Job Description

* "This role will initially be based in our Needham, MA office. In the Summer of 2026, the position will transition to our Norwood, MA location and will follow our Hybrid Work Schedule**

💰 Pay Range: $190,000.00 - $240,000.00 annually (based on experience and qualifications)

The Director of Cooked Perfect Brands is responsible for leading the long-term vision, growth strategy, and business performance of the Cooked Perfect portfolio. This role serves as the strategic leader for the brand, overseeing core business growth while driving expansion into new platforms, occasions, and product categories under the Cooked Perfect brand umbrella.

This leader will shape the future of Cooked Perfect by building a scalable innovation pipeline that expands beyond the current portfolio into adjacent protein-forward meal and snacking platforms.

This role requires a highly strategic, digitally savvy marketer with a proven track record of building brands, driving profitable growth, and leading innovation in consumer-packaged goods. The ideal candidate is a strong player/coach, capable of setting strategic direction while also rolling up their sleeves to lead execution, problem solve cross-functionally, and operate effectively within a lean, high-growth environment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Brand & Growth Strategy

• Own the long-term Cooked Perfect brand vision and growth strategy
• Drive household penetration, purchase frequency, distribution, and brand equity growth
• Lead portfolio architecture, positioning, and expansion strategies across retail, club, foodservice, and e-commerce channels
• Ensure consistent, compelling brand storytelling across all consumer and customer touchpoints
• Evolve and scale the Cooked Perfect brand platform to support both core business growth and future innovation expansion
• Identify opportunities to strengthen the brand’s role across multiple meal occasions and consumer need states

Strategic Thinking

• Lead strategic initiatives that unlock new business opportunities and future growth platforms
• Identify whitespace opportunities across channels, categories, and consumer occasions
• Develop scalable growth strategies aligned with enterprise priorities and long-range planning objectives
• Drive annual business planning processes including OGSM, AOP, and long-range planning
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders

Product & Innovation Development

• Lead the long-term innovation vision and pipeline strategy for the Cooked Perfect portfolio
• Build and manage a balanced innovation roadmap including core renovation, adjacent expansion, and future growth platforms
• Drive consumer-led innovation strategy grounded in evolving meal behaviors, convenience trends, and protein consumption occasions
• Partner closely with R&D, Commercialization, Operations, and Sales to bring innovation concepts to market successfully
• Ensure innovation initiatives align with brand positioning, operational capabilities, and financial growth objectives
• Foster a culture of innovation, agility, and continuous improvement across the organization

Consumer & Market Insights

• Develop deep consumer, shopper, and customer understanding through Circana/IRI, panel data, social listening, digital analytics, and primary research
• Translate insights into actionable growth strategies and innovation opportunities
• Identify emerging trends in convenience, meal solutions, protein consumption, and digital commerce
• Ensure all marketing and innovation efforts remain highly consumer relevant and insight driven

Digital & Media Management

• Lead the evolution of Cooked Perfect’s omnichannel marketing strategy across retail, e-commerce, shopper, and digital ecosystems
• Drive digital innovation through performance marketing, retail media, social commerce, creator partnerships, and content strategy
• Build scalable digital capabilities leveraging platforms such as Instacart, Amazon, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, and emerging channels
• Optimize media investment and marketing mix to maximize ROI, household penetration, and repeat purchase

Go-to-Market (GTM) Execution

• Oversee GTM strategies for core business, innovation launches, and brand expansion initiatives
• Ensure strong alignment between Marketing, Sales, Commercialization, and Customer teams
• Lead customer-facing innovation and activation strategies to support growth objectives
• Drive execution excellence across key seasonal and promotional activation windows

Execution & Project Management

• Lead large-scale brand and innovation initiatives from concept through commercialization
• Drive flawless execution across marketing, innovation, customer activation, and commercialization efforts
• Oversee integrated annual marketing plans aligned with brand growth objectives and business priorities
• Lead agency relationships and cross-functional teams to ensure executional excellence

Financial Acumen & P&L Management

• Own overall Cooked Perfect brand performance, including revenue growth, profitability, and marketing investment effectiveness
• Partner closely with Sales and Finance to optimize pricing, promotion, mix, and trade investment strategies
• Drive margin expansion through portfolio optimization, innovation mix, and efficient marketing investment allocation
• Lead forecasting and financial planning tied to business growth objectives

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing marketing team including Senior Brand Managers, Brand Managers, and Associate Brand Managers
• Build strong cross-functional alignment across Marketing, Sales, Finance, Operations, Commercialization, and R&D
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, agility, and consumer-centric thinking
• Mentor emerging marketing talent and help elevate organizational capabilities

Success Profile

The ideal candidate is:

• A visionary brand builder capable of shaping the future of Cooked Perfect
• A digitally fluent marketer who understands modern media, content, and commerce ecosystems
• A commercial growth leader who balances brand equity and profitability
• A consumer-first innovator with passion for identifying future whitespace opportunities
• A high-impact leader who can inspire teams and influence across the organization

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or related field required; MBA preferred
• 12+ years of progressive CPG brand management experience, preferably within food, beverage, or protein categories
• Proven success in building brands and driving profitable business growth
• Strong experience leading innovation pipelines and adjacent category expansion
• Deep understanding of digital marketing, e-commerce, retail media, and performance marketing
• Strong financial and analytical capabilities with P&L management experience
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands and work environment described below are representative of those required to perform this job's essential functions.

• Primarily office or hybrid work environment
• Extended periods of sitting and working at a computer
• Occasional standing, walking, or light lifting (e.g., materials or product samples)
• Moderate noise level typical of an office setting
• Occasional travel may be required for meetings, events, or market visits