Senior Marketing Manager

Job description

Great food experiences are built in layers: inside, where quality, performance, and consistency matter most; and outside, where creativity, artistry, and visual impact bring products to life. At IRCA Group, we bring these layers together through a broad portfolio of premium ingredients, technical expertise, and innovative solutions that help chefs, food manufacturers, chains, distributors, and in-store bakeries create without limits. From concept to execution, we make the extraordinary simple. IRCA Group is a global leader in high-quality food ingredient solutions, specializing in chocolate, creams, fillings, fruit-based solutions, pistachio ingredients, chocolate decorations, sugar decorations, and other specialty ingredients. The Group’s portfolio includes renowned brands such as IRCA, Dobla, JoyGelato, Ravifruit, Cesarin, Domori, and Graffiti Sprinkles, each with its own heritage, expertise, and market positioning. With more than 100 years of Italian heritage, IRCA has evolved into a global B2B ingredients platform serving customers in more than 100 countries. The company operates a global manufacturing and distribution network spanning 19 facilities and more than 7,000 products, supporting a broad customer base across artisanal, foodservice, and food manufacturing channels. Since Advent International’s investment, IRCA has significantly accelerated its growth, increasing revenue from €370 million in 2021 to approximately €1.5 billion today. As IRCA enters its next chapter of international expansion, the Americas region represents a key growth platform, supported by expanded domestic capabilities in chocolate, fillings, and decorations. In the United States, IRCA Group has offices and manufacturing facilities near Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, and St. Louis. **Role Overview** The Senior Marketing Manager, Americas will play a critical role in shaping and executing the regional marketing strategy for assigned segments of the IRCA portfolio. This is a highly visible, commercially focused role designed for a strategic and hands-on marketing leader who can connect market insights, customer needs, portfolio strategy, and sales execution to drive business growth. This position requires someone who can move fluidly between strategy and execution: building category plans, leading innovation pipeline priorities, developing customer-facing campaigns, creating high-impact sales tools, and partnering closely with Sales, Culinary, Product Management, Business Development, R&D, and Communications teams. The ideal candidate is a strong commercial marketer with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, translate complex portfolios into compelling customer stories, and support strategic engagements with customers across Food Manufacturing, Chains, Distribution, and In-Store Bakery channels. This role requires a proactive, entrepreneurial, and collaborative leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, brings structure to complexity, and is motivated by the opportunity to make a measurable impact on the continued growth of IRCA Americas. This position requires onsite presence at our Chicago, IL office three days per week (minimum). ### Responsibilities - Lead portfolio management and innovation pipeline development for assigned categories within the IRCA Americas portfolio. - Develop and execute regional marketing strategies aligned with business objectives, customer priorities, and growth opportunities across the Americas. - Translate market trends, category insights, competitive intelligence, and customer needs into actionable commercial strategies. - Lead integrated marketing campaigns targeting Food Manufacturing, Chains, Distribution, and In-Store Bakery channels to drive market penetration, customer engagement, and revenue growth. - Partner closely with Sales, Culinary, Product Management, Business Development, R&D, Customer Service, and Communications teams to develop customer-centric initiatives. - Build compelling sales enablement tools, including customer presentations, capability decks, product brochures, one-pagers, innovation concepts, and tailored customer proposals. - Support strategic customer engagements by presenting category trends, portfolio solutions, innovation opportunities, and market insights that strengthen customer relationships and accelerate growth. - Collaborate with the Communications and Digital Marketing team to ensure consistent brand messaging across online and offline customer touchpoints. - Oversee the development and maintenance of innovation libraries, product concept databases, category assets, and commercial marketing tools in partnership with Culinary and Innovation teams. - Measure and analyze marketing campaign performance, KPIs, ROI, and customer engagement metrics, providing recommendations for continuous improvement. - Build strong partnerships with IRCA Academy chefs and cross-functional partners to support commercial initiatives, category management projects, and customer experiences. - Manage relationships with external agencies, creative partners, research providers, and vendors, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with business objectives. - Manage marketing budgets and prioritize investments to maximize commercial impact and return on investment. - Mentor and guide junior marketing team members as appropriate, fostering collaboration, accountability, creativity, and professional development. - Perform other related duties as assigned. ### Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Food Science, Communications, or a related field required; MBA or advanced degree preferred. - 7+ years of progressive marketing experience, preferably in B2B food ingredients, food manufacturing, foodservice, bakery, pastry, chocolate, confectionery, or related industries. - Proven experience developing and executing marketing strategies that support commercial growth. - Strong understanding of portfolio management, innovation pipeline development, category marketing, and sales enablement. - Experience supporting customer-facing initiatives, strategic account presentations, trade marketing programs, and integrated marketing campaigns. - Ability to synthesize market trends, customer insights, and business priorities into clear strategies and compelling commercial stories. - Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, stakeholders, timelines, and budgets. - Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the confidence to engage cross-functional teams and customer-facing audiences. - Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across functions and regions. - Highly proactive, organized, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, evolving business environment. - Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially PowerPoint and Excel; experience with marketing platforms, CRM tools, or project management systems is a plus. The successful candidate will bring a strong mix of strategic thinking, commercial acumen, creativity, and executional discipline. They will be comfortable working directly with Sales and senior stakeholders, influencing without authority, and turning business priorities into practical marketing programs that support growth. This individual should have a strong understanding of B2B marketing, customer segmentation, sales enablement, innovation commercialization, and category-led growth. Experience in food ingredients, food manufacturing, bakery, pastry, chocolate, confectionery, gelato, foodservice, or a related B2B food environment is strongly preferred.