Director, Marketing

Description

Director of Marketing

Ampersand Brands (Lolli & Pops + Hammond’s Candies)

About Us

Ampersand Brands is a growing portfolio of beloved confectionery brands, including Hammond’s Candies, the iconic hand-crafted candy maker, and Lolli & Pops, a premium retail and gifting brand with a national presence. The company is backed by strong growth ambitions, combining innovation, brand storytelling, and operational excellence to expand its reach and solidify its position as a leading player in the U.S. confections industry.

The Role

The Director of Marketing for Hammond’s Candies and Lolli & Pops is responsible for driving enterprise growth through brand strategy, performance marketing, and customer lifecycle management across retail, wholesale, and e-commerce channels. This role builds customer acquisition and retention engines, develops data-driven campaigns and leverages storytelling and innovation to maximize revenue.

Key Responsibilities

P&L and Budget Management

• Manage the marketing P&L and budget, ensuring resources are allocated to maximize ROI and drive profitable growth.
• Develop and track annual budget.
• Align investments with Ampersand Brands’ revenue goals.
• Partner with Finance to monitor performance and adjust strategies to achieve performance goals.
  
  

Performance Marketing & KPI Accountability

• Develop and manage a marketing KPI scorecard across CAC, ROAS, traffic, conversion, retention, and gifting pipeline growth.
• Oversee paid search, social, affiliate, and influencer marketing with ROI discipline.
• Implement A/B testing and attribution models to optimize spend efficiency.
  
  

E-Commerce & Digital Revenue Growth

• Oversee the eCommerce P&L, scaling DTC to be a powerhouse within the enterprise..
• Optimize Shopify storefronts, Amazon/marketplaces, and wholesale digital platforms.
• Drive conversion, AOV growth, retention, and LTV expansion.
• Lead CRM/lifecycle marketing programs (email, SMS, loyalty, subscriptions).
  
  

B2B & Corporate Gifting Development

• Design and launch corporate gifting programs and branded portals.
• Scale gifting into its own robust revenue channel within three years.
• Build lead-gen pipelines, account acquisition strategies, and retention campaigns for corporate clients.
• Integrate gifting into wholesale and enterprise partnerships.
  
  

Brand & Creative Leadership

• Oversee creative, packaging, and campaign storytelling to elevate Hammonds’ nostalgic positioning and Lolli & Pops’ prestige gifting identity.
• Launch seasonal campaigns and collections that cut through in retail, wholesale, and eCommerce.
• Steward the unique voices of Lolli & Pops and Hammond’s while strengthening Ampersand’s parent brand identity.
  
  

Customer Growth (Acquisition & Expansion)

• Demand Generation: Build awareness and interest through advertising, social media, PR, content, events, and influencer partnerships.
• Performance Marketing: Using paid search, paid social, SEO, affiliates, and referral programs to acquire new customers at an efficient cost of acquisition (CAC).
• Brand Positioning: Craft a differentiated, memorable brand story that attracts the right customer segments.
• Customer Journey Optimization: Design touchpoints (websites, stores, packaging, gifting) that move prospects from awareness to trial to purchase.
• Channel Development: Expand into new geographies, platforms, or partnerships (e.g., corporate gifting, wholesale, or marketplaces).
  
  

Customer Retention (Loyalty & Lifetime Value)

• Onboarding & Engagement: Ensure first experiences are delightful and easy, with strong follow-up communication.
• Personalization: Using data to tailor offers, messaging, and product recommendations to individual behaviors and preferences.
• Loyalty Programs: Rewards, perks, and exclusive experiences that encourage repeat purchases and deeper brand connection.
• Lifecycle Marketing: Targeted campaigns across email, SMS, and app notifications that drive re-engagement, upsells, and cross-sells.
• Customer Community & Advocacy: Create ways for customers to connect with the brand and each other, fostering emotional loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals.
• Feedback & Service Integration: Closing the loop with customer feedback and ensuring excellent customer service, which supports retention and reputation.
  
  

Cross-Functional Impact

• Partner with Sales, Finance, and Operations to align digital KPIs with enterprise revenue targets. Mentor a high-performance marketing team with a data-driven, results-first mindset.
• Present quarterly KPI and growth scorecards to executives and investors.
  
  

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of brand marketing experience (CPG, food/bev, lifestyle preferred).
• A hybrid thinker: strategic storyteller + hands-on doer.
• Experience supporting retail marketing activations and wholesale/trade marketing.
• Track record of scaling digital revenue with KPI-driven performance results.
• Hands-on experience with Shopify, Amazon/marketplaces, loyalty programs, gifting portals, and automation platforms.
• Strong performance marketing and data analytics background.
• Creative brand-builder who also thrives in a metrics-first, private-equity-backed growth environment.
• Comfortable managing lean, nimble teams and outside partners.
• A creative sensibility — you know what makes an email sing, a TikTok trend feel on-brand, and packaging stand out on shelf.
• Curiosity, positivity, and a genuine love for building connections (and sweets don’t hurt either).
  
  

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinker
• Performance, data-driven operator
• Influential executive partner
• Creative visionary with commercial discipline
• Customer champion
• Omni-channel innovator
  
  

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• The chance to lead not one, but two iconic brands — with very different but equally lovable personalities.
• A small, scrappy team that punches above its weight.
• A seat at the table to help shape the future of a growing parent company.
• A culture rooted in thoughtfulness, creativity, and joy.
• Competitive benefits package with the possibility of bonus and equity.
  
  

Location: Denver, CO (hybrid onsite 4 days/week with flexibility)

If you’re equal parts strategist, storyteller, and doer — and you love the idea of making generosity an aspirational lifestyle — we’d love to meet you.