Brand Director, Local Partnerships

Aramark Marketing:

The marketing team at Aramark is charged with building a strong brand and driving profitable growth. Through repeatable business models that leverage insights and innovation, Aramark marketers help build base business, new business, and client retention through concepts, programs, products and practices that engage consumers “at the moment of truth” – where we serve over 2 billion meals each year at workplaces, schools, colleges & universities, hospitals, sports & entertainment venues and other locations around the country and the world.

Position Objective

In this role, you’ll be a key member of the Marketing Team creating programs for multiple LOBs, working through a structured new product/program development process from concept through pilot and launch. The Brand Director, Local Partnerships is responsible for developing and managing innovation for curating, scheduling, activating and managing local restaurant partnerships.

This position will employ an insights driven, consumer-centric approach to program development and activation, as well as partner with cross-functional team members in the creation of B2C and B2B strategies for go-to-market, sales and retention efforts.

The Director will need the capacity to lead multiple areas of focus at the same time and must be comfortable in an ambiguous, fast-paced environment. It is expected that this role is a doer as well as a thinker, who does not settle for the expected and conventional, but works to push ideas beyond the norm.

The Director needs to be passionate about food and the food landscape, have a strong understanding of client business needs, consumer macro trends and the evolving dining away from home needs of today’s consumer. They must be obsessed with providing consumers a high-quality dining experience that will drive guest satisfaction within our locations as well as position Aramark as a preferred partner for local restaurateurs.

Position Overview

The Brand Director, Local Partnerships will be responsible for:

• Strategic and Annual Business Planning:for assigned projects supporting the annual growth plan

• Brand/Concepts Insights: Work with the Insights Team and LOB teams to utilize consumer, client, competitive, category, and Aramark business unit insights to assess opportunities and inform development efforts. Utilize insights and analytics for ongoing management and continuous improvement.

• Brand Strategy: translate insights into a comprehensive Situation Assessment including recommended Brand Strategy, Development Plan, Timeline, etc.

Brand Development: oversee the creation, repositioning, and/or refresh of programs including positioning, visual identity, logo, and environment/trade dress. Manage development through a stage gate process overseeing key workstreams, relevant documentation, and leadership reviews. Manage all aspects of pilots with the Brand Management, Field Marketing, B2B Marketing, Capital Projects, and Global Operating Excellence teams including initial training materials, roll-out plans, and sales/operations guides/tools development.

• Partnership Development: Strategically identify and develop new local partnerships. Develop, grow and strengthen relationships with current and new local restaurant partners. Support the evolution of current partners within Aramark’s account portfolio. Closely collaborate with Aramark accounts and partners in identified geographies.

• Project Management:Lead cross-functional teams, including product development/menu, SCM, environment, operations, OpX, finance, IT, corporate communications, business units, etc. to develop, launch, assess and continuously improve.

• Marketing Management: Lead development of key programs, promotions, and ongoing initiatives that support both account and consumer awareness. Includes new features/functionalities such as technology, menu & new product development changes.

• Business Unit/Other Stakeholder Alignment: Serve as a program / platform expert and support requests from field marketing, sales/retention, partners and account leadership. Closely collaborate with Aramark accounts and partners in identified geographies.

• Measurement: The position will determine KPIs and success measures, track and report initiative results against these objectives while managing the budget and other project management duties (e.g., timelines, project plans, program administration, etc.).

Reporting Relationships

This position will report to the AVP Marketing within the Aramark Growth Team and work in matrix with other marketing team members.

CANDIDATE PROFILE Experience and Personal Attributes

The ideal candidate will have the following professional experience and skills:

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE / EDUCATION

• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in Food Service/Retail/Partnership Development
• Experience within higher education, health care or business dining services a plus
• A retail and partnership development mindset with both brand development and activation experience
• Experience working beyond individual programs, considering the full guest experience in program activation
• Cross functional team leadership experience
• P&L experience and a proven track record of growing businesses
• Track record reimaging, repositioning and building brands, managing across the stages of an NPD process
• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA preferred.

STRATEGIC

• Platform development and leadership of new business and channel solutions.
• Strategy and program development (leading annual brand/marketing planning)
• Ability to understand broader company and project/program strategy and to prioritize and manage projects accordingly.
• Quick study with an entrepreneurial mindset — able to adapt, learn on-the-go and work across a wide range of functional areas.

INFLUENCE MANAGEMENT

• Ability to lead initiatives across business units and flex ideas/concepts appropriately depending business needs.
• Ability to work with and influence a broad range of people with diverse backgrounds and expertise across key functional areas (internally & externally).
• Demonstrated experience influencing without formal authority

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Strong business analytical abilities, and project management skills /production orientation.
• Persistence/perseverance/patience (ability to deal with ambiguity associated with working in uncharted territory).
• Resourceful/able to juggle multiple tasks.

COMMUNICATION & STYLE

• Strong written and presentation skills in range of formats for hands on development of professional quality presentations, project management communications and program support materials for internal and external audiences.
• A self-starter, confident in his/her abilities, self-motivated and able to work independently

It is expected that the successful candidate will also have the following personal attributes:

• Strong value system, integrity and respect always, and work ethic
• Hands on leader/team player/strong collaborator
• Highly motivated/“can do” positive attitude
• Highly organized and results-orientation
• Able to deal with ambiguity/effectively cope with change

Demonstrated good judgment