Director, Competitiveness

Aspire Bakeries is a North American baking company with a leadership position in specialty frozen baked goods. Formed from leading bakery companies, its innovative food portfolio includes breads, artisan breads, buns, cookies, donuts, muffins and pastries from beloved brands likeLa Brea Bakery,Otis Spunkmeyer, andOakrun Farm Bakery. With 13 bakeries in North America, we are committed to driving innovation, predicting upcoming consumer trends and flavors, and exceeding our customers' expectations. Aspire Bakeries champions the values of Integrity, Ownership, Customer Focus, Creativity and Care to help us deliver on People Safety, Food Safety, Quality and Collaboration.

At Aspire Bakeries, we put our customers and our people first, as we aspire to be the best all-around bakery expert. From La Brea Bakery artisan bread to Otis Spunkmeyer cookies and muffins - just to name a few - our teams are obsessed with creating and delivering the highest quality and best tasting baked goods around. We're at an expansion point in our business, so our name, Aspire, fits perfectly with our growth mindset, which leads us to our tagline, Rising Together. By that, we mean we are rising together with our customersandour employees for both customer and company business results.

The Director, Competitiveness is accountable for developing and executing strategies that enhance Aspire Bakeries' market position, operational efficiency, and long-term profitability. This role will lead cross-functional initiatives and provide strategic insights to drive competitive advantage through cost leadership, pricing optimization, innovation, and market intelligence.

Responsibilities

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  Competitive Intelligence: Lead market trend and competitor analysis to guide strategic planning, pricing, and innovation.

  
  
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  Pricing Strategy & Market Analysis: Oversee the evaluation of cost competitiveness, production efficiency, and market positioning to ensure optimal pricing strategies.

  
  
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  Business Case Development: Create investment cases for new technologies, automation, and operational capabilities to improve performance and customer value.

  
  
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  Financial Modeling: Partner with Finance to build financial models that evaluate cost structures, production efficiencies, and long-term profitability.

  
  
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  Mergers & Acquisitions: Support M&A opportunities and strategic partnerships that enhance the company's market position or supply chain resilience.

  
  

Minimum Qualifications

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  Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Engineering, or a related field

  
  
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  7+ years of experience in strategic planning, operations, finance, or related roles

  
  
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  Strong financial modeling and analytical skills

  
  
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  Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and drive results

  
  
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  Excellent written and verbal communication skills

  
  
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  Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint

  
  

Preferred Qualifications

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  Master's degree (MBA or equivalent)

  
  
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  Experience in the food manufacturing, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or industrial sectors

  
  
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  Familiarity with ERP and BI tools (e.g., SAP, Power BI, Tableau)

  
  
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  Background in pricing strategy or cost optimization programs

  
  
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  Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, or strategic partnerships

  
  

Salary Range: $160,000-$180,000

Aspire Bakeries is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.