Sr. Brand Manager, Pet - Minneapolis, MN

At Blue Buffalo, our mission is to Feed and Treat More Pets Like Family. The pet food category is large ($53B!) and growing. Our goal is to win by building remarkable brands, creating and communicating remarkable products, and building superior retailer partnerships. Blue Buffalo is the #1 natural pet food brand, the #1 most loved brand and the #1 most trusted brand amongst pet parents.

Did you know that there are more cats in the US than children? Did you know that the growth in cat ownership is exceeding the growth in dog ownership? Cat food is a big category (+$16B) across Dry, Wet, and Treats, and is leading the pet food category growth. General Mills has made a huge commitment in Cat, both with investments on Blue Buffalo's Cat businesses and the recent acquisition of Whitebridge Pet Brands, which includes the Tiki Cat brand. Simply put, CAT IS WHERE IT'S AT!

ABOUT THE ROLE:

Brand Management at General Mills is the engine of our success. We are seeking a dynamic, strategic, curious, growth-obsessed, and solution-oriented Senior Brand Manager to lead Blue Buffalo's $450 million Cat Feeding business and lead the charge in shaping the future of this iconic brand. As a Senior Brand Manager, you'll be a full-spectrum business leader, driving strategy and demand generation, stewarding brands, and leading cross-functional teams to achieve ambitious growth targets. This position will directly manage two Associate Brand Managers and one Brand Associate. You will also partner with the Whitebridge team to build holistic General Mills (GMI) Cat Feeding strategies and plans, inclusive of Blue Buffalo and Tiki Cat brands. You'll be the hub of the wheel, making high-impact decisions, developing modern marketing strategies, and leading teams to deliver exceptional results.

This is a highly visible role with many opportunities to be in front of senior leadership. This role manages a significant consumer and media budget, builds retailer sell stories as part of the channel strategy, and partners with the innovation team to develop a robust innovation and renovation pipeline.

The ideal person for this role demonstrates strong strategic thinking skills, ability to manage ambiguity, creativity, commercial orientation to balance the needs of pets, pet parents, and retail partners, and an enterprise mindset.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Build Brands:Lead purpose-driven brand and channel strategies rooted in deep consumer insights and cultural understanding. Develop and execute integrated marketing plans across media, content, innovation, and retail, driving both long-term brand equity and short-term demand.

• Run the Business:Own P&L performance and deliver growth through strategic choices across pricing, promotion, innovation, margin, and distribution. Lead annual and long-range planning, forecasting, and business performance analysis. Navigate complex cross-functional relationships to deliver cohesive results.

• Lead Teams:Act as a collaborative leader, guiding cross-functional teams through ambiguity to achieve alignment and execution. Coach and develop Associate Brand Managers and early-career talent, fostering a growth oriented, high-performing, and accountable team environment.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Finance, Business Administration, or related field

• 8+ years of progressive experience in Brand Management, Marketing, Consulting, Strategy, or a related field

• Brand Management experience

• Pet industry experience

• Strong commercial and strategic acumen, experience owning a P&L with understanding of P&L mechanics and how to impact topline and bottom-line drivers

• Experience managing, coaching, and developing talent

• Experience working closely with retail partners

• Exceptional communication and influencing skills; ability to clearly articulate complex ideas to diverse audiences, including senior leadership

• Ability to lead through ambiguity and operate with independence

• Demonstrated curiosity & empathy for pets, consumers & selling channels

BONUS POINTS:

• MBA

• Pet enthusiast

• Experience with customer-facing strategies and external partnerships

LOCATION

This role is based at our Headquarters in Minneapolis, MN* - designed to bring people together, spark ideas, and fuel your growth. We have fun together and we Work With Heart: flexibility is a core enabler of our culture, with employees coming together in person 3 days per week.Relocation benefits will be provided for those who are not currently based in Minneapolis.

*Candidates located in St Louis, MO will also be considered

We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best - bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what's next.