Job Description

Job Description

About Us

Just imagine, you could confidently cook any dish of the world and boost your spice senses in a very natural way with just a pinch…welcome to the world of Just Spices! We are a season blend disruptor that already revolutionized the European Spice market and is now ready to do its magic in American kitchen for our American customers. In 2014, Just Spices was founded in Germany by three flatmates who wanted to cook up a curry and quickly realized they’d have to buy several different spices they’d never use again –not to mention using five measuring spoons to get the perfect spice levels. They set out to solve their frustration, and today, Just Spices has more than 150 spice varieties available and already >2.1 million fans on social media. We soft-launched Just Spices in USA in 2023 via our own online shop and are now available at the first Retailers. But our journey has just begun and we are ready to revolutionize the American Spice blend market.

At Just Spices, our vision is to empower people all over the world to make the food they love. We want to inspire people to cook a variety of simple and delicious food, while keeping effort to a minimum! We know what it’s like to cook a healthy meal from scratch after a stressful day and our carefully crafted recipes help make your day easier – without causing chaos in your spice rack and by taking out the guess-work at the spice aisle.

Join us on this journey as our new General Manager for Just Spices North America, completing our local team and helping achieve our ambition of becoming a leading global spice company.

A Bit About Our Culture

We're more than just coworkers here at Just Spices! We are here to help each other out. Our communication is open, honest and direct. Does that mean our discussions can sometimes be intense? Yes, absolutely. But that’s also a sign of a healthy friendship; being able to say if you have a problem with something and being empowered to stand by your opinion. But the most important thing for us is being open-minded and working together to find a solution that works for everyone. #crewloveistruelove

Position Summary

We are looking for a General Manager for our US business who will build our Go-To-Market further leveraging both, the power of DtC and the power of brick-and-mortar Retail. You will lead a dedicated local team which interacts closely with other global teams. You will be responsible for overseeing the planning, development and execution of an organization's marketing and advertising initiatives and primarily leading the DTC channel. You will be responsible for the overall US market and for our Retail go-to-market. Reporting directly to the Global CEO, the General Manager – US’ primary responsibility is to manage and grow the P&L of the business by increasing sales through successful marketing for the entire organization, using market research, pricing, product marketing, marketing communications, advertising, and public relations. Responsibilities also include sales management, new business development, product development, distribution channel management and customer service. The entire US based team, including support functions (e.g., operations), will report to the GM.

Key Components of the Role

• You are tasked with building the US Just Spices organization and business to scale the brand to the dream plan.
• Build and develop a high performing team of entrepreneurs.
• Collaborate with the Just Spices Headquarters in Germany as well as partner teams at Kraft Heinz in Chicago to develop and implement Just Spices USA growth strategy.
• Overall responsibility for the US P&L and revenue growth ambitions of this start-up.
• Champion consumer-facing and insight-driven brand positioning and marketing approach that supports both, digital marketing as well as shopper-driven trade marketing.
• Own and shape the Go-to-market strategy in US Retail, develop DtC and online marketing further together with local and headquarters teams.
• Shape portfolio strategy, brand strategies, and integrated activity plans to perform analysis and course correction where needed.
• Lead-by-example, driving cross-functional collaboration between sales, marketing, operations within entrepreneurial as well as more corporate contexts.

Qualifications

• Entrepreneurial spirit, demonstrating flexibility and resilience, comfort with ambiguity, analytical nature and agility.
• Strong communication skills and stakeholder management.
• Proven track record of inspiring and leading a high performing team with outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
• US Food and Beverage experience strongly preferred
• Strong background in sales, marketing / brand management and business development with cross-function experience dealing with production, information technology, legal and finance teams.
• 9+ years of total work experience of well-rounded business development experience in the US Retail Market; preferably with a focus on omnichannel and direct-to-consumer offerings
• Bachelor’s degree required
• An advanced degree in marketing or business (MBA) is preferred
• Valid Passport required

Location(s)

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination or harassment of any type. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants who require an accommodation to participate in the job application or hiring process should contact NATAI@kraftheinz.com .