Associate Director of North America Marketing – Pet Food & Rendering

Overview:

The Associate Director of North America Marketing is a strategic B2B marketing leader responsible for defining and leading the strategic growth agenda for Kemin’s Pet Food & Rendering portfolio in the region. Serving as the senior marketing leader for North America, this role is accountable for shaping portfolio strategy, innovation priorities, market development plans, and marketing communications initiatives aligned with business objectives.

The ideal candidate combines strategic vision, strong business acumen, customer-centric thinking, and the ability to translate market insights into growth opportunities.

This position is required to be onsite at our WW Headquarters in Des Moines and will report to the North America General Manager for Pet Food & Rendering.

Join the Kemin Team and Transform Lives!

We are a privately held, family-owned-and-operated global biotechnology company driven by curiosity and committed to transforming the quality of life for people, pets, and the planet.

We create solutions that strengthen health and wellbeing, provide nutrition and immune support for pets and production animals, safeguard the planet’s natural resources, and protect the global food supply chain for generations to come.

We supply over 500 specialty ingredients for various industries, including human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies, textiles, biofuels, and animal vaccines.

We employ 3,500 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Italy, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa, and the United States.

As a valued member of our team, you'll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your financial, physical, and professional well-being:

Competitive Financial Package: Enjoy a rewarding salary, uncapped bonus opportunities, a 401k match program, and generous paid vacation and holidays.

Health and Wellness Support: Stay fit and healthy with our fitness reimbursement for the whole family, access to an on-site fitness center, a restaurant offering seasonal fresh food options, and free fresh fruit in break areas.

Career Development and Advancement: Unlock your potential with opportunities for growth and development throughout your entire career.

Continued Learning Opportunities: Grow your skills with our in-house learning platforms, offering thousands of training resources both live and online, and take advantage of tuition reimbursement for external post-secondary pursuits.

Service Opportunities: Make a positive impact with paid time off for service, partnerships with The World Food Programme and Habitat for Humanity, and local community initiatives.

Responsibilities:

Regional Marketing Strategy & Business Leadership

Lead the development and execution of the North America growth strategy for Kemin's Pet Food & Rendering portfolio

Identify and evaluate new market opportunities, customer segments, strategic partnerships, and expansion pathways that support long-term business growth

Champion an outside-in, customer-focused marketing approach by leveraging voice-of-customer insights, market intelligence, industry trends, and competitive analysis

Translate market, customer, regulatory, and industry insights into strategic business recommendations and growth initiatives

Influence regional business planning, revenue growth strategies, portfolio investments, and resource allocation decisions

Partner with commercial and technical teams to accelerate growth, improve customer value creation, and strengthen competitive positioning

Innovation Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

Lead the North America innovation portfolio strategy, ensuring alignment between customer needs, market opportunities, and business growth priorities

Influence innovation investment decisions through market sizing, opportunity assessment, customer insights, and competitive intelligence

Represent North America in global portfolio governance, stage-gate reviews, and innovation pipeline discussions

Evaluate portfolio performance and recommend strategic actions including investment, expansion, repositioning, or portfolio rationalization

Partner with Global Marketing, R&D, and Commercial teams to shape commercialization strategies and accelerate market adoption

Ensure Product Marketing Managers develop compelling, customer-focused value propositions and business cases for innovation initiatives

Champion commercialization excellence across the innovation lifecycle from concept through launch and adoption

Go-to-Market & Value Proposition Oversight

Provide strategic leadership for market segmentation, targeting, positioning, value proposition development, and communications

Drive strategic pricing, value creation, differentiation, and messaging discussions in partnership with commercial leadership

Ensure consistency and effectiveness of customer-facing narratives across products, services, and market segments

Oversee regional launch planning, go-to-market strategies, and activation efforts to support commercial success

Partner with sales leadership to strengthen strategic account planning and market development initiatives

Monitor market performance and business results, ensuring marketing investments deliver measurable impact against growth objectives

Marketing Team Leadership & Capability Building

Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing regional marketing organization

Establish clear priorities, performance expectations, and development plans aligned with business objectives

Elevate strategic thinking, customer-centricity, and storytelling capabilities across the team

Ensure effective prioritization across portfolios, balancing near-term business needs with long-term strategic objectives

Regional Leadership Team Engagement

Act as a trusted, active member of the North America Leadership Team

Provide a strong customer, market, and competitive perspective in leadership discussions and business planning processes

Engage in healthy debate, align on decisions, and champion agreed priorities across the organization

Bring energy, urgency, and a positive leadership presence to the team

Qualifications:

Education and Experience:

Bachelors degree in Business, Animal Science, Nutrition, Marketing, or a related field with a minimum of 10+ years of experience in product management, marketing, or commercial leadership, strategic planning, or related business roles within pet nutrition, animal health, or B2B ingredients.

MBA preferred

Strong understanding of pet food ingredients and rendering industries.

Experience leading portfolio strategy, innovation commercialization, and market development initiatives

Strong understanding of market analysis, customer segmentation, value proposition development, and strategic planning

Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and build alignment across diverse stakeholder groups

A post-offer background check and drug screen is required. Additional pre-employment requirements may be necessary based on position.

Kemin is a drug-free and tobacco-free campus.

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