Associate Director, Communications Strategy

Business Unit OverviewHere's what all the hype is about: Premier Nutrition Company (PNC) is one of the fastest-growing companies in the convenient nutrition space showing clear leadership in the category of protein shakes and protein powders. We make the brands Premier Protein, Dymatize, and PowerBar, which is sold internationally, and we are part of our holding company, BellRing Brands (NYSE: BRBR). We have a simple, yet powerful, formula for our success, which we’ve been nailing for over 15 years. We start off with an organization powered by our company purpose—Changing Lives with Good Energy. Then our purpose-driven people are given the support and autonomy to develop and grow. Next, we are super-intentional about designing a culture where everyone feels like they truly connect and belong, which is one of our five company core values. Purpose-driven, connected employees who are consistently mastering new skills deliver amazing business results. And winning companies with amazing people and thriving cultures attract and retain top talent, so the cycle becomes self-reinforcing or what we call our regenerative culture. We don’t mind sharing our formula since, as people who we believe in the power of changing lives with good energy, we think the world would be a better place if more workplaces treated adults like adults and gave them the platform to do the best work of their lives—alongside some truly amazing colleagues. Why don’t more companies do this? It takes deep-in-your-bones conviction to your people, products, and purpose to pull it off. It also takes resisting the urge to try to control people, and instead trusting them to make the right decisions. The results of our vibrant culture speaks for themselves: We were certified as a Great Place to Work™ for the 7th year-running in 2023. And we currently rank #2 on Fortune Magazine’s Best Workplaces in our category, and in the top 12 for each of the last 5 years.We have a long list of ways we take care of our people, but here are some crowd-pleasers that our employees often say they love most: Year-round ½ day Fridays, in-office massages, free lunches & snacks, dogs in the office, month-long cultural annd diversity celebrations, monthly over-the-top in-office events like bring your kids to work day, 6% 401k match after 1 year, as-needed sick leave, generous paid family leave regardless of gender, all positions bonus-eligible, company-wide volunteer days, company-matched charitable donations, no employee handbook, no dress code, coaching conversations instead of performance reviews, walking meetings, free exercise classes, and company-paid gym membership for Emeryville-based employees.PNC seeks individuals who will flourish in this type of work environment and will add to our culture and help build this high-growth company for the next phase in our amazing journey. Does this sound like you? Then read on…#LI-hybridResponsibilitiesThe role you’re interested in… This is an exciting role to help drive our category-leading brands forward through integrated marketing and communications. You will play a lead role in developing our brand engagement strategy across paid and owned channels, driving brand growth, building brand love, and creating meaningful connections with our consumers. You will guide and shape creative and comms strategies, ensuring our brands are distinct, recognizable, and culturally relevant. And you will be surrounded and supported by a team of strategic, cross-functional thinkers who share a passion for best-in-class campaigns and marketing programs. The work environment…So, what’s it like to work here? If you’re based in the greater Bay Area, you’ll walk into our Emeryville office each Tuesday morning and start the in-person portion of our hybrid work week at our weekly all-company meeting and find close to 200 of your colleagues sitting on sofas, beanbag chairs, or the floor excitedly talking through the week ahead and watching a newer teammate tell their personal life and career journey followed by a quick update on any hot topics that might be relevant to the week ahead. We are a dynamic, HYBRID workplace so every employee who lives within 100 miles of our offices is expected to come in each TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY. We aligned on those two common days back in 2021 to be intentional about connecting in person for things like innovation, impromptu collaboration, having respectful challenges to get to better decisions, leadership role-modeling, and culture building. Our modern 50,000 sq. foot headquarters straddles the border of the cities of Emeryville, Oakland, and Berkeley, California with free onsite parking and many transportation options.The expected pay scale for this role is $155k to $170k, which may vary based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic area (if applicable), and internal equity for the role.You’re excited about this opportunity because your time will be filled with… Strategy and Planning (40% of your time)Play a leadership role in annual brand planning and IMC planning. Ensure agency partners and internal teams are smartly integrated across strategy, creative, media, digital, PR and omni (retail). Lead the IMC process with an eye towards outstanding creative and media strategy.  Oversee the development of big ideas and compelling creative concepts, ensuring brand comms are engaging, on strategy, anchored in objectives, and extendable across touchpoints. Work closely with brand P&L owners to deeply understand category dynamics, competitive landscape, consumer motivations, and brand positioning. Lead creative strategy across paid and owned for specific promotions and micro-campaigns. Ensure a strategic balance of brand-building and sales-driving activities.Partner with digital brand leads and agency partners to build always-on programs across social, digital, and influencer. Ensure programs are smartly integrated with paid campaigns. Ensure post-ad experiences are engaging, intuitive, and high converting. Serve as a thought leader internally. Increase the value of the brand engagement function, consistently finding new ways to build our brands and gain competitive advantage. Campaign and Performance Oversight (30% of your time)Provide ongoing direction and guidance across campaigns and programs, including brand campaigns, product launches, and promotional activations. Lead our approach to campaign measurement and be responsible for overall campaign success across channels. Regularly report campaign and brand health to senior leadership and cross functional leads. Identify performance learnings and insights. Apply learnings and ensure continuous improvement and optimization. Share strategic learnings across brands. Push our campaigns to be more than paid advertising. Guide and motivate teams to leverage the unique strengths of various consumer engagement channels. Identify strong performing channels and new opportunities to gain SOV. Team and Function Leadership (20% of your time)Lead and help build a high-performing IMC team. Establish IMC as an organizational strength and difference maker for our brands. Mentor, motivate, and supervise specialists as we build out the IMC function.Foster collaboration and innovation within the consumer experience team and across the organization. Stay at the forefront of industry trends and emerging technologies.Contribute thought leadership and insights to the organization. General and Daily (10% of your time)Attending meetings and presentationsAll hands, team, and cross-functional meetingsParticipating in company-wide activities and eventsAdministrative activity (email, calendars, etc)QualificationsWhat are we looking for?Education:Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience Experience:8+ years of experience in integrating marketing with strong proficiency across paid and owned channels. 4+ years in leadership role with team management experience Strong understanding of brand strategy and creative strategySkills and mindset:Excellent leadership, listening, and communication skillsPassionate and strong believer in the power of ideas to drive brand health and brand growthStrong understanding of traditional and digital marketing trends, tools, and best practicesStrategic mindset, able to balance brand building and performance marketing goalsExperience planning and executing large integrated campaigns with digital at the centerSo, if after reading through this long list you’re thinking—I’m not sure I meet 100% of these requirements, should I still apply? YES—if you embody a growth mindset, see challenges as opportunities to develop, and find innovative ways to get the real work that matters done, you sound like our kind of candidate!The 5 capabilities or mindsets most relevant to this role:Be a builder—create for the futureEmbody a strategic mindset—make decisions through thoughtful analysisPlay to win—refuse to settle for the status quoBring people along—provide context and share openly and inclusivelyInspire and influence—build trusting, win-win relationships; motivate peers and those whom you leadYou will thrive here if…You want to be an integral part of shaping an amazing work culture and being a culture-addYou can be both clear and kind—empathetic yet hold people accountableYou can hold the tension of being both warm and self-deprecating, and also highly credible as a professionalYou can do periods of focused, deep work on projects that drive the business forwardYou don’t have a big ego and give credit and praise freelyThis may not be your ideal next career move if…You like a lot of structure, rules, and uniformityYou like a “big company” impersonal, cog-in-the-machine vibeYou’re uncomfortable with changeDealing with ambiguity or experimentation is not your jamYou want to work in your own silo-of-excellenceHere’s the deal with our not-so-standard, um…standard  interview process because we know you are the curious type, which is why you’re still reading this…Quick 30 min phone chat with a high energy member of our Talent Acquisition team to do a quick overview of your background and answer any burning questions you haveTeam interviews are kept to a minimum to foster a more efficient, candidate-friendly process (too many interviewers yields little value and drags out the process for you—and who wants that, right?):A short series of in-person or video interviews in a 1:1 setting; these are usually with the hiring manager, one or two other team members, and a person from another team to get broader perspectives (note: we don’t do panel interviews because they don’t give interviewers a chance to ask you unique questions, and we assign interviewers different roles so we’re probing different capabilities)A case study or job task to simulate what you’d actually be doing in the role (since your job is not actually to be interviewed for a living, why is that the thing companies rely on so much?) Yes, there will be a small panel for this one so you don’t have to do it more than once, and yes, they might ask you some kind yet probing questions at the end after the raucous applause stops.Once your interview concludes, the team will meet for an in-depth consultative process to ensure we are hiring the right person for the right job. Interviewers must come in with a strong yes or no vote beforehand to avoid groupthink with supporting reasons. The collective thoughts on your candidacy will be discussed in an environment of safety to challenge ideas respectfully, debate. and be open to all important qualifications of the candidates.  A trained, disinterested bias blocker will be present to help mitigate bias so the team can make a sound hiring decision. The moment of truth arrives when the hiring manager makes the big decision. If you nailed the interviews and the case study was brilliant, guess what? The offer is all yours! And the ball is in your court. Will you accept? We sure hope so because this place is the real deal, and don’t just believe us—just ask the 93% of our people who said this is a great place to work in our most recent employee survey.                                                                                          We strive to create an equitable and inclusive environment to contribute to the success of our organization.  Premier Nutrition provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, status as a covered veteran and any other category protected under applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws.  Job type: FULL TIMECategories: Marketing