Director Own Brands Product Development

Category/Area of Expertise: Private Brands
Address: USA-NC-Salisbury-2110 Executive Drive
Store Code: Product Management 1 (5139193)

Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of global food retailer Ahold Delhaize, is part of the U.S. family of brands, which includes five leading omnichannel grocery brands - Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. Our associates support the brands with a wide range of services, including Finance, Legal, Sustainability, Commercial, Digital and E-commerce, Technology and more.

Location Strategy:

Quincy MA, Scarborough ME, Salisbury NC, Carlisle PA, Hyattsville MD

Our flexible/hybrid work schedule includes 3 in-person days at one of our core locations and 2 remote days.

Primary Purpose:

In working partnership with the ADUSA Commercial & Digital functions & Local Brands, the Director, Own Brands Product Development leads and drives the Own Brands product strategies and planning in the assigned categories. This individual will lead a high-performing team of Own Brand Product Managers and Specialists, accountable for business performance and financial results across approximately one-third of the Own Brands portfolio, generating $5 billion in sales.

This role holds close working relationships with Sourcing & Procurement and is responsible for enabling Own Brand Portfolio business performance across sales, profit and penetration in collaboration and support of the Local Brand Category Merchants, along with developing the long term innovation roadmap across all ADUSA Own Brands tiers and brand while phasing product development to ensure timely and on-trend go-to-market, understanding supplier landscape and develops relationships with new and existing suppliers to enable innovation pipeline development, accountability to manage end-to-end product development timeline and steps to enable on-time delivery of projects (e.g., project management). The Director leads the development of the Own Brands short- and long-term product strategies within assigned vertical; including but not limited to total prioritization of portfolio business plans, performance improvement, annual new item planning & budgeting to meet the needs of category go to market strategies (value, assortment, mix, planograms, etc.), while upholding brand Own Brand standards and completes annual business planning with key suppliers (along with the Category Merchants) and ensures core components of the contract are upheld or escalated properly. This role requires a leader with strong working knowledge, business acumen, a track record of success and the ability to lead, build consensus, drive transformation, and grow the business. This role will support all ADUSA banners in assigned categories in a multi-state operation with +2,000 stores and will partner with other Own Brands leaders to improve processes & tooling to ensure the team is leveraging a modern & sustainable approach to managing the Own Brands business.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Own Brands Strategy & Growth

• Responsible for business performance and financial results across approximately one-third of the Own Brands portfolio.
• Leads cross-functional projects from concept through execution, aligning stakeholders, managing timelines, mitigating risks, and ensuring successful delivery of business objectives.
• Influences decision-making across multiple functions and leadership levels, building alignment and driving strategic initiatives in a matrixed environment without direct authority.
• Develops long term product innovation pipeline across all tiers and brands
• Maintains view of Own Brands product catalog across all brands and tiers
• Develops new products and reformulates current products to meet category growth goals
• Recommends appropriate assortment improvements through omni-review processes
• Owns item development process to ensure on time delivery to shelf
• Drives efforts to prioritize product delivery to the business to meet own brand financial goals
• Drive sales, profit, and penetration of Own Brands through product development and management
• Represents Own Brands regular top-to-top meetings with suppliers to develop scorecards, performance metrics, long range plans, and collaborative opportunities
• Collaborates with internal stakeholders to build strategic supplier relationships focused on short- and long-term product development pipeline (new and renovation).
• Accountable to monitor/oversee and influence all aspects related to Own Brands in assigned categories, including but not limited to product quality, product specification overall and financial performance, assortment and portfolio mix, value positioning, and shelf placement.
• Responsible for collaborating with all ADUSA brand leadership and their teams to develop, align, prioritize, and execute on PB business plans and targets.
• Represents Own Brands in short and long-range planning; Develops OB business plans across all ADUSA banners which are consistent with the company's overall goals and strategies
• Executes Own Brands strategies by leveraging the Own Brands Centers of Excellence (e.g., design, product excellence, brand management, etc.)
• Collaborates with Brand Management to create the marketing message (content) to support the sustained growth of the family of Own Brands products (including sales, penetration, profits, customer satisfaction, etc.) process
• Leads product development and innovation across the portfolio of Own Brands - Actively seeks product improvements, programs, and initiatives that will reduce operating costs, increase product performance, and increase sustainability
• Drives continuous improvement of Own Brands processes in collaboration with Own Brands team members and the business to ensure ADUSA's processes are best-in-class

Own Brands Plan Execution

• Ensure effective and efficient execution of Own Brands portfolio activities
• Monitors and develops action plans based on portfolio business performance
• Develops and presents formal deep dive category reviews, period scorecards, and portfolio plans to impact and influence the business and decisions making
• Maintains competitive surveillance and develops plans to maintain and/or gain competitive advantages
• Leads own brand supplier and brand transitions for flawless execution
• Partners to resolve Own Brand supplier issues relating to performance and contract stipulations

Industry and Market Trends

• Analyzes and interprets consumer and industry trends and maintains competitive research.
• Leverages data analytics, market intelligence, and consumer insights to proactively identify emerging trends, anticipate business opportunities, and drive innovative product and portfolio strategies.
• Applies a forward-looking, data-driven approach to analyze market dynamics, customer behavior, and competitive activity, enabling proactive decision-making and sustainable business growth.
• Maintains view of future innovation horizons based on market intelligence and competitive activity
• Partners with the Insights team to establish brand success metrics, review results regularly and develop business recommendations based on findings.
• Supports category annual planning by working with Brand Category Merchants to build awareness/understanding of how the brand strategy translates to individual categories and help the Own Brand Managers develop brand-building aspects of their plans.
• Influences stakeholders at various levels by utilizing internal and external data, research, and customer-centric insights to drive product development, assortment, and sustainability initiatives.
• Develops and maintains category, product, and operational benchmarks by analyzing industry leaders and top-performing grocers, translating insights into actionable business strategies.

Talent Development and Leadership

• Responsible for the development, talent planning, career guidance, and performance management of Own Brands associates
• Influences organizational alignment across multiple areas
• Demonstrates credibility and the ability to work with and through all levels of management
• Creates a positive work environment and has the ability to inspire and motivate others
• Delivers intentional and authentic on-going feedback
• Additional job duties may be assigned as needed to meet the needs of the business and support our Values.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and related work experience
• 8-10 years of related Category/Portfolio, Merchandising, Pricing, Product Development, CPG experience
• Minimum 4+ years of people management experience
• Product Development life-cycle management experience
• Ability to research and leverage consumer trends and drive innovation
• Experience in partnering with third party syndicated research organizations and suppliers
• Expert in product category markets, including global awareness
• Category/Portfolio or brand management experience
• In-depth knowledge of industry, brands, suppliers, and category/portfolio dynamics (sought after industry expert)
• Financial planning, budgeting, and negotiation experience with detailed knowledge of key finance drivers