EAH Brand Manager

Enthusiast Auto Holdings (EAH) is a highly successful e-commerce company in the automotive aftermarket parts industry. EAH goes to market via ten enthusiast-focused websites (banners) - ECS Tuning, Turner Motorsport, Pelican Parts, Rennline, Texas Speed & Performance, Z1 Motorsports, Z1 Off-Road, RCI Off-Road, Teqsport and EVANNEX.

EAH serves automotive enthusiast customers who are passionate about how their vehicle looks and performs, by providing the parts, content, knowledge and support to make their vehicle come to life. We also serve a global network of specialty installer shops that solve for customers looking for a "Do it For Me" option. EAH's leadership team has delivered strong organic growth with market-leading profitability. EAH has also completed multiple acquisitions and plans to continue expansion of its served markets via acquisition. EAH is owned and supported by Cortec Group, a premier private equity firm. Cortec has invested millions of dollars to expand EAH's operations, facilities, technology, and leadership. Among other investments, EAH has recently completed a significant facility expansion at its primary distribution center and is in the process of implementing enterprise-level ERP / WMS / OMS systems.

Enthusiast Auto Holdings (EAH) is seeking a Brand Manager to play a key leadership role with our expanding product development functions. 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 new market segments, collaborating cross-functionally across R&D, Marketing, Sourcing & Purchasing (S&P), Sales, and Customer Service teams to deliver measurable results.

This position requires excellent organizational, coaching and development, verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work in a team environment. While the position resides in Wadsworth Ohio, there may be some travel to other company locations.

Position Summary:

The Brand Manager will lead the development and execution of the company's private label strategy, initially focusing on high-volume product categories, including fuel systems and other strategic SKU groups. This role is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing products that can be successfully transitioned to private label offerings through qualified domestic, nearshore, and offshore manufacturing partners.

The successful candidate will drive product sourcing, supplier selection, cost optimization, and brand development initiatives while ensuring product quality, supply chain reliability, and profitability objectives are achieved. Working cross-functionally with sourcing, product management, operations, quality assurance, and sales teams, the Brand Manager will oversee the end-to-end process from product identification through launch and ongoing portfolio management.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute the private label product strategy across targeted categories.
• Identify high-volume, low-margin products suitable for private label conversion.
• Research market opportunities, competitive offerings, and customer demand trends.
• Identify opportunities for the future engineered product pipeline
• Source, evaluate, and onboard domestic, nearshore, and offshore manufacturing partners.
• Lead supplier negotiations related to pricing, quality standards, production capacity, and contractual terms.
• Manage product development, packaging, branding, and launch activities.
• Collaborate with quality assurance teams to establish and maintain product specifications and compliance requirements.
• Monitor product performance, profitability, inventory levels, and supplier performance metrics.
• Develop business cases and financial analyses to support private label expansion initiatives.
• Partner with sales and marketing teams to drive the adoption and growth of private label products.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in private label management, product sourcing, category management, product development, or strategic sourcing.
• Experience working with domestic and international manufacturing partners.
• Strong negotiation, supplier management, and project management skills.
• Knowledge of supply chain, procurement, and product commercialization processes.
• Analytical mindset with experience evaluating product profitability and market opportunities.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional leadership abilities.

What Success Looks Like:

Within the first 6-9 months, the Private Label Brand Manager will:

• Launch a scalable private label program that supports the company's long-term growth and margin objectives.
• Successfully identify and transition high-volume product categories, including fuel systems and other strategic SKU groups, to private label offerings.
• Develop a robust pipeline of qualified domestic, nearshore, and offshore manufacturing partners capable of supporting current and future product expansion.
• Achieve targeted gross margin improvements through strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and private label conversion initiatives.
• Reduce reliance on third-party branded products by increasing private label penetration across key product categories.
• Establish clear supplier performance metrics and maintain high standards for quality, cost competitiveness, and on-time delivery.
• Build a repeatable process for evaluating, prioritizing, sourcing, and launching private label products.
• Deliver successful product launches that meet quality, inventory, and profitability targets.
• Create strong cross-functional partnerships with sourcing, operations, quality, sales, and marketing teams to ensure seamless execution.
• Develop data-driven category and product roadmaps that identify future private label and engineered opportunities to support sustained business growth.