Trade Marketing Manager

Job Description

Job Description

SUMMARY:
The Trade Marketing Manager leads the execution of trade marketing initiatives across more than 650 licensed California dispensary accounts. Partnering closely with Sales, Brand Marketing, Retail, and Compliance, this role is responsible for translating brand strategy into retail execution that drives distribution, product visibility, menu placement, sell-through, and velocity. The Trade Marketing Manager oversees digital merchandising, retail marketing programs, product launches, in-store merchandising, budtender education, retail activations, and promotional execution while ensuring all initiatives are compliant with state and local cannabis regulations and aligned with Company objectives.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES (this list is not all inclusive)
• Develops and executes trade marketing strategies that support revenue growth, product distribution, retail visibility, and brand awareness across licensed wholesale dispensary accounts throughout California.
• Partners with Sales to develop and execute customer-specific marketing initiatives that increase distribution, menu placement, promotional opportunities, and overall account performance.
• Serves as the primary marketing partner for wholesale customers, building strong relationships and identifying opportunities to strengthen brand presence and drive sales.
• Leads the execution of new product launches across wholesale accounts, ensuring retailers have the necessary marketing materials, product information, digital assets, merchandising support, and educational resources.
• Develops and executes customer-specific promotional programs that align with brand objectives while meeting retailer needs and business goals.
• Oversees the development, procurement, distribution, and installation of merchandising materials, displays, point-of-sale signage, educational collateral, and other retail marketing assets.
• Coordinates merchandising installations and promotional execution with wholesale customers and third-party partners to ensure consistent brand presentation.
• Conducts retail execution audits to evaluate merchandising compliance, menu placement, promotional execution, product visibility, and overall brand presence, providing recommendations for improvement.
• Develops and manages budtender education programs, product training, and engagement initiatives that increase product knowledge, product recommendations, and brand advocacy while ensuring compliance with applicable regulations.
• Plans, coordinates, and executes vendor days, in-store activations, customer appreciation events, product launches, and other trade marketing initiatives that drive consumer awareness and sales.
• Manages the Company's digital shelf across Jane, Jane Gold, Weedmaps, Dutchie, Nabis, SparkPlug, and other wholesale customer platforms, ensuring product information, imagery, menus, merchandising, and promotional content are accurate, optimized, and aligned with brand standards.
• Partners directly with wholesale customers and platform providers to improve menu placement, digital merchandising, featured product opportunities, promotional visibility, and advertising performance.
• Monitors digital platform performance and recommends strategies to improve consumer engagement, product discoverability, menu conversion, and sales velocity.
• Manages trade marketing inventory, promotional materials, displays, and branded assets maintained at the San Leandro facility, ensuring inventory accuracy and timely fulfillment of wholesale customer requests.
• Develops and maintains annual trade marketing calendars that align product launches, promotions, seasonal campaigns, and customer-specific marketing initiatives.
• Partners cross-functionally with Sales, Brand Marketing, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Distribution, Inventory, and Compliance to ensure successful execution of customer-facing trade marketing initiatives.
• Tracks and analyzes key performance indicators, including distribution growth, menu penetration, share of menu, retail visibility, promotional effectiveness, sell-through, product velocity, and return on investment, providing recommendations to improve performance.
• Monitors market trends, competitor activity, retailer feedback, and consumer insights to identify opportunities that strengthen the Company's position within the wholesale market.
• Develops and manages trade marketing budgets, promotional investments, and marketing resources to maximize return on investment.
• Ensures all trade marketing activities, promotional programs, advertising, merchandising, and customer initiatives comply with Company policies and all applicable state and local cannabis regulations.
• Maintains accurate records and supporting documentation related to trade marketing programs, promotional activities, customer initiatives, and marketing assets.
• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with wholesale customers, distributors, vendors, retail partners, and internal stakeholders to support Company objectives.
• Executes ad hoc projects as assigned by direct supervisor.

CORE COMPETENCIES
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate brand strategy into retail execution that drives measurable business results.
• Strong understanding of retail merchandising, trade marketing, consumer behavior, and customer engagement strategies.
• Knowledge of California cannabis regulations and the ability to ensure all trade marketing activities remain compliant.
• Ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders, retail partners, distributors, and vendors.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and cross-functional initiatives simultaneously.
• Excellent organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail and follow-through.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret sales data, market trends, and retail performance metrics to make informed business decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, execute, and evaluate retail marketing programs that drive distribution, menu placement, sell-through, and product velocity.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present information clearly to all levels of the organization and external partners.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and build alignment across cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency with retail technology platforms, digital merchandising tools, Microsoft Office Suite, and marketing analytics.
• Demonstrates sound judgment, professionalism, integrity, and accountability while maintaining confidentiality and representing the Company positively.
• Ability to adapt in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment while driving continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Demonstrates the ability to be flexible and work effectively across various sectors of the department as needed or requested by a direct supervisor. This includes the capacity to support other departments, ensuring seamless collaboration and responsiveness to organizational needs.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
• Constantly: Walking, sitting at a desk, grasping/gripping, bending/stooping/squatting, finger dexterity, computer input, coordination of hand and eye.
• Frequently: Standing for long periods of time, climbing stairs, and twisting. 
• Occasionally: Reaching above shoulder height, lifting 20-30 lbs., ability to do push/pull motions. 
• Constantly: Use visual display terminals (e.g., computers, tablets) for extended periods of time.
• Frequently: Travels to multiple locations. 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
● Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field required; equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
● Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible experience in trade marketing, shopper marketing, customer marketing, retail marketing, or sales marketing.
● Experience developing and executing trade marketing strategies and retail marketing programs across multiple customer accounts.
● Experience supporting wholesale sales organizations and customer-specific marketing initiatives.
● Experience managing product launches, promotional campaigns, merchandising programs, and retail activations.
● Experience working with digital retail platforms, including Jane, Weedmaps, Dutchie, Nabis, SparkPlug, or similar retail merchandising platforms preferred.
● Experience managing trade marketing budgets and promotional investments.
● Experience analyzing sales performance, promotional effectiveness, and trade marketing metrics.
● Experience working within the cannabis, consumer packaged goods (CPG), beverage, food, or other regulated industry preferred.
● Knowledge of California cannabis regulations related to advertising, promotions, merchandising, and retail marketing preferred.
● Must be a minimum of 21 years of age per state regulations and pass a criminal background check.