Ace Hardware Looking for Paint Brand Manager at Oak Brook, IL Full Time

The Paint Brand Manager will work in conjunction with the Paint Business Manager on certain aspects of Ace Hardware and Emery Jensen Distribution (EJD) paint business including product assortment and marketing strategy development & execution from wholesale decisions through retail execution. The position provides leadership opportunities within the organization via exhibiting a thorough understanding of the competitive marketplace and trends, providing Ace retailers and EJD customers potential to grow via differentiated assortment, and ability to articulate and drive action plans to execute.

In addition, the Paint Brand Manager is directly responsible for global brand management of the private label paint and coatings portfolio for retailers and consumers. Responsibilities include design & development of packaging; creation and prototyping of product merchandising, color displays & collateral; color palette design, updates, and marketing; brand messaging and positioning across the entire brand portfolio; promotional marketing for paint and the paint departments both in-store and online; overall layout of the consumer’s path to purchase across all channels.

What you’ll do

Strategy and Business Planning

• With the Paint Business Manager, identify opportunities within the strategic planning process to grow paint category in terms of sales and gross profit
• Present plan to leadership for support and revisit throughout the year to report progress and shifts in execution
• Participate in development and management of category growth plan for Ace and EJD

Marketing & Promotional Planning

• Oversee concept ideation and management of all content for thepaintstudio.com
• Coordinate with outside agencies, vendor partners, field teams, R&D, marketing, and store décor teams
• Develop annual and monthly promotional schedule of advertised categories/items across all mediums to drive awareness and increased transactions at retail
• Work in conjunction with Paint Business Manager to identify items, negotiate special pricing and terms, develop a retail placement and execution strategy, and present items to the promotions team for selection
• Oversee all promotional item submission forms, target pricing, correction notices and ad proofing

Brand Management and Messaging

• Responsible for brand development from determining viability in the market to ultimate rollout
• If viable, develop the brand from all phases beginning with market position, name, price, aesthetic, key messages and more
• Must establish and maintain brand guidelines/ style guide for all vendors/ graphic designers to ensure its identity is consistent in al mediums, through all marketing channels, and in all markets

Market Research

• Work with research and analytics team on paint specific needs. This may include development of a research brief, questionnaire design, attendance to observe focus groups
• Develop keen understanding of consumer shopping journey for liquid paint as well as market and design trends relevant to Ace’s customers and product assortment for liquid paint

Color Palette Design and Ownership

• Design development from creative brief to production of printed materials for: product labels, color fixtures, in-store collateral, signage, social media, promotional marketing and Ace Brand local marketing
• Oversee the selection and development of colors to be features in various merchandising materials ranging from displays, color cards, brochures and other collateral seen or used by consumers; includes the projection of color trends and the interaction between color stylists and color technicians both internal and external
• All color work encompasses the Ace Brand and Clark+Kensington in addition to collaboration with Benjamin Moore and Magnolia Home

Retailer & Cross Functional Communication

• Collaborate with the D1 merchandising team to produce monthly retailer paint newsletter and weekly This Week in Merchandising posts as needed
• Lead Paint RIT team meetings
• Attend retailer group meetings and targeted retail store visits
• Utilize ACENET to communicate new programs, changes or issues
• Coordinate with Merch CARE to prep Ace Care Center for calls and e-mails related to respective category

Convention Planning

• Coordinate 1P/1U vendors to attend semi-annual convention
• Plan and execute all vendor programs including drop ship forms, Power Buys, Saving Showcase and New Arrivals
• Plan merchant area theme and execution for paint booth at convention including branded giveaways, booth presence of Ace Paint products and color fixture(s) and signage

What you will need:

Knowledge, Experience, and Competencies:

Competencies:

• Strategic thinking – Ability to envision, create and present strategy to drive disruptive wholesale and/or retail growth in category sales and profit
• Results-oriented – Ability to drive results to and above plan with full accountability, proactively shifting efforts as trends and business variables change
• Leadership – Demonstrated and active leadership across the organization, vendors and retailers as authority in respective category. Superior problem-solving skills.
• Product passion – Natural and fanatical curiosity around product and retail marketplace, demonstrated and put into action. Convertible to multiple categories based on changes in responsibilities.
• Negotiation skills – Superior negotiation skills with proven results leveraging company scale, business drivers and strategies
• Presentation skills – Ability to plan, assemble and present with excellence strategy, execution and updates to leadership, across the organization, vendors and retailers

Experience and Technical Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Merchandising, or equivalent business degree
• Five or more years of professional experience in merchandising or marketing, either agency or in-house experience
• Paint industry experience, including familiarity with all architectural coatings categories, is strongly requested but not required
• Proven track record in developing and maintaining merchandising and/or marketing strategies to meet the organization’s objective
• Proven ability to oversee and manage packaging and merchandising material development with graphic designers, ad agencies and other vendor partners
• Strong understanding of customer and market dynamics and requirements; high customer orientation
• Strong project management skills with demonstrated ability to multi-task and set priorities within tight timelines and high internal and external expectations
• Superior organization and time management skills; comfortable working in a fast-paced environment
• Demonstrate strong decision-making skills
• Flexible and open to changing priorities; comfortable with ambiguity
• Superior written and verbal communication skills, coupled with developed interpersonal skills; strong collaboration skills
• Proven ability to multi-task projects and meet deadlines
• Proficient in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point
• Ability to travel up to 25%

Compensation Details:
$93100 – $116400 per year

Why should you join our team?

We live our values – W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. You don’t often see values like these in most corporate statements, but Ace is different. These things are important to us. They represent our commitment to the company, our employees, to Ace retailers and to the Ace brand.

In addition to providing our employees a great culture, Ace also offers competitive benefits* that address life’s necessities and perks, many of which expand and improve year after year, including:

• Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (rapid company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 126% of your target opportunity!)
• Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with company contributions, averaging 9.6% per year of eligible earnings over the past 5 years
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents
• 21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year)
• Company Car, phone and fuel card are provided for field-based positions
• Your career at Ace is more than just a job. It’s a chance to be part of something meaningful. We help locally-owned businesses thrive and make an impact in their communities – and we support our employees in doing the same by offering an annual Ace Cares Week, 20 hours off work per year to volunteer at an organization of your choice, opportunities to help Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Ace Helpful Fund through the Ace Foundation
• Ace invests in every employee we hire, with a key focus on development and coaching. We offer on-site classes, facilitator-led courses, and a generous tuition assistance program, plus a performance management approach that goes beyond the typical annual review
• We know the work environment matters. That’s why Ace holds frequent campus events like Employee Appreciation Week, vendor demos, cookouts, and merchandise sales
• We bring them to you! Services such as mobile spas, auto maintenance, car wash and detailing, dry cleaning, dentists, eye doctors, flu shots, recycling and more!
• Employee discounts on Ace merchandise (including top brands like Weber, Traeger, Yeti, Craftsman, DeWalt and more), travel, fitness, computers and thousands more
• Birth/Adoption bonding paid time off
• Adoption cost reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to free visits to therapists and lawyers, guidance on financial matters, elder and childcare, and assistance with tickets to entertainment events
• Identity theft protection

* Benefits are provided in compliance with applicable policies.

We want to hear from you!
When most people think of career opportunities with Ace Hardware, they often think of the helpful cashiers and sales associates at their local store. However, have you also considered the people behind the scenes who select, promote, ship and process the invoices for more than 75,000 products? Maybe you haven’t, but we’d like you to. Because together we help our customers take care of their homes. Come find out why a career with the Ace Hardware Corporation is one of America’s best kept secrets.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Ace Hardware Corporation and its subsidiaries are committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military or veteran status, sexual orientation or any other action covered by federal or applicable state/local laws.

Disclaimer

The pay range for this position starts as listed in the job posting, but could be higher based on education and experience. Please note, compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each opening. We take into consideration the minimum requirements outlined in the job description, such as an individual’s education, training and experience, the position’s work location, required travel (if any), and external market conditions when determining the final salary for potential new hires.

Be aware that salary estimates published via alternate online job boards may not be a true representation of the actual pay range offered for this position. Please refer to the Ace position description for the accurate starting pay range information and feel free to discuss this with a Talent Acquisition professional if you are chosen to move forward with an interview.

This written “Position Description” is not intended to cover all aspects of the position listed. It is meant to cover the basic/general essential job functions of a particular position. Ace Hardware Corporation reserves the right to change job duties, including essential job functions, according to business necessity.