Project Portfolio Manager Jobs in Baton Rouge, LA

Department: Marketing

Travel Required: Up to 25%

Work Type: Hybrid

Why Join Community Coffee?

At Community Coffee, every cup tells a story. As America’s #1 family-owned and operated retail coffee brand, we blend cherished traditions with innovative thinking to create a dynamic, fast-paced environment that’s as energizing as our coffee. Here, you’ll thrive in a setting that challenges you to grow professionally while making a meaningful impact every day. Join our family and transform your passion for coffee into a rewarding career—where every day is an opportunity to craft exceptional experiences and build lasting connections.

Position Overview

The Brand Portfolio Manager is responsible for supporting the development and execution of product, portfolio, and innovation initiatives within assigned product segments. This role partners closely with portfolio leadership to translate brand and portfolio strategies into actionable product plans, ensuring initiatives are grounded in consumer insights, aligned with brand guardrails, and commercially viable.

Working cross-functionally with Brand, Insights, R&D, Sales, Operations, Finance, and Program Management, the Brand Portfolio Manager helps identify growth opportunities, builds and manages the innovation and product pipeline for assigned segments, and supports execution from concept development through commercialization and post-launch optimization.

This role requires strong consumer empathy, analytical rigor, project ownership, and the ability to translate strategy into action in a fast-paced CPG environment. 

Key Responsibilities

Innovation & Pipeline Development 

• Leverage market research, consumer insights, category performance, and industry trends to identify, evaluate, and prioritize innovation opportunities for assigned product segments.
• Maintain a forward-looking 3-year innovation and product roadmap that supports portfolio strategy, brand priorities, and segment growth objectives.
• Facilitate ideation sessions and innovation workshops to explore new platforms, formats, blends, flavors, packaging options, and product extensions.
• Develop product concepts with clear consumer value propositions and support validation through qualitative and quantitative research.
• Translate approved concepts into detailed product design briefs; partner with R&D to prototype, conduct sensory testing, and refine formulations.
• Leverage external consultants, suppliers, and co-manufacturers as needed to support product exploration, feasibility, and development.
• Lead or support consumer testing to validate product fit to concept, overall acceptance, purchase intent, and optimization opportunities.

Product Stewardship & Portfolio Integration

• Ensure product and innovation initiatives align with portfolio architecture, brand guardrails, segment priorities, and commercial objectives.
• Support development of positioning, naming, claims, and product storytelling to ensure concepts are consumer-relevant, differentiated, and brand-appropriate.
• Identify innovation, renovation, line extension, and rationalization opportunities to support segment growth and portfolio health.
• Partner with Brand and cross-functional teams to ensure packaging, claims, messaging, and in-market execution are aligned, cohesive, and commercially ready.
• Monitor assigned product segments to identify gaps, risks, competitive activity, and opportunities to strengthen the portfolio. 

Product Management & Commercialization 

• Own assigned products or platforms from concept through commercialization, ensuring alignment across consumer needs, technical feasibility, financial targets, and brand strategy.
• Collaborate with Operations, Finance, R&D, and Insights to assess feasibility, cost targets, margin expectations, scalability, and operational readiness.
• Partner with Program Management to support stage-gate milestones, timelines, decision points, and cross-functional execution.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing to support go-to-market readiness, including selling stories, launch materials, customer presentations, and internal communication.
• Track project progress, identify risks or barriers, and help drive timely resolution with cross-functional partners.
• Ensure product decisions are grounded in consumer insights, business performance, and portfolio strategy.

Performance Tracking & Optimization 

• Track post-launch product performance, consumer feedback, customer response, and market trends to evaluate product effectiveness.
• Recommend data-driven adjustments to formulation, packaging, positioning, pricing, claims, or portfolio strategy as needed.
• Support product lifecycle management, including line extensions, renovations, discontinuations, and ongoing portfolio optimization.
• Deliver regular updates and insights to leadership on innovation progress, portfolio alignment, commercialization status, and product performance.
• Promote a collaborative culture of innovation, curiosity, accountability, and continuous improvement across teams. 

*May be asked to perform additional duties as necessary.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5 years in innovation or brand management within CPG.
• Proven success leading projects in cross-functional environments.
• Strong analytical, communication, and presentation skills.
• Experience with stage-gate processes and product lifecycle management.
• Interest or experience in the coffee industry a plus.
• Genuine passion for understanding consumer needs and translating insights into successful products.
• Internal Only: Experience with Community Coffee, even if unrelated, may fulfill this requirement at the discretion of the hiring manager with approval from Human Resources.

Foundational Competencies

• Builds Trust
• Continuous Learner
• Customer Centric
• Effective Communication
• Integrity
• Results Oriented

Additional Competencies

• Takes Action
• Collaborates
• Resourcefulness
• Interpersonal Agility
• Adaptability

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to do the following:

Frequently required to taste and evaluate product prototypes and competitive products

• Frequently required to sit
• Occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls and reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear
• Regularly required to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus

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