Brand Manager-Mercedes

Brand Manager for Mercedes

Enthusiast Auto Holdings (EAH) is seeking a Brand Manager for Mercedes to play a key leadership role at ECS Tuning. This is a highly visible opportunity requiring a unique blend of automotive industry knowledge, market insight, analytical capability, and strategic business acumen. The Brand Manager will be responsible for setting the strategic direction and driving the growth of the Mercedes segment, collaborating cross-functionally across R&D, Marketing, Sourcing & Purchasing (S&P), Sales, and Customer Service teams to deliver measurable results.

Summary of Responsibilities

• Define and execute short-term and long-term strategic goals for the Mercedes brand in alignment with company objectives.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Marketing, S&P, Sales, and Customer Service to achieve performance targets.
• Bring innovative products to market, including both in-house engineered and third-party brands, tailored to the Mercedes enthusiast community.
• Manage the online catalog on ecstuning.com, creating and maintaining a strategic roadmap that ensures a best-in-class product presentation, merchandising, and customer experience.
• Deliver strong financial performance, meeting or exceeding revenue, margin, and expense management targets.
• Develop and execute growth strategies that strengthen in-house brand differentiation, drive revenue expansion, and enhance profitability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategy

• Define and implement the strategic direction for the Mercedes brand, ensuring alignment with its value proposition and mission.
• Deliver on the strategic vision through flawless execution and cross-functional collaboration across R&D, Marketing, Sales, Sourcing & Purchasing (S&P), and Customer Service teams.

2. Budgeting & KPIs

• Develop and manage annual, quarterly, and monthly budgets for the Mercedes brand.
• Accountable for achieving weekly, monthly, and quarterly performance goals for Revenue, Gross Profit Dollars, and Gross Margin Percentage.

3. New Product Development

• Develop and execute growth strategies for the Mercedes In-House Brand (IHB) on ecstuning.com, driving brand differentiation, revenue growth, and margin expansion.
• Establish the product roadmap and prioritize development in partnership with R&D to improve time-to-market while balancing revenue and margin potential.
• Launch innovative, high-quality products with unique designs and features that resonate with the Mercedes enthusiast community.
• Continuously evaluate and refine products, processes, and services to maintain a competitive edge without compromising quality.
• Oversee and manage the full product lifecycle for all house-brand offerings.

4. Web Catalog Curation

• Lead efforts to create a curated, best-in-class product catalog (in-house and third-party) on ecstuning.com that aligns with the needs and interests of Mercedes enthusiasts.
• Deliver an exceptional shopping experience through optimized search, browse, cross-sell, and up-sell strategies, both online and through direct sales channels.

5. Web Catalog Updates

• Ensure timely, accurate catalog updates, maintaining up-to-date pricing, photos, and product descriptions.
• Collaborate with Marketing to develop SEO-rich copy that enhances ECS Tuning's organic search rankings and product discoverability.

6. Inventory Management

• Partner with the Sourcing & Purchasing team to forecast demand and maintain optimal inventory levels, balancing product availability with carrying costs.
• Collaborate with S&P to negotiate COGS, co-op funds, and marketing programs that improve profitability and strengthen vendor partnerships.

7. Marketing Strategy

• Work closely with Marketing to develop and execute go-to-market strategies for new products.
• Create compelling campaign content for email, social media, and other digital channels to engage and grow the Mercedes enthusiast audience.

8. Vendor Relationships & Strategic Partnerships

• Manage and cultivate vendor relationships, developing strategic roadmaps for both new and existing products.
• Foster win-win partnerships and ensure timely, transparent communication with vendors and partners.

9. Brand Integrity

• Uphold brand integrity across all product lines, communications, and marketing materials.
• Proactively address and resolve quality issues with products or listings, maintaining the premium reputation of ECS Tuning and the Mercedes brand portfolio.

10. Competitive & Strategic Pricing

• Own the pricing strategy for Mercedes products, ensuring competitiveness while achieving Gross Margin Rate and Gross Profit Dollar targets.
• Continuously monitor market trends and adjust pricing strategies to maximize value and profitability.

Requirements

• True Mercedes Enthusiast! Deep passion for Mercedes vehicles, the automotive aftermarket, and enthusiast community trends.
• Bachelor's degree in Business or a related field.
• 8–10 years of progressive leadership experience managing teams and driving results in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Customer-centric mindset with a broad understanding of the automotive enthusiast market.
• Highly organized and capable of managing the complexities of cross-functional teams and multi-banner enthusiast markets.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to give and receive constructive feedback effectively.
• Collaborative leader comfortable working within a matrixed organization, influencing change, and adapting quickly when challenges arise.
• Analytical and data-driven, with strong decision-making and creative problem-solving skills.
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to producing impeccable, high-quality work.
• Prior experience with Paid and Organic SEO strategies and performance optimization.
• Self-motivated "can-do" attitude, able to work both independently and collaboratively across multiple teams.
• Results-oriented and metrics-driven, with a continuous improvement mindset and strong analytical capability.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage technology to improve processes, efficiency, and business controls.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Excel, and web-based databases, with strong general computer literacy.