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

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Director of Brand, Growth & 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.

This role is responsible for:

• Building the K-Flavor Protein platform in the U.S.
• Modernizing and elevating existing American deli brands
• Driving retail velocity and profitable growth
• Creating culturally relevant, conversation-driving brand momentum

The ideal candidate is a brand builder, retail growth operator, and cultural strategist with experience scaling challenger food brands in the U.S.

Core Mandate

1. Define and build the K-Flavor Protein narrative for mainstream America
2. Transform and upgrade legacy U.S. brands into premium protein platforms
3. Drive velocity, distribution expansion, and margin growth
4. Generate cultural relevance and viral brand moments
5. Own U.S. market-level P&L performance

Key Responsibilities

1️⃣ Brand Platform & Transformation Leadership

• Lead U.S. brand repositioning and transformation initiatives
• Define and operationalize the K-Flavor Protein brand narrative
• Build culturally resonant storytelling rooted in Korean culinary heritage
• Upgrade packaging, visual identity systems, and brand architecture
• Elevate legacy deli brands from commodity perception to premium protein positioning

2️⃣ Portfolio Strategy & Architecture

• Redesign U.S. brand architecture and portfolio roles
• Define premium vs. value tiers and channel-specific strategies
• Lead SKU rationalization and margin optimization initiatives
• Clarify master brand vs. sub-brand strategy
• Align U.S. innovation priorities with consumer insights

3️⃣ Retail Growth & Velocity Acceleration

• Develop and execute category- and channel-specific GTM strategies
• Drive retail velocity, distribution gains, and shelf expansion
• Partner with brokers and retail buyers across East Coast accounts
• Lead trade marketing initiatives in deli, perimeter, and protein categories
• Optimize pricing, promotion, and product mix for profitability

4️⃣ Cultural & Viral Growth Strategy

• Develop culturally relevant, conversation-driving brand moments
• Build social-first campaigns designed for shareability and earned media impact
• Partner with creators, chefs, and food influencers to drive organic advocacy
• Translate online buzz into retail sell-through
• Launch retail-linked “moment marketing” initiatives to accelerate trial
• Integrate digital storytelling with in-store execution

This is not performance-only marketing.
This role owns brand-led cultural momentum that drives real revenue.

5️⃣ Innovation & Commercialization

• Translate U.S. consumer insights into innovation pipeline priorities
• Lead commercialization of Korean-inspired protein SKUs
• Develop better-for-you, clean-label, and functional protein positioning
• Partner with HQ R&D to localize and accelerate product launches

6️⃣ P&L & Performance Ownership

• Hold accountability for U.S. market-level revenue, margin, and contribution
• Manage marketing budgets with ROI discipline
• Establish KPI dashboards across velocity, margin, and brand health
• Lead corrective action plans in partnership with Sales and Finance

7️⃣ Cross-Functional & Global Leadership

• Serve as primary U.S. brand liaison to Seoul HQ
• Align global brand direction with U.S. execution realities
• Partner closely with Sales, R&D, Operations, and Finance
• Support post-acquisition integration and brand alignment

Requirements

Required

• 10–15 years of experience building or scaling U.S. food/CPG brands
• Demonstrated success in brand transformation or challenger brand growth
• Strong retail and trade marketing experience
• Proven accountability for market-level P&L
• Experience working in growth-stage or transformation-stage organizations

Preferred

• Experience in protein, deli, fresh, or perimeter categories
• Experience with PE-backed or founder-led companies
• Experience building culturally relevant or viral food brands
• Familiarity with Asian or globally inspired food categories

Leadership DNA

We are seeking a leader who:

• Has a builder mentality
• Operates with a challenger mindset
• Is comfortable with ambiguity and rapid decision-making
• Understands culture as a growth lever
• Is obsessed with velocity and execution
• Thinks strategically but executes like an operator

Why This Role Matters

This is not a maintenance marketing role.

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.

Benefits

Comprehensive health insurance, 401K, PTO, Sick days, incentive/bonus