Senior Brand Manager- Paul Mitchell in Santa Monica, California at John Paul Mitchell Systems

Who We Are

John Paul Mitchell Systems (“JPMS”) is recognized worldwide for developing and marketing innovative hair and skin care products since 1980. We’ve been serving the professional beauty industry with salon-quality hair care products, styling tools and professional hair color through our family of brands including Paul Mitchell, MITCH, Awapuhi Wild Ginger, Tea Tree, Paul Mitchell Tools, Neuro, The Demi, Paul Mitchell the Color, Blonde, and Color XG.

We were the first professional hair care company to take a stand against animal testing and continue our strong commitment to giving back, supporting a wide range of philanthropic causes both domestically and internationally. Sustainability has always been a priority, and we are committed to making our company operations climate neutral to preserve the beauty of the world around us.

Who You Are:

You are a skilled and enthusiastic, high-performing professional who is passionate about hair care and wants to positively contribute to the growth of our iconic brand as well as to our people first culture.

About the Role

The Senior Brand Manager is responsible for leading the development and execution of strategic marketing initiatives that drive brand awareness, consumer engagement, and business growth across assigned JPMS brands. This role serves as a key bridge between brand strategy and execution, owning annual marketing plans, product launch strategies, integrated campaigns, and cross-functional alignment.

The Senior Brand Manager will partner closely with Creative, Digital, Social, Education, Sales, Product Development, and Operations teams to bring innovative marketing programs to life while ensuring brand consistency across all consumer and professional touchpoints. This role also provides leadership and mentorship to junior marketing team members and plays a critical role in shaping the long-term growth strategy for the brand portfolio.

This is a hybrid role that works in office in Santa Monica 3 times a week.

What You will Do:

Brand Strategy & Planning

• Lead the development and execution of annual brand marketing plans that support company growth objectives and sales targets.
• Partner with the VP, Brand Marketing to identify long-term growth opportunities, category expansion strategies, partnership integrations and product innovation roadmaps.
• Lead and influence cross-functional teams to deliver brand initiatives, programs, and campaigns, ensuring execution is on time, within budget, and aligned with business objectives.
• Serve as a key brand and marketing steward, ensuring consistency in brand positioning, architecture, messaging, and visual identity across product development, retail, education, sales, digital, and operations.
• Deliver presentations, insights and strategies to senior leadership and key stakeholders

Brand Activation & Campaign Management

• Lead the development and execution of 360° integrated marketing campaigns across professional and consumer channels (digital, retail, social media, influencer, education, events, etc.).
• Collaborate with creative teams and external partners to ensure compelling brand communications, cohesive visuals, and impactful activations.
• Lead new product launches and ensure successful go-to-market strategies – supporting the planning and execution of events, activations and marketing activity.
• Manage and distribute brand assets, messaging, and strategies to cross-functional teams and international partners.
• Oversee photoshoots, branded content creation, style guides and marketing materials.

Product Innovation & Go-to-Market Leadership

• Lead brand marketing workstreams and cross-functional launch planning for product innovation from concept through commercialization.
• Identify consumer needs, product gaps, and innovation opportunities through analysis of market research, sales feedback, consumer insights, and industry trends.
• Develop compelling product positioning, profiles, claims, messaging, and launch strategies in partnership with R&D, Regulatory, Education, and Sales.
• Oversee Go-To-Market launch plans and strategies for new product launches, product re-support campaigns, brand campaigns and promotional initiatives.

Budget & Resource Management

• Manage assigned marketing budgets and ensure efficient allocation of resources.
• Evaluate investment opportunities and ROI to optimize business impact.
• Ensure that all initiatives stay within budget, optimizing spending to meet KPIs.

Market Research & Consumer Insights

• Utilize consumer research, loyalty data, competitive intelligence, and industry trends to identify growth opportunities, gaps, and insights to enrich marketing plans.
• Analyze market dynamics to inform product development, pricing strategies, and promotional tactics.
• Stay ahead of industry, consumer, and cultural trends, proactively identifying opportunities to innovate and evolve the brand.

Performance Tracking & Reporting

• Measure and analyze the effectiveness of brand campaigns and marketing activations using KPIs, sales, and consumer/customer insights.
• Regularly report on brand health, brand sales, and product performance to senior leadership, providing actionable insights and recommendations.

Required Qualifications:

• Proficiency in Adobe, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Canva
• Skilled in AI technologies such as Co-Pilot, ChatGPT, etc.
• Proficient in using project management platforms, such as Workfront or Asana
• Proficient with analytics tools such as Power BI to interpret sales data, market trends, and consumer insights
• Proven ability to define and execute brand positioning
• Ability to drive multiple product launches and key brand initiatives
• Experience creating and implementing 360° marketing campaigns across multiple channels
• Strong project management skills to manage timelines, budgets, and deliverables
• Skilled at cross-functional collaboration
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills
• Understanding of eCommerce strategies, platforms, and tools to support direct-to-consumer (DTC) growth
• High attention to detail and ability to maintain brand consistency across all touchpoints

Education:

• High school diploma or GED required

Experience:

• 7+ years of brand marketing experience required

Preferred Qualifications:

Skills:

Strong understanding of the professional hair care market, including knowledge of salon dynamics, distribution channels, and competitive landscape.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing or closely related field strongly preferred

Experience:

• Prior beauty industry experience strongly preferred

We are eager to meet people who believe in our mission and can contribute to our team in a variety of ways - not just candidates who check all the boxes. If you think you would be a good fit for the position and our company, we invite you to apply.

Working Conditions

• Office environment

Competitive Compensation:

• The expected base salary range for this position is $120,000 to $135,000. The exact base salary is determined by various factors including geographic location, experience, skills, and education.
• Discretionary Bonus Plan: This position is also eligible for participation in the company discretionary bonus plan, based on personal performance and company results.
• Comprehensive Benefits Package: In addition to base salary, JPMS offers a competitive benefits package to eligible employees, including medical, dental, vision, life, accident, critical illness, and disability insurance, retirement savings plans and company match, paid family leave, education-related programs, paid holidays, discretionary vacation time, and more.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and take pride in a diverse environment.