Director of Marketing- Meat food manufacturer

Job Summary

The Director of Brand, Growth & Cultural Impact – K-Flavor U.S. will report directly to the CEO and lead the transformation, repositioning, and accelerated growth of the company’s U.S. brand portfolio.

This role is responsible for:

• Building the K-Flavor Protein platform in the U.S.
• Modernizing and elevating existing American deli brands
• Driving retail velocity and profitable growth
• Creating culturally relevant, conversation-driving brand momentum

The ideal candidate is a brand builder, retail growth operator, and cultural strategist with experience scaling challenger food brands in the U.S.

Job Description

Core Mandate

• Define and build the K-Flavor Protein narrative for mainstream America
• Transform and upgrade legacy U.S. brands into premium protein platforms
• Drive velocity, distribution expansion, and margin growth
• Generate cultural relevance and viral brand moments
• Own U.S. market-level P&L performance

Key Responsibilities

1 Brand Platform & Transformation Leadership

• Lead U.S. brand repositioning and transformation initiatives
• Define and operationalize the K-Flavor Protein brand narrative
• Build culturally resonant storytelling rooted in Korean culinary heritage
• Upgrade packaging, visual identity systems, and brand architecture
• Elevate legacy deli brands from commodity perception to premium protein positioning

2 Portfolio Strategy & Architecture

• Redesign U.S. brand architecture and portfolio roles
• Define premium vs. value tiers and channel-specific strategies
• Lead SKU rationalization and margin optimization initiatives
• Clarify master brand vs. sub-brand strategy
• Align U.S. innovation priorities with consumer insights

3 Retail Growth & Velocity Acceleration

• Develop and execute category- and channel-specific GTM strategies
• Drive retail velocity, distribution gains, and shelf expansion
• Partner with brokers and retail buyers across East Coast accounts
• Lead trade marketing initiatives in deli, perimeter, and protein categories
• Optimize pricing, promotion, and product mix for profitability

4 Cultural & Viral Growth Strategy

• Develop culturally relevant, conversation-driving brand moments
• Build social-first campaigns designed for shareability and earned media impact
• Partner with creators, chefs, and food influencers to drive organic advocacy
• Translate online buzz into retail sell-through
• Launch retail-linked “moment marketing” initiatives to accelerate trial
• Integrate digital storytelling with in-store execution

This is not performance-only marketing. This role owns brand-led cultural momentum that drives real revenue.

5 Innovation & Commercialization

• Translate U.S. consumer insights into innovation pipeline priorities
• Lead commercialization of Korean-inspired protein SKUs
• Develop better-for-you, clean-label, and functional protein positioning
• Partner with HQ R&D to localize and accelerate product launches

6 P&L & Performance Ownership

• Hold accountability for U.S. market-level revenue, margin, and contribution
• Manage marketing budgets with ROI discipline
• Establish KPI dashboards across velocity, margin, and brand health
• Lead corrective action plans in partnership with Sales and Finance

7 Cross-Functional & Global Leadership

• Serve as primary U.S. brand liaison to Seoul HQ
• Align global brand direction with U.S. execution realities
• Partner closely with Sales, R&D, Operations, and Finance
• Support post-acquisition integration and brand alignment

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years of experience building or scaling U.S. food/CPG brands
• Demonstrated success in brand transformation or challenger brand growth
• Strong retail and trade marketing experience
• Proven accountability for market-level P&L
• Experience working in growth-stage or transformation-stage organizations

Preferred

• Experience in protein, deli, fresh, or perimeter categories
• Experience with PE-backed or founder-led companies
• Experience building culturally relevant or viral food brands
• Familiarity with Asian or globally inspired food categories

Leadership DNA

We are seeking a leader who:

• Has a builder mentality
• Operates with a challenger mindset
• Is comfortable with ambiguity and rapid decision-making
• Understands culture as a growth lever
• Is obsessed with velocity and execution
• Thinks strategically but executes like an operator

Why This Role Matters

This is not a maintenance marketing role.

This role will define how Korean-inspired protein is understood in the U.S. market – and how legacy brands evolve into scalable, premium platforms capable of national expansion.

Comprehensive health insurance, 401K, PTO, Sick days