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Posted July 01, 2023
Learning Resources

Sr Marketing Manager

Learning Resources
Vernon Hills, IL, USA ⚠ [Archived] No Longer Accepting Applicants

About Learning Resources

We are Learning Resources® , and we are on a mission to bring learning to life. Voted one of the Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces for the last three years, we’re a 150-person strong, family-owned company who make award-winning toys, including top sellers Pretend & Play® Calculator Cash Register, Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set and Toy of the Year winner Botley® the Coding Robot as well as Educational Insights top sellers Kanoodle®, GeoSafari® Jr., and Circuit Explorer™. From ABCs and 123s to fine motor and STEM skills, our educational toys offer kids the building blocks they need to succeed in school and develop a lifelong love of learning. We pride ourselves on being committed to career and personal development, and having a thriving culture and a diverse, creative atmosphere. Along with our award-winning culture and competitive benefits package, we offer opportunities for training & development by Harvard and UCLA professors as well as in-demand, motivating external speakers.

This is a great opportunity to lead marketing for our largest toy brand, Learning Resources, including strategic planning, portfolio management, new product launches, annual marketing plans, and talent development. We are looking for a dynamic, performance-based change agent interested in growing our brand and business. Come join our award-winning team today!

Key Performance Objectives (KPOs) During Your First Year Include

  • Coach & develop a collaborative, performance-oriented team of 3 brand marketers, directing strategy across our owned channels (advertising, social media, PR, Influencer, catalog, events, education marketing) and partnering with center of excellence colleagues to execute across paid media, website, and email.
  • Lead the development of quarterly and annual marketing plans, including seasonal strategies, new product support, and base business development. Work cross-functionally with Product Development, Sales, and Digital Marketing team peers to execute plans that achieve annual sales targets, brand awareness objective and new product launch targets.
  • Develop launch plans for all new products, including positioning, messaging, and marketing assets. Direct creative development for new product packaging and naming. Monitor and report on product performance, using data to inform changes throughout the year.
  • Direct Social media, PR and Influencer strategy for the brand and direct development of video, digital and print content for these channels.
  • Perform insights-driven market research and analysis to inform annual product development and marketing plans.
  • Manage the brand’s annual marketing budget, allocating funds and analyzing performance of marketing activities to optimize marketing mix. Track KPIs and report to leadership monthly.
  • Support distribution growth and achievement of POS targets across retail channels (e-Commerce, Mass, International and Specialty dealers) by providing insights and recommendations for sell-in and resources for in-market support.

Requirements/Preferences

  • Bachelor's degree (MBA preferred)
  • 7-10 years’ experience in Brand Marketing, Digital and/or Social Media Marketing
  • People management experience
  • Data Driven with excellent analytical skills
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Intermediate or advanced MS Office skills, proficient learning internal enterprise systems
  • Consumer packaged goods or toy industry background preferred

Ideal Attributes

  • Motivational communication skills: leads the charge for brand transformation and drive for consistent brand experience across all customer touchpoints
  • Drives change for the better: offers ideas to increase efficiencies and adds to bottom-line results.
  • Connects inside and outside the team: shares information, transfers knowledge and seeks diverse input from others within the team and across the organization.
  • Takes Action: proactive and resourceful in solving problems, making solid decisions, and executing on goals.
  • Owns Results: follows through on commitments, takes responsibility for actions and produces quality results.
  • Coaches and Develops: leverages opportunities to train & develop direct reports and cross-functional colleagues

We are a drug-free workplace and an EEO employer.

Please note: This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.