Sr Brand Manager - Miller

Miller is about building things that matter. We lead the welding industry in building advanced, solution-focused products and meeting crucial needs for welding safety and health. Our products are designed with our users for manufacturing, fabrication, construction, aviation, motorsports, education, agriculture, and marine applications. Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, and wholly owned by Illinois Tool Works (acquired in 1993). Miller Electric maintains its industry leadership by setting the standard for reliability, quality, and responsiveness. Our tagline, “The Power of Blue®,” is inspired by the blue color of Miller equipment.

The company began with an innovation that responded to customer needs, growing from a one-man operation in 1929, to the world’s largest manufacturer of arc welding products. Miller keeps the tradition alive by focusing on its top priority: people. Fun fact: Niels Miller started the company in his little garage; similar to Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs!

Are you a driven individual eager to spearhead the transformation of welding brands within a dynamic and collaborative environment? Join us as a Senior Brand Manager and be a key player in driving demand, market share, and profitability within our welding segment.

As part of our team, you'll collaborate closely with business leaders and cross-functional teams to craft innovative strategies for the Miller® brand, as well as support the positioning of our other welding brands including Hobart®, Bernard®, and Tregaskiss®. Your primary focus will be on developing and implementing integrated marketing plans, ensuring the seamless execution of campaigns, and managing brand processes effectively.

In this role, you'll have the opportunity to lead a team of 10 professionals, spanning brand marketing, creative services, and marketing research. Together, we'll work towards enhancing the value and loyalty of our brands while driving positive results across our brand banners.

We're looking for someone with a forward-thinking mindset, who can provide strategic insights based on market trends, competitive intelligence, and channel dynamics. Your contributions will be instrumental in shaping our North American marketing strategies and maximizing our brand presence on a national and global scale.

This is an onsite role in Appleton, WI.

What you will do and impact:

Brand Strategy:

• Accountable for designing and recommending the brands long-term integrated strategy and messaging, as well as 1-3 year targets related to measuring success of those plans.
• Identify, build, and execute powerful ideas that build sustainable differentiation, relevance, and esteem for the Miller® brand.
• Translate business and brand needs into a prioritized customer research list to help set a research budget around needs for the brand while leveraging already in use models and processes.
• Set the national brand positioning for the Miller® brand across all product category areas.
• Create and execute vision for experiential brand engagement including in-store merchandising, major trade show strategies and other event marketing.
• Analyze brand portfolio and positioning and recommends any regional adaptation.
• Work directly with key internal stakeholders and agency partners (creative and research) to develop and oversee execution of the brand structure, proposition, message, and messaging to effectively define the brand from a more inclusive method.
• Lead workshops and process relating to brand strategy, consistency, consolidation, and migrations.
• Work in tandem, not in isolation, with other marketing professionals in the operating divisions to make sure that positions are complimentary as well as leveraging the right aspects of brand messaging and values without affecting their brands equities in a negative fashion.

Integrated Marketing Planning:

• Recommend marketing objectives and strategies, understanding and budgets for the upcoming year.
• Prepare consumer, category, and brand information to support channel marketing and sales in customer-specific category management and sales presentations.
• Work with Finance and Market Insights to estimate ROI for brand initiatives. Builds finding into strategies and plans in Long Range Planning and Annual Planning.

What you need to do to be successful:

• Influencing without authority: ability to sell a vision across various decentralized teams and product categories and up through management. This is critical to this role and demands excellent inter-personal communication skills within varied groups and with varied thought processes.
• Marketing competencies:  strength in positioning, brand development, and project leadership.
• Data Analytics: Use data and insights wherever possible to develop and execute a strategic marketing plan for a brand across different product categories. Proven ability to work with limited insights at times and not paralyzed by lack of insights or an abundance of insights; decisive action around the best facts available.
• Strategic agility: comfort in white space; ability to connect disparate pieces of information and insights to establish a path. Shows ability to perform in a solution-based manner even when surrounded by ambiguity and competing interests and stakeholder demands.
• Project Management: lead cross-functional teams and deliver results through others; attention to detail.
• Budget Management: both short and long term.
• Prioritize Effectively: Demonstrate effective prioritization aligned with business objectives. Show high motivation, personal accountability, and coaching skills to drive success.
• Self-Starting Initiative: Display proactive self-starting initiative with the capability to independently lead and execute projects with minimal guidance.
• Willingness to travel 30%.

• Four-year college degree, MBA preferred.
• 5-7+ years of experience in a similar role, preferably in the B2B arena, yet with the experience of employing more classic, strategic marketing disciplines of a B2C background through stewardship and discipline.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

ITW Welding is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential. 

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.