting to be able to produce little creamer potatoes, like what Jacob knew from his Dutch roots. They grew their first acre by hand; planting, weeding, harvesting, and washing it themselves. They then packed them into the back of Angela’s hatchback, setting off to farmers markets and restaurants. The potatoes were popular with chefs early on, with one of their first accounts being the Banff Springs Hotel. Jacob and Angela bought their first plant in 2000 and with their continued success, have expanded to increasingly larger facilities over the years with their current production facility located in west Edmonton. With further expansion and growth across Canada and into the United States, the decision was made to open a second production plant in PEI, and then a a third plant in Wisconsin. Today, Angela leads the organization as CEO and Jacob runs a research and breeding company for little potatoes. The Little Potato Company has grown to have products on store shelves in every Province in Canada and State in the United States, and operates with over 360 employees across Canada and the United States.

The Little Potato Company continues to experience growth year over year and continue to be the market leading producer of Creamer potatoes. They continue to set their sights high with their purpose being to “Save the Potato. Feed the World, better” where “everyone, everywhere deserves to have healthy, great food”. At The Little Potato Company, they believe in living by a set of deeply held core values representing both their history and how they strive to live every day to make the world a better place. The core values that guide their corporate family are:

Importance of Family:  We are a family-based Company and since our prime support comes from our family, we encourage a healthy work-life balance. We honour the place that family has in our employees’ lives.

Go Beyond:  We acknowledge that employees come to us with their own experience and resources.  We support and encourage our employees to go beyond what they bring, beyond what they envision they can do, and certainly beyond a mere job description. We trust in our employees’ passion and creativity so that they can extend themselves not just for the Company, but for themselves.

Elevate others:  We are a diverse and inclusive work environment that embraces new ideas and ways of doing. When we enhance another by recognizing their skills and expertise we contribute to an overall feeling of worth.

Down To Earth:  We are approachable and recognize the common humanity of all.  We do not pretend to be other than what we are. Whether we are in the office, in the plant, in the field or with a customer we are approachable, genuine, and warm.

Do What You Say:  We walk our talk. Being honest and impeccable really means that we waste no time in pretending, glossing over, or making unfounded promises.  We are reliable, accountable and our words communicate an actual reality.

It is a great time to join The Little Potato Company as they continue to grow and be a North American producer of their unique, healthy, and delicious Little Potatoes! For further information on The Little Potato Company, please visit their website at www.littlepotatoes.com

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Director, Brand, Product & Consumer will report to the Vice President, Marketing and will have a primary focus on leading all The Little Potato Company’s (LPC’s) brand, product, and consumer insights activities. This position requires a knowledgeable and experienced professional who has a strong background in two of the core disciplines with product management being the greatest asset and significant exposure to consumer insights or brand management as a secondary strength. In addition, the ideal candidate will have experience in consumer-packaged goods with experience in the food industry being ideal.

The Director, Brand, Product & Consumer is responsible for driving consumer acquisition and retention through evaluation of segment potential, differentiation of product strategy and market research. This leadership role works extensively with other marketing team members in marketing operations, agency partners, and the cross-functional leadership/executive team to achieve marketing and business goals. Success in this role will be measured through metrics related to brand health, product sales, team engagement and retention, and living the values of The Little Potato Company.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Brand Management

• Develop the brand platform in alignment with organizational goals, consumer potential and competitor landscape.
• Ensure brand entrenchment and alignment within the internal organization and within all outward communication and advertising.
• Ensure increasing brand equity within the marketplace which translates into consumer/customer loyalty, premium pricing, and segment growth.
• Own the development of the PR plans for consumer and trade/industry.
• Stay on top of best practices and innovation in brand management, and shares insights across marketing and sales.

Product Management

• Manage the product lifecycle ensuring product mix reflects customer and consumer needs, segments, and regional differences.
• Responsible for product launch planning and execution of a multi-year product roadmap.
• Develop business cases and analysis working with a cross-functional team.
• Ensure new products are launched in identified markets in collaboration with the sales teams according to plan (time and budget).
• Manage product discontinuations.
• Ensure products are discontinued in identified markets in collaboration with the sales/production teams according to a shared plan.
• Work with the sales team to ensure a best-in-class merchandising strategy to drive product sales.
• Stay on top of best practices and innovation in product marketing, and shares insights across marketing and sales.

Consumer Insights & Tracking

• Oversee the consumer market research program, including qualitative, quantitative, panel and point of sale data.
• Ensure brand equity, consumer preferences, consumer buying behavior, pricing, and product concepts are tracked to establish baselines and benefits over time.
• Ensure KPIs are met or exceeded and be responsible for creation and maintenance of reporting on the team outcomes.
• Evaluate, implement, and train team members on analytics tools/platforms.

Team Development

• Lead and develop the Brand, Product and Consumer team members.
• Ensure all team members receive coaching and development
• Lead Brand, Product and Consumer recruitment activities, and support other department recruiting.

Department Operations

• Own the business relationship with agencies for research, brand, PR/media, packaging, retail promotions, and in-store/merchandising.
• Manage all budgets and ROI from Brand, Product and Consumer team activities.
• Ensure accountability within the Brand, Product and Consumer team and to other groups (Sales, Marketing Operations, Executive, HR).

Stakeholder Management

• Work with the Director, Marketing Operations, and the VP, Marketing to develop the annual marketing strategy.
• Act like a business owner on the cross-functional leadership team, championing insights and outcomes, and helping shape the broader organizational strategy.

FIRST YEAR – MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Increase strength and facilitate development of the Brand, Product & Consumer Insights team to optimize collaboration and alignment on department goals and to meet marketing requirements.
• Build solid, trusting, respectful relationships with the Director, Marketing Operations and the VP, Marketing to align on attaining long term organizational goals.
• Construct a foundational bridge between Marketing, Sales, and Business Development teams to foster open communication and cooperation resulting in high performing teams that are aligned to organizational strategies.
• Meet KPI’s on brand health, product sales and on-time, on-budget delivery of brand, product and research plans.

THE INDIVIDUAL

Given the pivotal role this individual will be expected to play in achieving the strategic objectives of The Little Potato Company and in supporting the success of the organization, it is essential that the successful candidate possess the following core competencies, experience, and attributes:

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree or Certificate in a marketing or business-related discipline.

Experience

• 8+ years of senior management level experience with expertise in two of the three disciplines of oversight with product management expertise being the greatest asset and additional strength in either brand or consumer insights.
• Progressive experience in leading and developing teams.
• Experience in developing and implementing brand platforms.
• Experience in developing and implementing multi-year product roadmaps and go-to-market strategies.
• Experience in managing research and consumer insights plans.
• Experience in analyzing performance of brand and products.
• Proficiency in project management, agency management and budget management.
• Experience participating in senior leadership teams.
• Desire and ability to contribute to work in a growing, entrepreneurial environment for a purpose-driven business.
• Desire to own decisions and take responsibility for outcomes.
• Willingness to travel when required

Competencies and Knowledge

• Strong understanding of food, produce and/or consumer-packaging goods brands.
• Familiarity with brand and product marketing in the US and Canada.
• Familiarity with research and consumer insights methodologies/platforms.
• Ability to lead and develop high-performing teams.
• Ability to lead through influence at all organizational levels, across teams and departments.
• Adept in using both sides of the brain – from analysis through to creative application of the story the data tells.
• Strong ability to project manage simultaneous projects with many inter-dependencies.
• Ability to work in an entrepreneurial, unstructured, and highly changing environment
• Lead by example, exhibiting the characteristics that team members aspire to emulate.

Personal Profile

• Solution focused.
• Confident with unquestioned personal and professional integrity
• Highly accountable
• Displays ethical leadership
• Able to respond and pivot quickly to new initiatives and business needs
• Enjoys change and leading others through it
• Able to l or from the front as needed
• Respectful of others
• Positive attitude and energy
• Leads by example
• Strategic and operational performer
• Collaborative
• Highly organized with good time management skills
• Critical thinker with problem solving skills
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and without supervision
• A positive attitude when faced with adversarial situations
• Exhibits sound judgment

Compensation

An excellent compensation package awaits the successful candidate.

Location

Edmonton, Alberta or Vancouver, BC preferred with other remote locations being considered.

How to Apply

For the opportunity to join The Little Potato Company in the role of Director, Brand, Product & Consumer, please email your resume to DreamBig@profoundtalent.com referencing Position ID #ASBJ-742818.

Should you have an inquiry regarding this position, please contact Stacey Laing at 587-200-0114 ext. 104 or Terri Davis at 587-200-0114 ext. 101.

For further information on ProFound Talent Inc. please visit:

Website: www.profoundtalent.com
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* We thank all applicants for your submissions; however, only candidates being considered for this role will be contacted. *