This isn't just a job - it's a chance to find your true purpose. We’re a full-service restaurant collection with locations from coast to coast, known for serving nutrient-dense, thoughtfully crafted dishes for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.

WHO WE'RE INVITING TO THE TABLE

True Food Kitchen is seeking a strategic, insight-driven Director of Brand Marketing to help shape the future of our brand and drive sustained growth across our restaurants. This role is ideal for a seasoned restaurant marketer. Direct restaurant experience is required, along with strong marketing finance acumen and deep familiarity with local store marketing. The Director leads brand strategy, campaign development, and go-to-market planning for menu launches, cultural moments, and key business initiatives. This role partners closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to translate consumer insights and business priorities into clear, actionable marketing frameworks that guide execution across all guest touchpoints. This role also plays a critical part in local restaurant marketing strategy and new restaurant openings, ensuring brand consistency while allowing for local relevance. This is a full-time position based in the True Food Kitchen corporate office in Scottsdale and reports to the Chief Marketing Officer.

THE PERFECT PAIRING

Strategy, Brand & Campaign Leadership

• Develop and own the annual strategic marketing plan aligned to brand, business, and growth objectives
• Lead new product and menu launches with consumer-insight-driven go-to-market strategies
• Own campaign strategy, timing, and sequencing, guiding communications from brief through launch across all guest touchpoints
• Ensure brand clarity, consistency, and cultural relevance while evolving the brand to support long-term growth
• Balance short-term traffic-driving initiatives with long-term brand building and guest loyalty
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure campaigns are operationally executable and supported by clear field communication

Consumer Insights, Performance, Digital, & Growth

• Leverage consumer insights, behavioral data, and performance analytics to inform strategy and prioritization
• Translate insights, trends, and competitive analysis into clear, actionable recommendations for senior leadership
• Define KPIs, measurement frameworks, and success metrics for national and local marketing initiatives
• Own paid media, acquisition, and CRM growth strategies with a focus on guest acquisition, retention, and channel conversion
• Continuously assess market dynamics and competitive activity to identify growth opportunities

Local Restaurant Marketing & Community Engagement

• Define the strategy and frameworks for local restaurant marketing that drive traffic, relevance, and community connection
• Partner with Operations and regional leadership to identify local growth opportunities and market-specific strategies
• Establish scalable local marketing playbooks, calendars, and success metrics that empower field teams
• Guide community partnerships, local influencers, and grassroots initiatives that build brand affinity at the restaurant level
• Measure effectiveness of local programs and continuously refine based on performance and insights

New Restaurant Openings

• Own the marketing strategy for new restaurant openings, from pre-opening awareness through post-opening momentum
• Define the go-to-market approach for openings, including PR, paid media, CRM acquisition, and VIP engagement
• Partner with Operations, Culinary, and Training to ensure a seamless guest and team experience at opening
• Establish standardized opening frameworks that can scale across markets while allowing for local nuance
• Evaluate post-opening performance and optimize strategies to support sustained awareness and sales growth

Cross-Functional Leadership & Team Oversight

• Foster strong, collaborative relationships across Creative, Culinary, Operations, Training, Finance, Technology, and Sales
• Build and lead a high-functioning internal marketing team and external agency ecosystem
• Oversee agency, vendor, and partner relationships to ensure alignment, accountability, and results
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership, shifting the organization toward insight-led decision-making
• Ensure alignment and consistency across internal and external brand communications, including PR and key activations

THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

• Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Advertising or related field
• 10+ years of marketing experience, preferably in restaurant, hospitality, retail, or consumer brands
• Proven ability to lead integrated marketing strategies from insight through execution
• Strong command of brand strategy, creative development, and performance marketing
• Strong executive presence and deep communication skills – ability to influence up and down the organization
• Demonstrated history of delivering against KPIs and financial targets 
• Hands-on leader with a strong operator mindset
• Ability to work cross-functionally, foster true alignment, overcome operational challenges, and accelerate value delivery 
• Experience in restaurant, retail, or hospitality industries a plus
• Current in digital content and consumer trends and advancements in technology

WHAT YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO

• Competitive Compensation Package
• Flexible PTO
• Health and Wellness Benefits (medical, dental, eye & more)
• FSA options for childcare assistance
• Pet Insurance for your fur babies
• Gym membership discount
• Pre-paid legal support
• 401K and TRUE Matching
• Dining discounts and family meals
• Additional perks and discounts through Perkspot

If you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, please go ahead and apply. You could be just what we need! We believe strongly in creating supportive environments where our colleagues can succeed. As such, True Food Kitchen is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other protected characteristics under federal, state or local law.

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