Director, US RTD Marketing - - 196

What makes this a great opportunity?

•    -196 is not a brand you simply manage — it is a brand you build. As a critical growth driver for North America, -196 is redefining what a Japanese vodka seltzer can be in the U.S. market. Built on proprietary Freeze Crush Infusion technology and a distinctly Japanese brand world inspired by Japanese culture, -196 represents a significant growth opportunity within Suntory Global Spirits.
•    The Director, Marketing – -196 will lead the overall U.S. brand strategy and business agenda, building the long-term vision while delivering near-term growth. This leader will have significant ownership and visibility, leading a team of approximately eight and partnering closely with commercial, innovation, insights, finance, global marketing, and agency partners.
•    This is an opportunity for someone who wants to build, scale, and shape a challenger brand, rather than inherit an established playbook.

Role Responsibilities

•    Brand & Business Leadership
o    Own the overall U.S. vision, strategy, and growth agenda for -196, including annual operating plans and three-to-five-year strategic planning. 
o    Lead the development and execution of integrated brand strategies that build equity, increase household penetration and trial, and accelerate velocity and distribution. 
o    Own overall brand performance, identifying opportunities and making recommendations to accelerate growth. 
o    Serve as the senior U.S. brand steward for -196, ensuring a consistent and differentiated consumer proposition across all touchpoints. 
o    Lead regular business reviews with senior leadership, providing a clear perspective on performance, opportunities, risks, and actions. 
o    Identify emerging consumer occasions, whitespace opportunities, and potential areas for future expansion. 

•    Team Leadership & Development
o    Lead, coach, and develop a marketing team of approximately eight, including the Senior Brand Manager and broader brand team. 
o    Set clear priorities, roles, and expectations while creating a high-performance, collaborative team culture. 
o    Develop talent and build marketing capabilities across brand strategy, consumer understanding, creative development, analytics, and commercial execution. 
o    Empower the team to take calculated risks, challenge conventional thinking, and move with speed. 

•    Creative, Consumer & Innovation Leadership
o    Set the overall creative and consumer strategy for -196, ensuring the brand remains distinctive, culturally relevant, and connected to Gen Z and emerging consumer trends. 
o    Provide senior leadership and direction across creative, media, PR, experiential, digital, social, and influencer strategies. 
o    Lead major brand launches, innovation initiatives, and integrated campaigns in partnership with internal teams and agency partners. 
o    Build a strong innovation pipeline that supports both near-term growth and the long-term ambition for the brand. 
o    Ensure -196 maintains a differentiated Japanese brand positioning while remaining relevant and compelling to U.S. consumers. 

•    Commercial & P&L Leadership
o    Own the brand's marketing budget and partner closely with finance and commercial leadership on the brand P&L, investment decisions, forecasting, and ROI. 
o    Translate consumer and brand strategy into commercial plans that drive distribution, velocity, and sustainable growth. 
o    Partner with sales and commercial marketing leadership to ensure strong execution across on-premise, off-premise, ecommerce, and key customer channels. 
o    Use Nielsen/Circana, household panel, consumer, distribution, depletion, and financial data to identify opportunities and drive business decisions. 
o    Establish clear KPIs and ensure investment is tied to measurable brand and commercial outcomes. 

•    Cross-Functional & Global Leadership
o    Serve as the senior U.S. marketing leader for -196 across commercial, finance, insights, innovation, global marketing, and other key functions. 
o    Build strong relationships with distributor partners, key customers, agencies, and external partners. 
o    Represent the U.S. market with global brand leadership, influencing global strategy while ensuring U.S. market needs and opportunities are reflected. 
o    Create alignment across stakeholders and ensure brand strategy translates into executable plans in market. 

Qualifications

This role is for a builder and people leader who combines strong consumer marketing instincts with commercial and analytical discipline.
•    12–15+ years of progressive brand marketing experience, including significant RTD brand marketing experience as a requirement, ideally complemented by experience in beer, spirits, beverage, or another high-growth consumer category. 
•    5+ years of people leadership experience, with demonstrated success leading, developing, and motivating high-performing marketing teams. 
•    Experience leading a sizable brand or business with meaningful P&L, budget, and investment responsibility. 
•    Demonstrated success building and scaling brands, particularly challenger, emerging, or high-growth brands. 
•    Strong track record developing integrated brand strategies and translating them into measurable consumer and commercial growth. 
•    Deep experience across creative development, media, innovation, consumer activation, and commercial execution. 
•    Strong consumer instincts with the ability to identify emerging cultural trends and translate them into brand opportunities. 
•    Highly analytical and comfortable using consumer, syndicated, financial, and commercial data to make decisions. 
•    Proven ability to influence senior leaders and navigate complex global and cross-functional organizations. 
•    Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building the strategy and operating model rather than relying on an established playbook. 
•    Collaborative, entrepreneurial leadership style with a willingness to challenge the status quo and move quickly. 
•    Alcohol/beverage experience strongly preferred; strong CPG backgrounds considered. 
•    MBA preferred. 
•    Willingness to travel approximately 15–20% domestically. 

Ideal Profile
•    A commercially minded brand builder who has successfully taken a consumer brand from an emerging growth opportunity to meaningful scale. This person should bring the creativity and consumer orientation of a strong marketer, the discipline of a business leader, and the leadership capability to develop a team of eight while influencing senior stakeholders across Suntory Global Spirits.

The salary range for this role located in New York is $200,000- $220,000 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. The range will vary if outside of this location.