🟥 EMPLOYERS: Separate from recruiting, I write investment‑grade hiring briefs that walk A‑player ecommerce candidates through the real business case for your role – the market, channels, KPIs, tech stack, team, and AI issues – before they ever get on Zoom with you. I research / write it. YOU bless it. YOU own it.

RESULT: Your first‑round conversations are with 6-8 highly informed A-players who already understand where/how they can drive EBITDA. To have me write and send your posting out to this list, text Harry Joiner at (404) 281‑2025. Confidential briefs / application process are no problem. ⬇️ SEE EXAMPLE ⬇️

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HARRY’S TEARDOWN: Bimbo Bakeries USA is the U.S. business behind brands every American household already knows: Oroweat, Sara Lee, Artesano, Ball Park, Mrs. Baird’s, Thomas’, Entenmann’s, Arnold, Marinela, and more. The company runs 50+ bakeries, 20,000+ associates, and 12,200+ DSD routes, the largest direct-store-delivery network in U.S. bakery.

Headquartered in Irving, TX, Bimbo Bakeries USA anchors Grupo Bimbo’s North American segment, which generated approximately $11.1 billion in 2025 revenue and represents roughly 44.6% of parent company sales. The global parent, headquartered in Mexico City, is an approximately $22 to $23.8 billion enterprise (2025 net sales) founded by the Servitje family and run by a professional management team, and it is one of the most respected food companies on the planet.

🟥 JOB SEARCH GOT YOU STUCK? Book an hour with VP/CMO ecommerce recruiter, Harry Joiner, who prepared this analysis. Includes a 3-month membership to NEXTgig.com™

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So, a scaled, profitable, iconic brand house with the nation’s largest bakery distribution footprint. What is the problem? Two problems, actually, and they are the reason this role is open.

Problem #1: The category math. U.S. fresh bread and bakery wholesaling is a $73.1 billion category. Frozen cake and pastry adds another $9.4 billion. Combined, Bimbo Bakeries USA plays in an ~$82B U.S. market.

But the category is mature, branded sandwich bread has been losing ground to private label, and private label market share just hit an all-time high of 21.2% dollar share (23.2% unit share) per Circana and PLMA H1 2025. Kroger alone launched 1,100+ private label products in 2025. Walmart and Costco are pushing their own-brand assortment harder than ever. If a VP shows up and runs the 2014 CPG playbook (TV, coupons, trade promo), that share gap keeps widening.

Problem #2: The consumer. GLP-1 medications (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro) are now used by roughly one in eight U.S. adults. Consumers are eating smaller portions, demanding higher protein and fiber, and reading the back of the package more carefully than ever.

Simultaneously, Hispanic households are the fastest-growing demographic cohort in the U.S., and the company’s two Hispanic heritage brands (Marinela, Mrs. Baird’s) are sitting on a demographic tailwind that has not yet been fully monetized.

Here is what Grupo Bimbo management has already proven works against this backdrop. In the most recent Q4 earnings call, they highlighted Sara Lee Half Loaves (portion control for single- and two-person households), Thomas’ Protein Bagels (higher protein, reformulated for GLP-1 shoppers), and Ball Park Butter Buns (occasion expansion beyond July 4th) as breakout innovation wins.

North American Q4 2025 EBITDA margins expanded 330 basis points to 9.2%, and for the full year 2025 North American adjusted EBITDA margins widened 60 basis points to 9.0%, the result of disciplined SKU rationalization, pricing, and revenue growth management. The margin engine is humming. The next leg of growth has to come from top-line reignition, and that is the mandate of this role.

Effective January 1, 2026, Bimbo Bakeries USA installed a new U.S. president, Greg Koehrsen (succeeding the retiring Tony Gavin), to drive that next leg. The VP Marketing for PM Meals will be one of his key lieutenants.

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This hire runs marketing across the PM Meals portfolio (Oroweat, Sara Lee, Artesano, Ball Park, Mrs. Baird’s), reporting directly to the Sr. VP Marketing / Chief Marketing Officer, Leslie Vesper, a seasoned CPG executive whose background spans Frito-Lay, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper.

Who is the customer? Bimbo Bakeries USA’s customer is, functionally, every American household, but the PM Meals customer specifically is the in-home meal builder. She is the parent deciding what goes in the lunchbox, what gets toasted before school, what bun the burgers go on, what sandwich bread the weekend lunches get built from.

She’s price aware but brand loyal when the brand earns it. She buys Ball Park in May, switches to Artesano on weekends, keeps Sara Lee Half Loaves for the empty-nest household, and picks up Mrs. Baird’s because it is what her abuela buys. She is not a single persona; she is a portfolio of occasions.

Why should a great marketer actually want this job? Three reasons.

First, the brands are real. You are not building awareness from zero. Ball Park, Sara Lee, Oroweat, and Mrs. Baird’s are top-of-mind brands with multi-generational equity. That is a gift and a weapon.

Second, the distribution moat is real. 12,200+ DSD routes is not something private label can replicate. The salesperson who walks into the store three times a week and stocks the shelf is a structural advantage Walmart’s corporate buyer cannot match. Marketing that works hand-in-glove with DSD is a compounding asset.

Third, the cultural moment is real. Grupo Bimbo is undergoing a real transformation in North America. New president. Margin story locked in. Innovation pipeline validated. Portfolio strategy being rewritten. This is not a turnaround and it is not a maintenance job. It is a scaled CPG platform about to be reignited, and this VP sits exactly at the ignition point.

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ABOUT THE ROLE

The Vice President of Marketing will lead a large team focused on building Bimbo Bakeries USA’s PM Meals bread and bun brands to deliver growth and address the ever-changing needs and demands of Bimbo’s consumers. Key national brands under this portfolio include Oroweat, Sara Lee, Artesano, and Ball Park, along with critical regional brands such as Mrs. Baird’s.

This marketing leader will be responsible for building a holistic strategy across Bimbo’s bread and bun brands (both short-term and long-term) as well as developing and executing marketing tactics to deliver growth against the brands. A key piece of this work will be thinking differently about Bimbo’s brands and developing strategies on how we attract new consumers and reach new occasions.

Your mission will be to 1.) reignite top-line growth across the PM Meals portfolio through brand strategy, innovation, and marketing execution, 2.) defend against private label incursion in partnership with Sales and RGM, and 3.) build the next generation of innovation pipeline aligned to GLP-1, protein and fiber, premium, multicultural, and occasion expansion consumer tailwinds.

This person will work cross-functionally daily with key leaders across Sales, Finance, Operations / Supply Chain, RGM, R&D, and HR. They will also be a member of the Marketing Leadership Team, contributing to the development of cross-category strategies to achieve Bimbo’s growth ambitions. The VP is expected to spend time in the marketplace and participate in meetings with functions from across the organization, including visiting bakeries and co-manufacturers.

This position reports to the Sr. VP Marketing and is located at Bimbo’s corporate headquarters in Irving, TX.

🟥 JOB SEARCH GOT YOU STUCK? Book an hour with VP/CMO ecommerce recruiter, Harry Joiner, who prepared this analysis. Includes a 3-month membership to NEXTgig.com™

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KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Portfolio Strategy & Growth

• Build both short-term and long-term brand strategies to deliver the growth needed on Oroweat, Sara Lee, Artesano, Ball Park, and Mrs. Baird’s
• Along with the team, build activations and support plans on the brands to retain, reclaim, and attract consumers, and expand the brands into new occasions
• Translate Grupo Bimbo’s global innovation themes (GLP-1 response, premiumization, multicultural, occasion expansion) into specific North American brand strategies
• Contribute as a member of the Marketing Leadership Team to cross-category strategies that advance the broader Bimbo Bakeries USA growth agenda

Communications, Media & Creative

• Partner with the Grupo Bimbo Marketing Center of Excellence (MCOE) and agency partners to develop best-in-class communications and media strategies and breakthrough creative
• Lead the digital shelf approach (content, imagery, PDP, reviews, syndication) for priority SKUs across the company’s direct-to-consumer properties and all retailer.coms
• Work with the shopper marketing team on retail media activation across Walmart Connect, Kroger Precision Marketing, and Amazon Ads

Innovation & Commercialization

• Work with the team and cross-functional partners to develop a strategy for commercializing key innovation opportunities and support the sell-in with key customers
• Build on the innovation playbook validated by Sara Lee Half Loaves, Thomas’ Protein Bagels, and Ball Park Butter Buns across adjacent SKUs and adjacent brands
• Partner with R&D on stage-gate governance, concept testing, and prototype evaluation

Consumer Insights & Category Intelligence

• Mine trend and consumer data to map where the consumer is going and generate compelling brand ideas that meet their needs
• Be agile in creating and reading data analysis to generate business insights, turning Circana, NielsenIQ, Kantar, and Numerator data into actionable direction for the team
• Own primary qualitative research, including kitchen-table ethnography, shelf shop-alongs, and longitudinal diary work

Revenue Growth Management Partnership

• Partner with RGM, Sales, and Finance on price-pack architecture, promotional ROI, trade spend optimization, and assortment strategy
• Work with financial teams and cross-functional partners to build out business cases for key transformation initiatives
• Collaborate with RGM on elasticity analysis and hero SKU protection across Walmart, Kroger, Costco, H-E-B, Publix, and Albertsons

Multicultural & Hispanic Growth

• Advance Hispanic and multicultural marketing strategy across Marinela and Mrs. Baird’s in partnership with the broader marketing organization
• Build activation calendars around Día de los Muertos, Cinco de Mayo, Navidad, and everyday bodega and supermercado occasions
• Drive measurable household penetration lift in Hispanic households in TX, CA, FL, AZ, and NV

Team & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead a portfolio marketing team including brand leads, consumer insights, shopper marketing, innovation, and PR
• Develop strong, collaborative relationships with cross-functional teams (Sales, Finance, RGM, R&D, Manufacturing Operations, and HR) to ensure alignment on brand plans
• Spend time in the marketplace and participate in meetings across the organization, including visits to bakeries and co-manufacturers
• Represent marketing in North American executive reviews and in Grupo Bimbo global coordination forums

🟥 JOB SEARCH GOT YOU STUCK? Book an hour with VP/CMO ecommerce recruiter, Harry Joiner, who prepared this analysis. Includes a 3-month membership to NEXTgig.com™

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KEY BEHAVIORAL COMPETENCIES

• Ability to influence and communicate with the senior level in the organization
• Team player and strong collaborator working effectively across functions, giving and taking direction, establishing priorities, and creating excitement and focus with those not in direct line of responsibility
• Ability to sell ideas up, down, and sideways to keep team and stakeholders motivated and focused
• Self-starter, ability to work independently
• Energy, enthusiasm, commitment, courage, and entrepreneurial excitement
• Innovative problem solver
• Open mindset
• Tenacious
• Results oriented
• Learning enthusiast, intellectual curiosity
• Excellent organizational and communication skills, both written and oral

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

• Challenges and aligns — Challenges Grupo Bimbo to get better results aligned with the Business Plan
• Drives vision and purpose — Paints a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action
• Manages ambiguity — Operates effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear
• Strategic mindset — Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies

EDUCATION AND WORK HISTORY

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Food Science, or a related field required; a relevant Master’s Degree is preferred
• 10+ years of experience leading innovation and new product development teams, CPG preferred
• Excellent organizational and communication skills, both written and oral
• Computer skills and proficiency with MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; ability to learn and be proficient at other analytical tools and data sources
• Experience with syndicated data such as Circana (IRI) or NielsenIQ
• Experience with consumer research and concept / prototype testing
• Ability and willingness to travel 30% of the time
• Proficiency in Spanish is a plus but not required
• This position is located in Irving, TX at corporate headquarters

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🟥 EMPLOYERS: Separate from recruiting, I write investment‑grade hiring briefs that walk A‑player ecommerce candidates through the real business case for your role – the market, channels, KPIs, tech stack, team, and AI issues – before they ever get on Zoom with you. I research / write it. YOU bless it. YOU own it.

RESULT: Your first‑round conversations are with 6-8 highly informed A-players who already understand where/how they can drive EBITDA. To have me write and send your posting out to this list, text Harry Joiner at (404) 281‑2025. Confidential briefs / application process are no problem.