Job Purpose

As a Marketing Manager you will direct and manage the brand strategy for designated brands (more than 1 brand) to meet the company defined brand and portfolio ambition. You are responsible for the development, implementation, integration and evaluation of brand and promotional plans. You also contribute heavily towards annual commercial strategy by drafting plans based on proven insights.

You work together closely with the Marketing Director on a strategic level and with the Brand Manager and Brand Executive on an operational level. You help brand manager and executive to develop into a superior performing individual, who can succeed you in due time.

Also, you will support head of department on other assigned projects as delegated.

1. Consumer at the Centre (Level 3 – Organization)

• Champions the consumer across the business to ensure that OpCo decision making is based on long-term impact on consumer behaviour that sustain business growth
•  Ensures sufficient people and other resources are deployed in generating Consumer Insight
• Combines Insights and business acumen to develop a compelling vision of consumers’ future needs and behaviours
• Ensures all portfolio and brand strategies, plans and activities are grounded in a strong and clear consumer rationale with clear consumer KPIs measured

2. Portfolio Management (Level 2 – Team)

• Conducts yearly Portfolio performance tracking and evaluation in area of responsibility
• Is continually up to date and shares knowledge on key drivers of the Category and Segment performance, profitability, and growth
• Ensures team understanding of Portfolio Strategy and its implications
• Incorporates Portfolio Strategy into the brand, channel, RTM and Customer strategies and plans
• Uses Sources of growth model to look for opportunities and actively builds them into plans

3. Integrated Commercial Planning (Level 3 – Organization)

• Drives integrated approach to ensure holistic plans, fully aligned with business, portfolio and commercial strategies 
• Challenges current best practice to create and deliver more effective plans
• Challenges cross-functional budget assumptions and allocations to deliver the highest possible brand and portfolio profitability
• Evaluates plans to ensure ongoing learning and improvement at OpCo level

4. Brand Strategy (Level 3 – Organization)

• Drives the alignment of OpCo ambition, organisation and resources to the maintenance and execution of the Brand Strategy
• Ensures brand strategy is aligned to brand role in the portfolio
•  Demonstrates leadership to embed the Brand Strategy throughout the organisation
• Continually monitors performance and the external environment and ensures any necessary adjustments to brand strategies are delivered through the team

5. Breakthrough Communication (Level 3 – Organization)

Touch Point Planning

• Ensures capability is built across team / organisation to adapt to iDDM and leads data strategy
• Ensures all campaign / activity objectives across the portfolio are clearly linked to business & brand objectives
• Owns long-term business relationship with media agencies and partners (inc selection), ensuring optimal performance on both sides and challenging agency to raise the bar
• Ensure rigour in measurement, performance, ROI tracking and codifying learning across the portfolio (inc MMM) 
• Inspires innovation in using new consumer relevant touchpoints

Content & Activity

• Ensures relevant and effective communications strategies and executions across the portfolio
• Selects agencies & owns the long-term business relationship with them, whilst achieving synergistic cooperation between them
• Recognises, rewards & promotes business and brand building creative ideas across touchpoints & leverages agencies’ diversity to consistently raise the bar
• Acts as decision maker for final content approval
• Trains and coaches others based on theory & own experience

6. Brand Profitability (Level 2 - Team)

• Consistently tracks and optimises marketing spend, ensuring reaction and ROI are driven upwards and learnings shared and built into future activities
•  Manages the portfolio and SKU mix towards optimal profitability and works with Revenue Manager to ensure all RM levers on the brand are optimised
• Maximises productivity of investment through full use of CSP levers, and enhances brand profitability through CVE
• Allocates resources to create a clear balance between short term and long-term growth and profit objectives
• Constantly monitors the impact of pricing strategy on brand value and competitiveness, and drives changes

7. Innovation and Renovation (Level 2 – Team)

• Can syndicate Sources of Growth, insight sources and strategies to identify clear innovation opportunities
• Develops winning innovation concepts based on validated consumer insights, which drive penetration and competitive advantage
• Ensures effective cross-functional working and alignment to optimise deliver
• Effectively leads project portfolio, maximising potential, allocating resources, managing risk (eg cannibalisation), driving gate decisions and measuring results and ROI
• Launches with effective model for the type of innovation, aligns the organisation and adjusts course where needed

8. Store Back Marketing (Level 3 – Organization)

• Champions the execution effectiveness cross-functionally through consistent evaluation and applying learning
• Develops across the Marketing function a strong understanding of drivers and barriers in store/bar, ensuring they are integrated into all brand activities
• Generates real excitement about key initiatives throughout the OPCO
• Sets challenging performance standards
• Leads effective and fast interventions supported by all relevant functions
• Takes responsibility implementing Responsible Mkt Code

9. RTM & Channel Understanding (Level 2 - Team)

• Ensures all brand activities address Distributor, Wholesaler and Retailer purchase drivers and barriers
• Adapts Brand/Portfolio strategy and activation to fully build on channel, customer and RTM strategy
• Ensures Brand Strategy and activation effectively address consumer, shopper and customer purchase drivers
• Grounds all activities in the category strategy
• Ensures team integrates channel and RTM understanding and thinking into all activities

• Graduate in Marketing and min 8-10 years’ relevant experience in Marketing (preferably FMCGs), with last role on Brand Management level
• Knowledge and skills in Brand Management
• Skills in brand  positioning and consumer segmentation
• Product / sku launch experience
• Ability to analyse and apply market research results into brand strategy and plans
• Negotiation skills and experience in managing Marketing budgets
• People management experience