Find & Apply For General Manager Jobs in Brea, California

About the org We develop, manufacture, and license branded, clinically studied plant based ingredients used by supplement and functional health brands worldwide. We're a research-first company in an industry full of marketing-first companies, and our customers are formulators, brand owners, and buyers who expect us to back up every claim we make. Why this role exists Right now, our CEO is running the day-to-day and week-to-week management of every team in the company. As the company has grown over the years, this practice is no longer sustainable. We're hiring a General Manager (with ideally a marketing background) to take real operational ownership of the org. The cadence, the accountability, the deadlines, and the people. You will run the company's day-to-day, week-to-week so executive leadership can focus on strategy, partnerships, and growth. You will nominally oversee 15 staff with a focus on managing sales & marketing. You'll step into operations if any major issues arise such as work action plans if warranted. We state nominally as there are two sales managers who will directly report to you but currently no marketing manager. You will have a significant part in finding a new marketing manager 1st half of 2027. This is the perfect opportunity and step up from someone already managing a marketing team or department and looking for logical career progression, moving on to a general leadership role. You'll have a great deal of autonomy and freedom to pursue the best course of action, once settled into the position. Everyone here operates with a high level of autonomy, with the focus on performance and outcomes, not busywork. We have a very strong belief system, hire talented people, train them well, and then generally get out of their way. That said, everyone knows the rules of the game so to speak. What you'll own The Team. Direct management of Organization's department leads and staff across marketing, sales, and operations. Based on our annual and quarterly goals, you'll help the team run at a fast but sustainable pace, balancing weekly and monthly cadence, build development plans, and handle corrective action when it's needed. The first six months, final hiring and termination decisions are made together with the CEO and COO; after that, personnel decisions will be spearheaded by you. Marketing. Until a marketing manager is in place, you will have the final say on marketing; strategy, budget allocation, channel mix, brand voice, and campaign approval. You'll lead the marketing team directly and be accountable for the projects pipeline. Realistically, this will be part of your job scope for 6 to 9 months. Execution and deadlines. Cross-functional projects, product launches, trade shows, claims and research communication, customer commitments, land on schedule because you're the one holding the line. When something falls behind, you are the driver. When there's too much going on, you're the traffic cop directing flow and movement. Performance and reporting. Help define the KPIs that matter for quarterly goals (that leads to the annual goal, of which there are always 3). You will build the reporting to track them, and bring a clear, honest read to the CEO and COO weekly. Culture and pace. We're looking for a leader who can push the pedal but also know when to let off it. Who can lead with empathy and critically, from the front. You're in the weeds during local show setups, not sipping an espresso admiring the view. If you're an ivory tower type of person, this isn't the job for you. What's in it for You Base salary: $160,000. This is based on a 34 hour work week, with 3 day weekends every other weekend. If you're burned out over long work hours, but you're still a high performer wanting to work with a high performing team, this is the perfect fit for you.

Bonus:

Annual bonus of up to $30,000, tied to company revenue growth, team performance, and individual performance.

Health:

Medical, dental, and vision through our Paychex benefits system after 90 days, with roughly 80% of premiums covered by the company. Life and disability add-ons available.

Retirement:

401k, 401k profit sharing and a cash pension plan after one year of service. This will add another $10,000+ to your total compensation on recurring basis.

PTO:

16 days annually to start, accruing from day one, with annual increases. Note, due to our unique every other Friday off schedule, there are a total of minimum, 49 days off in a year, between holidays, fridays off and PTO. What success looks like Set Up for

Success:

We're firm believers in over-communication up front. There's a dashboard evaluating 90 days, 6 months and 12 months with different metrics for each period. Crawl, walk and then run. Probation will evaluate the ability to learn the company portfolio, how to communicate it, and the general culture mesh. 6 months is where you will have an opportunity to showcase your abilities, through measurable impacts on project time, project flow between sales & marketing and progress toward our big goals. This is a hybrid role in that you are the General Manager of the organization and the final Lead in the marketing department in the interim, until a marketing manager is found and on boarded. There is a veteran project manager that will serve as the liason between you and the rest of the team What we're looking for Required 15 years overall work experience min. 7+ years managing people directly, with a minimum of 5 direct reports. Experience managing other managers is a strong plus. A deep marketing background. Ideally you started your career in marketing. You have personally built and run full-funnel programs (demand gen, CRM/email automation series, wrote content, campaign measurement), not just approved other people's work. You'll be the final marketing authority here, so you need to have earned the credibility. Demonstrated ability to hold people accountable. You've had the hard conversations, run performance plans, and made the call when someone wasn't the right fit. Data-driven decision-making. You can read a P&L, build a dashboard, and defend a budget decision with numbers. Judgment about pace. Evidence that you can drive a team through a demanding stretch and also protect them afterward. Comfort wearing several hats operating in a small company where you'll be both the strategist and, some days, the person doing the work. Be comfortable with AI if you're not good at creating visually appealing reports :) Preferred Experience in dietary supplements, nutraceutical ingredients, functional beverages, or health-related CPG brands. Experience working alongside scientific or technical teams and translating research into commercial messaging. Familiarity with regulated claims environments (FTC/FDA structure-function claims). How we'll evaluate you We care about what you've done, not how well you describe it. Expect to be asked for specific examples with specific outcomes: There will be different testing involved, evaluating technical abilities as well as cultural fit. There is a 90-day probationary period where we evaluate each other honestly, and another formal review at 9 months focused on your measurable impact on the business. Schedule and location Company hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-5pm, with every other Friday 8:30am-2pm (alternate Fridays are a one-hour email check-in) in Brea California, 92821. Tuesday through Thursday are in-office, along with the first Monday of each month. There is an unpaid 45 minute lunch break. Given the nature of this role, the first 90 days will be in-office alongside the CEO and COO Monday-Thursday. Fridays will always be a remote day. If you add all that up, it's 33.5 hours. For this leadership role, we expect an additional couple hours a week during crunch time, which happens generally a few weeks out of the year around our busy tradeshow season. This position is open to local candidates AND principals only, no recruiters. When sending your resume, include a short note (50 words max) answering one question so we know you paid attention . What has been the hardest termination you've had to hand to someone The company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Per applicable California state laws, a drug test will be required after a conditional offer has been made. This position is a managerial role. As permitted by California Labor Code section 1024.5, a consumer credit report will be obtained as part of pre-employment screening

Pay:

$160,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Health insurance Life insurance Paid time off Parental leave Retirement plan Tuition reimbursement Vision insurance

Experience:

Management:

7 years (Required)

Work Location:

In person