Director of Marketing

About the role

The Director of Marketing is a strategic, commercially focused leader responsible for driving profitable growth across Pixelle’s portfolio of printing and writing papers, packaging, labels and liners, food barrier products, and specialty grades. The role provides strategic leadership across Product Management, Category Strategy, Portfolio Management, Brand Management, Market Intelligence, and Demand Generation. Core responsibilities include developing and executing 3–5‑year category strategies, market opportunity identification, product positioning, pricing, portfolio optimization, SKU rationalization, new product development, demand‑generation programs, and commercialization plans. The role collaborates with R&D on the Stage‑Gate process, leads the annual integrated marketing plan, and implements demand‑generation initiatives through an external agency team. The successful candidate is an experienced B2B manufacturing marketer and commercial leader comfortable setting strategy, analyzing markets, managing direct reports, leading cross‑functional teams, and building collaborative relationships with peers across Sales, Operations, R&D, Finance, Legal, HR, and Mill leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Category, Product & Portfolio Strategy

• Develop and own 3–5‑year category strategies for Pixelle’s major product platforms and market segments.
• Establish strategic direction for the product portfolio based on market growth, customer needs, competitive dynamics, profitability, manufacturing capabilities, and long‑term company objectives.
• Build and manage a disciplined growth funnel that identifies, evaluates, prioritizes, and advances opportunities across new products, new applications, new customers, adjacent markets, and portfolio extensions.
• Collaborate with R&D on Stage‑Gate governance for new product development and portfolio growth initiatives, ensuring opportunities progress through clearly defined stages with appropriate market validation, business cases, financial analysis, technical feasibility, and executive approval.
• Lead strategic Product Management, including product positioning, product lifecycle management, portfolio architecture, new product opportunities, line extensions, and commercialization.
• Lead SKU rationalization and portfolio optimization to improve profitability, simplify the portfolio, reduce complexity, and focus resources on the highest‑value opportunities.
• Partner with Finance to develop business cases, investment requirements, revenue forecasts, margin expectations, and return‑on‑investment assessments.
• Lead go‑to‑market planning and launch execution for new products, line extensions, and strategic growth initiatives.

Pricing & Commercial Strategy

• Develop and support strategic pricing approaches across the product portfolio and market segments.
• Partner with Sales and Finance to evaluate pricing, margin performance, competitive positioning, customer value, product mix, and price realization.
• Ensure pricing, product positioning, channel strategy, and marketing programs are aligned to maximize profitable growth.

Market Intelligence & Competitive Insights

• Own the company’s market intelligence framework and ensure commercial decisions are informed by reliable market, customer, and competitive data.
• Manage relationships with external research organizations, industry data providers, subscriptions, and analytical resources.
• Deliver monthly, quarterly, and ad‑hoc analysis of market conditions, demand trends, capacity changes, pricing movements, competitive activity, and forecast outlooks.
• Identify emerging trends, technologies, applications, and customer needs that could create future growth opportunities.
• Use market intelligence to identify risks, opportunities, and potential shifts in customer and category demand.

Brand & Marketing Communications

• Serve as the owner and steward of the Pixelle brand, including brand strategy, positioning, identity, voice, and visual standards.
• Translate category and product strategies into differentiated positioning, messaging, campaigns, and customer communications.
• Own the website strategy, content, structure, accuracy, and ongoing development in partnership with the agency team and IT.
• Develop and maintain demand‑generation tools and content across online and offline channels.
• Oversee digital and social channels, including LinkedIn and Facebook, with responsibility for content strategy, editorial calendars, engagement, and channel growth.
• Partner with HR and other internal stakeholders on employee communications that connect mill and corporate audiences to