How to hire a brand manager

How to hire a brand manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step brand manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a brand manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new brand manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a brand manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your brand manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a brand manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a brand manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a brand manager that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of brand manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Brand Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Brand Manager	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$34-62
   Manager, Field Marketing	A field marketing manager oversees a company's field marketing operations, aiming to improve brand awareness and reach sales goals. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around devising marketing strategies, participating in organizing campaigns and trade shows, setting objectives for the team, and monitoring the progress of marketing programs, ensuring they are functioning effectively and efficiently... Show more	$32-61
   Business Development And Marketing Manager	The business development and marketing manager is in charge of overseeing a company's marketing programs and projects. They primarily manage and coordinate teams, set goals and guidelines, organize budgets and timelines, conceptualize plans, and develop strategies to optimize operations... Show more	$24-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Brand Management
   • Digital Marketing
   • Customer Service
   • Project Management
   • Brand Marketing
   • Product Development
   • Market Research
   • PowerPoint
   • Integrated Marketing
   • Consumer Insights
   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Sales Strategies
   • Strong Analytical
   • Brand Positioning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Direct and coordinate photo shoots; conduct live training sessions; manage marketing asset library; CRM strategy.
   • Manage paid search campaigns including keyword generation, ad copy testing, landing page optimization, PPC and SEM.
   • Manage global product development teams with cross-functional oversight for manufacturing, sourcing, finance, design and supply chain management.
   • Manage POS merchandising and distribution of promotional items.
   • Develop and manage new health brand strategy including creation of healthcare professional/dietitian program.
   • Obtain certification through a cheese and wine class.

   More brand manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your brand manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A brand manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, brand managers' average salary in hawaii is 47% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level brand managers earn 45% less than senior-level brand managers.
   • Certifications. A brand manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a brand manager's salary.

   Average brand manager salary

   $97,789yearly

   $47.01 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level brand manager salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average brand manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$107,799	$52
   2	Connecticut	$106,930	$51
   3	California	$102,611	$49
   4	New York	$101,994	$49
   5	Washington	$100,102	$48
   6	Massachusetts	$96,435	$46
   7	Nevada	$94,938	$46
   8	Pennsylvania	$93,757	$45
   9	Minnesota	$93,295	$45
   10	Oregon	$92,862	$45
   11	Virginia	$92,353	$44
   12	Texas	$90,693	$44
   13	Arizona	$89,359	$43
   14	Maryland	$89,271	$43
   15	District of Columbia	$89,001	$43
   16	North Carolina	$87,746	$42
   17	Ohio	$86,114	$41
   18	Missouri	$86,080	$41
   19	Illinois	$85,718	$41
   20	Georgia	$85,296	$41

   Average brand manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$129,438	$62.23	483
   2	Apple	$120,761	$58.06	77
   3	Koch Industries	$117,792	$56.63	3
   4	Netflix	$116,491	$56.01	76
   5	Mayo Clinic	$115,801	$55.67	18
   6	Pacira BioSciences	$115,706	$55.63
   7	AbbVie	$115,162	$55.37	97
   8	ByteDance	$115,039	$55.31	14
   9	Bristol-Myers Squibb	$113,818	$54.72	6
   10	Sanofi US	$112,871	$54.26	19
   11	Revlon	$112,363	$54.02	4
   12	Unirac	$112,130	$53.91
   13	Okta	$111,617	$53.66	39
   14	Cisco	$110,787	$53.26	366
   15	Coty	$110,591	$53.17	40
   16	Pharmavite	$109,573	$52.68	1
   17	Ziff Davis	$107,397	$51.63	1
   18	Gillette	$107,317	$51.59
   19	Eight O'Clock Coffee	$107,034	$51.46	4
   20	CDW	$106,953	$51.42	33

4. Writing a brand manager job description

   A good brand manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a brand manager job description:

   Brand manager job description example

   About Us
   The Kraft Heinz Company is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, with eight $1 billion+ brands and global sales of approximately $25 billion. We're a globally trusted producer of high-quality, great-tasting, and nutritious foods for over 150 years. Our brands are truly global, with products produced and marketed in over 40 countries. These beloved products include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy, meals, meats, refreshment beverages, coffee, infant and nutrition products, and numerous other grocery products in a portfolio of more than 200 legacy and emerging brands.
   
   No matter the brand, we're united under one vision: To sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally. Bringing this vision to life is our team of 39,000+ food lovers, creative thinkers, and high performers worldwide. Together, we help provide meals to those in need through our global partnership with Rise Against Hunger. We also stand committed to responsible, sustainable practices that extend to every facet of our business, our consumers, and our communities. Every day, we're transforming the food industry with bold thinking and unprecedented results. If you share our passion - and are ready to create the future, build a legacy, and lead as a global citizen - there's only one thing to do: join our table and let's make life delicious!
   
   Our Culture of Ownership, Meritocracy & Collaboration
   We're not afraid to think differently. Embrace new ideas. Dream big. We empower our people at every level - from entry-level intern to senior leader - to own their work. We share a responsibility to think like Owners - to be mindful of the collective and sustained success of Kraft Heinz - which we apply to every situation, every day. As part of Kraft Heinz, you're supported to grow and achieve. You're expected to bring your authentic self to work every day, to lead with humility, and drive outstanding performance at every level - and you'll be rewarded. You're given opportunities to leave a mark and build a legacy. But you won't do it alone. You're supported by passionate teammates along the way, and our collective, collaborative spirit fuels our incredible progress.
   
   Job Description
   The Opportunity
   Here is a fantastic opportunity to join one of the top tier Global FMCG companies in New Zealand, become part of a super energetic and fast-paced marketing team driving iconic brands such as Wattie's, Heinz, Chef, Gregg's, Eta and many more!Innovation is at the heart of what we do at Wattie's - this is an opportunity to drive the long-term growth strategy of brands that Kiwis have grown up in their pantries with across many generations since 1934.Unlike most other global FMCG businesses, we develop our brands locally, we create our NPDs locally, we manufacture locally… and if you prove yourself here in NZ, the world is your oyster!Key ResponsibilitiesPlay key roles in taking NPD to market including idea generation, preparation of business plans, P&L management, go to market planning for both AU and NZ, and post launch audits Develop and implement annual advertising, POS, publicity and consumer promotion plans for assigned category portfolio Liaise with agencies to develop & execute marketing & advertising campaigns Monitor brand performance and develop consumer insights through research tools and reporting Assist in strategy development including one and three-year plans Support annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting and manage monthly A&P spend Communicate & coordinate cross-functional teams including Sales, Operations and ManagementAbout YouTertiary qualification in Marketing, Communications or related discipline Minimum 2+ years in marketing (or marketing related) experience Project management capability on NPD, renovation, innovation or advertising Ability to analyse and interpret data to make recommendations Ability to think strategically and translate this thinking into measurable actions Strong presentation and communication skills (written and verbal) Proficiency in productivity and collaboration tools such as MS Office (esp. PowerPoint and Excel) Benefits ProgramWe empower our people to own their work- and it's true our employees are our competitive advantage - so we take care of our Kraft Heinz family with our ‘Live Well' benefits program:Hybrid Working- flexibility around when and where you work Free Food - our kitchen is fully stocked with our products for you to enjoy!Gatherings - monthly drinks & nibbles- End of Year CelebrationWellbeing - annual health checks & flu shots- onsite wellbeing sessions & webinars Volunteering - volunteer days with Foodbank- meal packing events for our Global partner Rise Against HungerKeeping Fit - join our Run Club and sign up for discounted gym memberships & classes Parental Leave - 12 weeks paid parental leave for primary caregivers In-house training programs - Access to our online learning platform, Ownerversity for continuous learning and development Career Development - Opportunity to be mentored by excellent leaders and have on-the-job skill development and coaching Cultural Leave - Two days paid leave per calendar year for the purpose of fulfilling or observing religious, ceremonial or culturally significant days The Kraft Heinz Company Australia & New Zealand is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces, promotes and values diversity and inclusion. Research shows that candidates from under represented backgrounds hesitate to apply for roles if they feel they don't meet 100% of the criteria. So, if this opportunity excites you and you think you have skills and experience that can add value (even if not specified), please don't hesitate to apply! #LI-DNI
   Location(s)
   Newmarket - Auckland
   
   Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right brand manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with brand managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit brand managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find brand manager candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit brand managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new brand manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect brand manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new brand manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a brand manager?