Associate Manager, Global Franchise & Wholesale – Own Brand

As the global leader in health and wellness innovation since 1935, GNC motivates people to reach their goals with the most trusted and exciting selection of products in the industry. We work hard to ensure that our consumers come first, cultivating and collaborating on new ideas to bring innovative solutions to the forefront.

About the role

We are seeking an Associate Manager to support global franchise and wholesale own-brand innovation and commercialization initiatives. This role contributes to the development and execution of channel strategies by coordinating launches, managing commercialization deliverables, and supporting partner enablement across diverse international and domestic markets.

You will support assigned categories, channels, or countries through commercialization planning, launch coordination, and execution activities that contribute to sales, margin, and market share objectives. Additionally, you will identify competitive opportunities within assigned categories and drive the business to ensure an industry-leading position for GNC.

As a consultative partner, you will work closely with franchisees and local market leaders, providing resources and expertise to implement global initiatives successfully, ensuring brand consistency and driving business results through localized channel assortments and programs. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams and vendors to ensure seamless execution of global strategies across all markets.

This role works in close partnership with the Sr. Brand & Innovation Manager to operationalize pipelines, manage own-brand product transitions, and ensure successful execution across franchise and wholesale channels.

Responsibilities

• Support execution of assortment and commercialization plans aligned to global own-brand innovation priorities.
• Assist in negotiating agreements with vendors to secure preferred products, pricing, and hit necessary timelines.
• Serve as the primary commercialization integrator for assigned own-brand initiatives, ensuring alignment between Product Development, Merchandising, Finance, Regulatory, Marketing, and external partners throughout development and launch phases.
• Own new product concept submission processes, stage-gate tracking, and cross-functional coordination, while contributing to business case development and commercialization pathway planning.
• Identify, analyze, and synthesize market trends, competitive activity, and emerging whitespace opportunities to inform own-brand innovation concepts and channel recommendations.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure own-brand launches are commercially ready, including training, materials, communication, and timeline execution across franchise and wholesale channels.
• Assist merchandising, finance, and ops in the development of annual business plans incorporating forecasted KPIs, new product launches, and other commercial growth levers for assigned categories, channels, and/or countries.
• Monitor retail price competitiveness and global innovation opportunities to ensure maximum sales and profitability per SKU for current and new assortment development; proactively suggest adjustments.
• Ensure that product information, timing, and commercialization materials are communicated in a timely manner to cross-functional stakeholders and external partners; consistently review effectiveness and make recommendations on how to improve.
• Develop, maintain, and distribute effective tools, trackers, and reports to support in-market sales efforts; provide accurate and timely distribution to internal and external areas of the business.
• Regularly present to external franchise partners and internal leadership.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the key accountabilities of the job.
• 3+ years’ experience in an analytical, merchandising, brand management, and/or wholesale go-to-market or equivalent combination of education and experience in the supplements industry or retail channel preferred.
• In tune with supplements, wellness, and adjacent product trends.
• High degree of proficiency in MS Office Suite, Outlook & Internet applications.
• Strong analytical, prioritizing, interpersonal, problem-solving, presentation, budgeting, project management (from conception to completion), & planning skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills (including analysis, interpretation, & reasoning).
• Fluency in a second language a plus.
• Solid understanding and application of mathematical concepts.
• Ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships with peers and colleagues across the organization, as well as internal and external clients.
• Ability to work well autonomously and within a team in a fast-paced and deadline-oriented environment.
• Ability to work with and influence peers and senior management.
• Self-motivated with critical attention to detail, deadlines, and reporting.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
• Ability to read, write, and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos.
• Ability to work overtime and/or on various international time zones as necessary.
• Travel may be required.

Schedule

• Hybrid work environment, 2-3 days in-office in Pittsburgh, PA.
• Regularly required to stand; walk; sit; use hands or fingers to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear.
• Sedentary work. Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Repetitive motion. Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
• Work is performed in an office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment and keyboards.
• Specific vision abilities required include long periods of computer screen usage, close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually low/moderate.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Paid Company Life Insurance
• 401K program with company match
• 30% employee merchandise discount on GNC products & 20% employee discount on 3rd party products
• Monthly Free Product Offers
• Employee Assistance Program