Nutrition & Science Communications Manager
The Splenda® Manager of Nutrition and Science Communicationswill be responsible to develop healthcare focused marketing and scientific communications and key in-market tactical assets for the Splenda portfolio with a focus on sweeteners and nutrition shakes. This will enable our Splenda® Brand to continue to be the #1 Sweetener Brand recommended among doctors and dietitians, achieve market share leadership and demand in the sweetener category, grow our shakes market share and collaboratively engage with key health-minded partners to benefit our mutual consumers. While the Splenda brand is most commonly known for our iconic yellow packets, we have a wide variety of sweetener forms (packets, pouches, jars & liquids) and sweetener ingredients (sucralose/yellow, stevia/green, monk fruit/red). Additionally, Splenda has become a mega-brand taking the “great taste, zero sugar” promise into categories outside of sweeteners like drink mixes, nutrition shakes, and creamers.
The Splenda Manager of Nutrition and Science Communications will be accountable to develop the healthcare professional (HCP)-specific brand messaging, claims and creative used to drive awareness and recommendations for the Splenda brand among HCPs and through health partner associations. A strong emphasis will be placed on ensuring HCPs understand the health benefits and scientific evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of the zero calorie sweeteners and shakes category and Splenda brand products. This will enable our organization to deliver on monthly business targets in partnership with marketing and field sales colleagues. Common types of HCPs you will communicate with include physicians, nurses, dietitians, diabetes educators, and physician’s assistants, in the fields of primary care, dietetics, diabetes education, and endocrinology. This manager will lead the Splenda brand to identify long-term external health-minded partners and will be the direct point of contact with existing partners, including the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).
In addition, the Manager will play a key role to educate and communicate the effectiveness, safety, and critical nature of our products for the purposes of reducing added sugars and calories in the diet to food regulators such as the FDA and their agencies. These efforts will influence regulations, public policy and ultimately the success of our consumer population reducing added sugars for the most healthful diet.
In this role you will work cross-functionally with the Splenda Brand consumer, healthcare, and retail marketing team, as well as agency, industry, and consultant partners to our brand, to jointly achieve our brand goals. This position requires close collaboration with these marketing, legal, agency and consultant peers, and you will also engage with marketing and sales colleagues from the U.S. and our global offices in LATAM and Canada. The Manager in this role will demonstrate self-motivation to find ways to achieve brand revenue and share targets, and will independently manage multiple projects with a high sense of accountability and urgency.
The Splenda Manager of Nutrition and Science Communicationswill have a strong expertise of how to gain branded recommendations among healthcare professionals, current trends in healthcare marketing, communication practices to drive product adoption among consumers, and methods to analyze marketing implementations for constant learning and improvement.
The Splenda Manager of Nutrition and Science Communicationswill: (1) drive healthcare professional recommendations of the Splenda brand; (2) identify and lead key opinion leaders (KOLs), vendors and agencies; (3) develop, distribute and ensure flawless in-market execution of healthcare professional marketing assets; (4) identify and create relationships with key healthcare association and industry partners; (5) track performance and course correct when necessary, (6) forecast and manage monthly budget targets, and (7) identify personal development goals to grow skill sets and contributions to brand team.
The Splenda Manager of Nutrition and Science Communicationsreports to the Senior Director of Consumer and Healthcare Marketing and will partner with a broad range of multi-functional business partners in both Marketing & non-Marketing functions.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Drive healthcare professional recommendations of the Splenda brand through education, sampling, and promotions to convert patients from added sugars to Splenda Brand products. A strong emphasis will be placed on Splenda Zero Calorie Sweeteners across forms & ingredients (Packets, Pouches, Jars & Liquids; Sucralose, Stevia, & Monk Fruit) and Splenda Diabetes Care nutrition shakes. Common types of asset development that the Manager will be responsible to develop and flawlessly implement in-market include:
- CEUs and/or product presentations via webinars and in-person events
- Messaging and creative communications for in-person conference exhibits and events
- Free Splenda HCP toolkits to provide product education and scientific evidence supporting sweetener and shakes categories, and Splenda Brand products; ultimately creating consumer consumption of Splenda Brand products
- HCP trade journal print advertisements generating awareness and opt-in to Splenda Brand e-mail communications and sampling programs
- Development and growth of our Splenda HCP customer database
- Splenda e-mail communications to Splenda HCP database
- Splenda website communications to HCPs
- Identify and lead key opinion leaders (KOLs) in the healthcare space to create sweetener and shakes category presentations for Splenda sponsored CEUs, patient case-studies, and champion the Splenda brand to exponentially increase branded recommendations among peers
- Create and lead relationships with key healthcare associations and industry partners to advocate for the reduction of added sugars and use of Splenda brand products. Leverage partnerships to create in-market implementations that generate incremental value from our partnerships beyond agreement levels
- Brief internal and external agency partners for creative asset development to support plan tactics
- Forecast and manage monthly budget targets to optimize spending, support Splenda Brand growth targets and maintain status as the #1 Recommended Sweetener Brand Among Doctors and Dietitians
- Develop personal skills to grow contributions to brand team and organization throughout career
Desired Skills & Required Experience
- Heartland’s culture is fast, flexible & innovative. The applicant must possess these traits and be willing and able to operate with a rapid, iterative, continually learning mindset.
- Solution focused mindset, demonstrate ability to operate with a business ownership mindset.
- Collaborative attitude, work harmoniously with internal and external cross functional partners.
- BS/BA in business, marketing, communications, health policy or related discipline required.
- Greater than 3 years of previous CPG experience.
- Position is in-office based at Heartland Corporate Headquarters in Carmel, IN on the north side of Indianapolis. Business travel including by driving and commercial flights required for multiple HCP Conferences, 2x annual sales meetings, Consumer research and other Events.
Physical Demands
- Must be able to physically perform the functions of climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions.
- Must be able to sit for extended periods of time and interact with computers, telephone, and other electronic media.
- Must be able to stand and interact with customers for multi-day Conference and Exhibits.
- Must possess visual acuity to document company records.
- Must be able to lift 20 pounds.
