Senior Manager of Brand & Go-To-Market

company

“A perfume is a world you can return to over and over again – a keyhole into far off places – material and imaginary.”

D.S. & Durga is a Brooklyn fragrance house on a quest to create thrilling perfumes inspired by music, myth, and the mundane. Founded in 2009 by David (D.S.) and Kavi (Durga) Moltz, the brand is known for its uniquely distinguished candles, perfumes, and aromatic products.

Now available in 600 doors across 40 countries, with five freestanding stores in NYC and LA, the brand is entering a new phase of growth following Manzanita Capital’s majority investment in 2024. With a distinctive, cult-like following and a fiercely original creative approach, D.S. & Durga is uniquely positioned to scale its reach while preserving its artistic integrity.

role overview

The Senior Manager, Brand & Go-To-Market is responsible for building and owning the marketing operating system at D.S. & Durga.

This is not a role stepping into an established structure. It is a role that helps define it.

Working closely with the Fractional CMO, this individual will translate creative vision and product innovation into disciplined go-to-market execution — establishing the processes, tools, and rhythms required to scale the brand across retail, wholesale, and digital.

This role sits at the intersection of strategy and execution. It requires someone who can move fluidly between defining how marketing should work and delivering against it day to day — building launch calendars, structuring toolkits, aligning teams, and ensuring every initiative is delivered on time and in full.

The right candidate will be energized by a blank page. They will bring clarity where there is ambiguity, structure where there is none, and elevate execution without compromising the creative integrity that defines D.S. & Durga.

context for the role

D.S. & Durga is in the process of building its marketing function.

There is not yet a fully established team or playbook. This role will operate with a high degree of autonomy and responsibility, helping define priorities, establish processes, and identify future capability needs as the function evolves.

This requires a profile that is comfortable operating without full structure — while building it.

key responsibilities

Global Brand Marketing & Storytelling* Translate founder-driven creative direction into structured briefs, messaging frameworks, and actionable narratives for launches and core franchises.

• Maintain and evolve brand consistency across all channels (Global, U.S., DTC, wholesale, retail, digital).
• Develop brand and campaign decks in partnership with Creative; ensure cross-functional clarity on story, priorities, and execution.
• Support product positioning, claims, and storytelling with structure and clarity — without diluting the brand’s specificity.

Product Marketing & Innovation Support* Partner with Product Development and Marketing leadership on product briefs, innovation roadmaps, and launch prioritization.

• Translate trends, consumer insights, and category dynamics into actionable product and positioning recommendations.
• Frame product stories with clarity: hero claims, reasons-to-believe, ingredient narratives, and experiential cues.
• Ensure packaging, sampling, and collateral support the overall product strategy and brand standards.

U.S. Go-To-Market & Trade Marketing (Critical)* Own end-to-end U.S. GTM planning and execution across wholesale partners including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bluemercury, Holt Renfrew, and key specialty stores.

• Build retailer sell-in decks, seasonal toolkits, and account-specific activation plans.
• Define, build, and ensure delivery of launch toolkits (retail, digital, and marketing) in partnership with Creative and Digital teams.
• Manage retail marketing programs: animations, placements, merchandising guidelines, co-op activities, and account-specific initiatives.
• Oversee POSM planning (samples, testers, GWPs, collateral) in coordination with Operations and Sales.
• Lead retailer.com execution, including briefs for PDP copy, assets, and brand pages.

Launch Operations & Calendar Ownership (Critical)* Own the integrated 12–18 month launch and brand calendar across all channels.

• Drive critical path planning, launch readiness checkpoints, and asset delivery tracking.
• Ensure all launches are delivered on time and in full, with complete assets, aligned messaging, and cross-channel readiness.
• Manage briefing, routing, approvals, and documentation for each launch.
• Partner with Operations and Sales on timing, forecasts, and asset needs.

Cross-Functional Integration* Serve as the central connector across Creative, Product Development, Sales, Retail, Digital, Social, Influencer, PR, and Operations.

• Ensure each team receives the right narratives, assets, priorities, and timelines for every launch.
• Lead cross-functional launch meetings, including agendas, recaps, timelines, and deliverables.
• Partner closely with Social Media and Influencer teams to align storytelling and amplification with launch priorities.

Performance Tracking & Commercial Insights* Track and analyze launch performance (sell-through, velocity, rank, traffic, engagement).

• Lead post-mortems and integrate learnings into future plans.
• Maintain competitive intelligence and category insights.
• Provide recommendations that influence sales, marketing strategy, and product decisions.

professional qualifications* 8–12 years of experience in beauty, fragrance, or luxury lifestyle.

• Demonstrated experience across brand marketing, launch operations, and trade marketing.
• Proven track record of owning end-to-end go-to-market processes.
• Strong experience working with prestige wholesale partners and retailer.com environments.
• Highly organized with strong project management and process-building capabilities.
• Strong communication skills with ability to translate complexity into clarity.
• High level of aesthetic sensibility and appreciation for brand craft.

personal characteristics* Builder mindset: comfortable operating without structure and motivated to create it.

• Strong operator: disciplined, organized, and accountable for execution.
• Hybrid thinker: combines creativity, commercial awareness, and operational rigor.
• Cross-functional leader: able to influence without formal authority.
• Calm under pressure; able to prioritize effectively between urgent and important.
• Curious, culturally aware, and deeply engaged with brand, product, and storytelling.

hybrid role summary

This role blends three core marketing disciplines:* 30% Brand + Campaign Operations

• 30% Product Marketing + Innovation Support
• 40% GTM + Trade Marketing + Launch Execution

It forms the operational backbone of the marketing function and plays a central role in scaling D.S. & Durga’s next phase of growth.

additional information

Location: Brooklyn, NY (Hybrid- 3 days per week in office)

Salary Banding: $125,000-$140,000 depending on experience and skills.

7ypJTulH3m