Director of Brand, Growth & Cultural Impact - K-Flavor U.S. (Food manufacturing)

<p><strong>Position Summary</strong></p><p>The Director of Brand, Growth &amp; 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.</p><p>This role is responsible for:</p><ul><li>Building the K-Flavor Protein platform in the U.S.</li><li>Modernizing and elevating existing American deli brands</li><li>Driving retail velocity and profitable growth</li><li>Creating culturally relevant, conversation-driving brand momentum</li></ul><p>The ideal candidate is a brand builder, retail growth operator, and cultural strategist with experience scaling challenger food brands in the U.S.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Core Mandate</strong></p><ol><li>Define and build the K-Flavor Protein narrative for mainstream America</li><li>Transform and upgrade legacy U.S. brands into premium protein platforms</li><li>Drive velocity, distribution expansion, and margin growth</li><li>Generate cultural relevance and viral brand moments</li><li>Own U.S. market-level P&amp;L performance</li></ol><p> </p><p><strong>Key Responsibilities</strong></p><p><strong>1️⃣ Brand Platform &amp; Transformation Leadership</strong></p><ul><li>Lead U.S. brand repositioning and transformation initiatives</li><li>Define and operationalize the K-Flavor Protein brand narrative</li><li>Build culturally resonant storytelling rooted in Korean culinary heritage</li><li>Upgrade packaging, visual identity systems, and brand architecture</li><li>Elevate legacy deli brands from commodity perception to premium protein positioning</li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>2️⃣ Portfolio Strategy &amp; Architecture</strong></p><ul><li>Redesign U.S. brand architecture and portfolio roles</li><li>Define premium vs. value tiers and channel-specific strategies</li><li>Lead SKU rationalization and margin optimization initiatives</li><li>Clarify master brand vs. sub-brand strategy</li><li>Align U.S. innovation priorities with consumer insights</li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>3️⃣ Retail Growth &amp; Velocity Acceleration</strong></p><ul><li>Develop and execute category- and channel-specific GTM strategies</li><li>Drive retail velocity, distribution gains, and shelf expansion</li><li>Partner with brokers and retail buyers across East Coast accounts</li><li>Lead trade marketing initiatives in deli, perimeter, and protein categories</li><li>Optimize pricing, promotion, and product mix for profitability</li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>4️⃣ Cultural &amp; Viral Growth Strategy</strong></p><ul><li>Develop culturally relevant, conversation-driving brand moments</li><li>Build social-first campaigns designed for shareability and earned media impact</li><li>Partner with creators, chefs, and food influencers to drive organic advocacy</li><li>Translate online buzz into retail sell-through</li><li>Launch retail-linked “moment marketing” initiatives to accelerate trial</li><li>Integrate digital storytelling with in-store execution</li></ul><p>This is not performance-only marketing.<br> This role owns brand-led cultural momentum that drives real revenue.</p><p> </p><p><strong>5️⃣ Innovation &amp; Commercialization</strong></p><ul><li>Translate U.S. consumer insights into innovation pipeline priorities</li><li>Lead commercialization of Korean-inspired protein SKUs</li><li>Develop better-for-you, clean-label, and functional protein positioning</li><li>Partner with HQ R&amp;D to localize and accelerate product launches</li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>6️⃣ P&amp;L &amp; Performance Ownership</strong></p><ul><li>Hold accountability for U.S. market-level revenue, margin, and contribution</li><li>Manage marketing budgets with ROI discipline</li><li>Establish KPI dashboards across velocity, margin, and brand health</li><li>Lead corrective action plans in partnership with Sales and Finance</li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>7️⃣ Cross-Functional &amp; Global Leadership</strong></p><ul><li>Serve as primary U.S. brand liaison to Seoul HQ</li><li>Align global brand direction with U.S. execution realities</li><li>Partner closely with Sales, R&amp;D, Operations, and Finance</li><li>Support post-acquisition integration and brand alignment</li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>Requirements</strong></p><p><strong>Required</strong></p><ul><li>10–15 years of experience building or scaling U.S. food/CPG brands</li><li>Demonstrated success in brand transformation or challenger brand growth</li><li>Strong retail and trade marketing experience</li><li>Proven accountability for market-level P&amp;L</li><li>Experience working in growth-stage or transformation-stage organizations</li></ul><p><strong>Preferred</strong></p><ul><li>Experience in protein, deli, fresh, or perimeter categories</li><li>Experience with PE-backed or founder-led companies</li><li>Experience building culturally relevant or viral food brands</li><li>Familiarity with Asian or globally inspired food categories</li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>Leadership DNA</strong></p><p>We are seeking a leader who:</p><ul><li>Has a builder mentality</li><li>Operates with a challenger mindset</li><li>Is comfortable with ambiguity and rapid decision-making</li><li>Understands culture as a growth lever</li><li>Is obsessed with velocity and execution</li><li>Thinks strategically but executes like an operator</li></ul><p> </p><p><strong>Why This Role Matters</strong></p><p>This is not a maintenance marketing role.</p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Benefits</strong></p><p>Comprehensive health insurance, 401K, PTO, Sick days, incentive/bonus </p>