Head of Brand and Marketing US (New York)

HEAD OF BRAND & MARKETING, US

• Location: New York City 
• Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
• Direct Reports: Marketing Manager 
• Functional relationship: Director of Brand & Marketing (UK)

About the Role

Culinary Collective is a high-growth hospitality group that partners with world-class culinary talent to conceptualise and operate distinctive restaurants and bars. Having grown rapidly across London and Ireland, we are now building our US business, starting in New York. We are looking for a Head of Brand & Marketing, US to lead marketing across our US brands, initially focused on Cholapink and Heard NYC.

The two brands require different approaches. Cholapink is New York-grown, giving this role a central part in shaping the brand and how it comes to life in market. Heard was born in London, with global brand strategy and direction led by our London Brand & Marketing team. For Heard, you’ll bring deep local market knowledge, contribute to global strategy and translate it into marketing that feels relevant and credible in New York.

You’ll work closely with the London team to develop local campaigns, execute global campaigns in market and lead key US channels including PR, partnerships, influencers, CRM and paid social. You’ll also build the local network of creatives, media, partners and cultural voices our brands need to succeed in New York.

This is a hands-on senior role for someone who understands how to build brands locally while working effectively within a global brand structure.

What You’ll Do

• Work closely with Operations and GMs to understand trading performance and identify where marketing can influence covers, reservations, frequency, revenue and customer behaviour.
• Turn commercial priorities into clear marketing objectives, building activity around opportunities such as quieter trading periods, new dayparts, menu launches, events and local audiences.
• Lead US marketing across Cholapink and Heard NYC, balancing long-term brand building with short-term commercial performance.
• Own and manage the US marketing calendar, bringing together global campaigns, local campaigns, restaurant moments, partnerships and commercial priorities.
• Bring New York market, customer and cultural insight into brand and campaign planning, working closely with the London Brand & Marketing team.
• Play a central role in developing the brand and lead how it is launched, marketed and grown in its home market.
• Contribute to global brand strategy and own its local marketing strategy, ensuring New York activity builds the brand while remaining aligned with its global direction.
• Work with the London team to develop locally relevant campaigns and execute global campaigns effectively across US channels.
• Lead local restaurant launches and integrated campaigns across PR, partnerships, influencers, CRM, paid social, events and neighbourhood marketing.
• Own local partnerships and collaborations, building relationships across food, fashion, music, art, design and wider New York culture.
• Own the US influencer strategy, developing a strong network of creators and tastemakers relevant to each brand.
• Own CRM locally, including database growth, email, segmentation, retention and reactivation.
• Own paid social for the US market, from campaign planning and audience strategy through to optimisation and performance reporting.
• Work closely with the London social team, contributing to content calendar planning and ensuring New York is properly represented within the global content strategy.
• Build and manage a strong local network of photographers, videographers and creators to capture high-quality New York content for social and wider campaigns.
• Build relationships with New York media, creators, tastemakers, businesses and communities that help our brands become part of the city.
• Own and manage US marketing budgets, setting investment by channel and campaign, tracking spend and ensuring resource is focused against the strongest commercial and brand opportunities.
• Manage local agencies, freelancers and specialist partners, setting clear briefs, deliverables and measures of success.
• Lead and develop the US Marketing Manager and help build the US marketing capability as the portfolio grows.

Experience & Skills

• 8+ years in Brand & Marketing, ideally within hospitality, restaurants, food, lifestyle or a culturally relevant consumer brand.
• Managing senior stakeholder relationships including founder and/or talent.
• Strong experience in the New York market and a deep understanding of its restaurant, media and cultural landscape.
• Proven experience launching and growing restaurants, venues or consumer brands.
• Strong experience across PR, partnerships, influencers and CRM, with a network of relevant New York contacts.
• Experience managing paid social, with a strong understanding of audience targeting, optimisation and performance.
• A strong understanding of social and content, including experience briefing photographers, videographers and creators
• Experience building and managing integrated marketing calendars across multiple channels and priorities
• Commercially minded, with a clear understanding of how marketing connects to customer behaviour and restaurant performance
• Experience owning and managing marketing budgets, prioritising investment and measuring effectiveness
• Strong creative judgement and the ability to contribute meaningfully to brand and campaign development
• Experience managing agencies and external partners
• Proven experience leading and developing people.

  Success after 12 months

• After 12 months, success should be visible in the following outcomes:
• Cholapink has launched with a distinctive position, sustained customer demand and a growing base of direct customer relationships.
• Heard NYC has launched successfully, translating the global brand into a locally relevant marketing strategy with strong foundations for continued growth.
• A clear US marketing strategy, calendar and operating rhythm are in place, with an effective working model between the New York and London teams.
• Brand & Marketing is a strong commercial partner to Operations, with activity and investment clearly connected to restaurant performance as well as long-term brand growth.
• Strong CRM, reporting and measurement foundations are in place, giving us a better understanding of our customers and what is driving performance.
• A strong local network of media, creators, partners, agencies and cultural relationships has been established, alongside a capable US marketing team ready to support the next stage of growth.

You’ll Be

• Deeply connected to New York and its food and cultural scene
• Commercially minded
• Culturally curious and instinctive
• Collaborative and comfortable working within a global team
• Entrepreneurial and comfortable building networks and capability from the ground up
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple launches, channels and priorities
• Passionate about restaurants, food, drink and culture
• Operating within a fast-growing hospitality group, this role offers significant opportunity to shape how Culinary Collective builds its US presence and to help establish the model for how our global and locally grown brands operate across markets.