Brand Portfolio Manager

About the role

At Community Coffee, every cup tells a story. As America’s #1 family-owned and operated retail coffee brand, we blend cherished traditions with innovative thinking to create a dynamic, fast-paced environment that’s as energizing as our coffee. Here, you’ll thrive in a setting that challenges you to grow professionally while making a meaningful impact every day. Join our family and transform your passion for coffee into a rewarding career—where every day is an opportunity to craft exceptional experiences and build lasting connections.

Responsibilities

Innovation & Pipeline Development

• Leverage market research, consumer insights, category performance, and industry trends to identify, evaluate, and prioritize innovation opportunities for assigned product segments.
• Maintain a forward-looking 3-year innovation and product roadmap that supports portfolio strategy, brand priorities, and segment growth objectives.
• Facilitate ideation sessions and innovation workshops to explore new platforms, formats, blends, flavors, packaging options, and product extensions.
• Develop product concepts with clear consumer value propositions and support validation through qualitative and quantitative research.
• Translate approved concepts into detailed product design briefs; partner with R&D to prototype, conduct sensory testing, and refine formulations.
• Leverage external consultants, suppliers, and co-manufacturers as needed to support product exploration, feasibility, and development.
• Lead or support consumer testing to validate product fit to concept, overall acceptance, purchase intent, and optimization opportunities.

Product Stewardship & Portfolio Integration

• Ensure product and innovation initiatives align with portfolio architecture, brand guardrails, segment priorities, and commercial objectives.
• Support development of positioning, naming, claims, and product storytelling to ensure concepts are consumer-relevant, differentiated, and brand-appropriate.
• Identify innovation, renovation, line extension, and rationalization opportunities to support segment growth and portfolio health.
• Partner with Brand and cross-functional teams to ensure packaging, claims, messaging, and in-market execution are aligned, cohesive, and commercially ready.
• Monitor assigned product segments to identify gaps, risks, competitive activity, and opportunities to strengthen the portfolio.

Product Management & Commercialization

• Own assigned products or platforms from concept through commercialization, ensuring alignment across consumer needs, technical feasibility, financial targets, and brand strategy.
• Collaborate with Operations, Finance, R&D, and Insights to assess feasibility, cost targets, margin expectations, scalability, and operational readiness.
• Partner with Program Management to support stage-gate milestones, timelines, decision points, and cross-functional execution.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing to support go-to-market readiness, including selling stories, launch materials, customer presentations, and internal communication.
• Track project progress, identify risks or barriers, and help drive timely resolution with cross-functional partners.
• Ensure product decisions are grounded in consumer insights, business performance, and portfolio strategy.

Performance Tracking & Optimization

• Track post-launch product performance, consumer feedback, customer response, and market trends to evaluate product effectiveness.
• Recommend data-driven adjustments to formulation, packaging, positioning, pricing, claims, or portfolio strategy as needed.
• Support product lifecycle management, including line extensions, renovations, discontinuations, and ongoing portfolio optimization.
• Deliver regular updates and insights to leadership on innovation progress, portfolio alignment, commercialization status, and product performance.
• Promote a collaborative culture of innovation, curiosity, accountability, and continuous improvement across teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5 years in innovation or brand management within CPG.
• Proven success leading projects in cross-functional environments.
• Strong analytical, communication, and presentation skills.
• Experience with stage-gate processes and product lifecycle management.
• Interest or experience in the coffee industry a plus.
• Genuine passion for understanding consumer needs and translating insights into successful products.
• Internal Only: Experience with Community Coffee, even if unrelated, may fulfill this requirement at the discretion of the hiring manager with approval from Human Resources.

Foundational Competencies

• Builds Trust
• Continuous Learner
• Customer Centric
• Effective Communication
• Integrity
• Results Oriented

Additional Competencies

• Takes Action
• Collaborates
• Resourcefulness
• Interpersonal Agility
• Adaptability

Physical Demands/Work Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to do the following:

• Frequently required to taste and evaluate product prototypes and competitive products
• Frequently required to sit
• Occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls and reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear
• Regularly required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.