Manager, Consumer Connections - Chicago or NYC

What makes this a great opportunity?

At Suntory Global Spirits, we craft spirits of the highest quality and deliver brilliant experiences to people around the world. Suntory Global Spirits has evolved into the world's third largest leading premium spirits company ... where each employee is treated like family and trusted with legacy. With our greatest assets - our premium spirits and our people - we're driving growth through impactful marketing, innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. Suntory Global Spirits is a place where you can come Unleash your Spirit by making an impact each and every day.

The Manager, Consumer Connections is responsible for developing and executing integrated marketing programs that drive brand growth through culture, creativity, media, and consumer engagement. As the Consumer Connections lead for assigned brands, this role partners closely with Brand, Insights, Commercial, and Agency teams to bring integrated marketing plans to life across paid, owned, earned, and shared channels.

This role serves as both a strategic partner and hands-on execution leader, translating brand strategy into actionable marketing plans and ensuring programs are delivered with excellence. With an initial focus on Maker's Mark, the role will place particular emphasis on paid media, influencer marketing, and collaboration with Global Brand Marketing to bring globally developed brand platforms to life in the U.S. market.

The ideal candidate is a curious, resourceful, and collaborative integrated marketer who can connect strategy to execution, navigate cross-functional teams, and continuously optimize performance to drive business results.

Role Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Brand Partnership

• Serve as the Consumer Connections lead for assigned brands, partnering with Brand, Insights, Commercial, Global Marketing, and Agency teams.
• Develop integrated marketing plans that align to business objectives and brand priorities.
• Translate consumer insights, audience intelligence, and cultural trends into actionable marketing plans.
• Contribute to annual planning, quarterly programming, and strategic growth initiatives.

Integrated Marketing & Execution

• Lead integrated planning and execution across paid media, social media, creators and influencers, partnerships, content, CRM, commerce, and digital experiences.
• Partner with media, creative, and influencer agencies to translate strategy into clear activation plans and high-quality execution.
• Collaborate with Brand and Global Marketing teams to adapt and activate global brand platforms and creative assets for U.S. audiences and channels.
• Manage cross-functional timelines, priorities, and dependencies to ensure work is delivered on time and at a high standard.
• Ensure programs are connected across channels and supported by clear briefs, objectives, and success metrics.

Performance & Optimization

• Monitor program performance and proactively identify opportunities to improve effectiveness through data, insights, and testing.
• Drive a continuous improvement mindset through ongoing optimization, performance reviews, and learning agendas.
• Partner with media, analytics, and agency teams to evaluate campaign performance and recommend improvements.
• Support implementation of measurement frameworks, experimentation, and reporting that connect marketing performance to business outcomes.

Leadership & Capability

• Lead day-to-day cross-functional collaboration and agency partnerships to ensure high-quality execution and delivery.
• Demonstrate ownership, sound judgment, and proactive problem-solving to navigate challenges and keep initiatives moving forward.
• Contribute to Consumer Connections capability building by sharing best practices, learnings, and new approaches across the portfolio.

Champion simplified ways of working that improve speed, quality, and organizational effectiveness

Qualifications

Education & Professional Experience

• 5+ years of experience in integrated marketing, media, brand marketing, digital marketing, consumer engagement, or related disciplines.
• Experience developing and executing integrated marketing programs across paid media, social media, creator and influencer marketing, partnerships, content, CRM, commerce, and owned channels.
• Experience managing agencies and cross-functional partners.
• Strong understanding of audience strategy, media planning, measurement, and performance optimization.

Key Skills & Attributes

• Integrated marketer with experience connecting strategy, creativity, media, content, creators, commerce, and consumer insights into cohesive marketing programs.
• Strong project leadership and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders.
• Comfortable translating strategic direction into actionable plans and leading cross-functional execution.
• Collaborative, resourceful, and solutions-oriented, with the ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, and drive progress.
• Curious and adaptable marketer who thrives in fast-paced environments and embraces continuous learning, innovation, and change.

Salary Range - The salary range for this role, based in Chicago is $100,000 to $125,000 along with an annual bonus, 401K match, profit sharing, and medical and wellness benefits. The salary range is commensurate with the candidate’s location, experience, and skillset.