Sr. Brand Manager - Olives & Peppers
About Us:
Since 1935, we’ve been on a mission to bring a little extra happiness to everyday life and inspire connections over food. We select the finest ingredients the world has to offer, craft premium products made with love, and never settle for shortcuts. We believe that when we share our food, we share a part of ourselves — and that’s the only way we’d put our name on it.
Today, our small family company has grown into a national leader in specialty olives, peppers, and sauces under the leadership of CEO Jeff Mezzetta, and our commitment to quality has never wavered. With an 80-year legacy behind us and a bright future ahead, we’re seeking passionate, driven candidates to help us bring our cherished family traditions to a new generation.
The ideal candidate will have an immediate connection to our Core Ingredients:
- Crunchy Crunchy: We are hungry for excellence.
- Own It: We think and act as an owner – with appetite, initiative, and responsibility.
- Connection: We build authentic relationships that foster trust and open communications.
- Vibrance: We come to work eager and passionate about fulfilling our vision. When we share our work, we share a part of who we are.
Mezzetta is seeking a talented Senior Brand Manager to lead the Olives & Peppers categories, two of our largest businesses and category-leading brands. Mezzetta is the market leader in Peppers and Specialty Olives, with a long history of defining quality, innovation, and category growth. This is a highly visible leadership role with responsibility for category-leading brands, significant business ownership, and direct management of an Associate Brand Manager. The Senior Brand Manager will shape the long-term growth strategy for these categories while developing talent, building organizational capability, and extending Mezzetta's leadership position in both categories. This position is based in the Mezzetta Larkspur office just north of San Francisco.
This position owns the direction of the business, setting priorities that drive sustained growth and continued category leadership. The role defines how the categories compete and grow, then drives action across the organization to deliver against those priorities and move the business forward.
The scope spans the full business, from defining how the categories compete and grow to driving alignment across Sales, Insights, Finance, and Supply Chain. It requires strong judgment, a clear point of view, and the ability to align the organization behind the growth drivers that define success.
Success in this role comes from building on an already strong foundation and continuing to elevate performance through clear priorities, disciplined execution, and thoughtful brand leadership.
Responsibilities
Business Ownership & Performance
- Own business performance for the Olives & Peppers portfolio, including revenue, share, and contribution targets.
- Sustain and strengthen Mezzetta's leadership position in the Peppers and Olives categories through strategic growth initiatives, innovation, and disciplined execution.
- Identify opportunities to further expand category leadership, household penetration, and share gains across both businesses.
- Translate performance data into clear actions that improve baseline velocity, mix, and trade efficiency.
Strategy & Planning
- Lead annual category and brand planning, defining the role of each segment within the portfolio.
- Translate company strategy into focused, actionable growth priorities.
- Identify opportunities to expand household penetration, increase repeat purchase, and strengthen brand equity.
Retail Execution & Commercialization
- Partner closely with Sales to deliver strong, consistent in-market execution across key retailers.
- Set clear priorities across distribution, shelving, merchandising, and pricing to drive performance.
- Support sell-in with clear, insight-driven category and brand stories.
Marketing & Demand Generation
- Develop and execute marketing programs that balance shopper marketing with targeted consumer demand building.
- Partner with Digital and Creative teams to deliver cohesive, high-impact campaigns across channels.
- Ensure marketing efforts reinforce brand positioning and drive measurable return.
Innovation & Renovation
- Lead the innovation agenda for the Olives & Peppers portfolio, identifying and prioritizing opportunities grounded in consumer and market insights.
- Partner with Innovation and R&D to bring new products to market with strong alignment to category strategy and brand positioning.
- Own product renovation efforts to improve competitiveness, quality, and margin.
People Leadership
- Directly manage and develop an Associate Brand Manager, providing coaching, feedback, and career development.
- Prioritize work effectively to maximize team productivity and support execution excellence.
- Build organizational capability by developing talent and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Serve as a leader within the Marketing organization, helping establish best practices and elevate overall team performance.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Operate at the center of the business, aligning Sales, Insights, Finance, Supply Chain, and R&D around clear priorities.
- Drive clarity, accountability, and momentum across cross-functional teams.
- Contribute to key company processes including AOP, S&OP, and Monthly Business Reviews.
Qualifications:
Required
- Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Business, Marketing, or a related field
- MBA strongly preferred
- 8–10+ years of progressive brand management experience in CPG
- Demonstrated ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution
- Prior experience leading, coaching, or developing direct reports strongly preferred
- Demonstrated experience owning and driving business performance
- Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with the ability to translate data into action
- Experience working cross-functionally with Sales, Finance, and Supply Chain
- Proven ability to manage complexity and drive results in a fast-paced environment
- Strong communication and storytelling skills
Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace:
At Mezzetta, we embrace diversity and strive to create an inclusive environment where you know you belong. Part of that commitment includes a zero-tolerance policy and being an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions at Mezzetta are solely based on merit, qualifications, abilities and business needs, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, national origin, disability, military or veteran status, family or parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. All of us share in the responsibility of fulfilling this commitment and creating a culture where our team can thrive.