Chocolate Academy Brand Specialist - UK&IE in Banbury

Location: Banbury, GB, OX16 3UU

At Barry Callebaut, we are on a journey to transform the cocoa and chocolate industry. As the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, our actions truly shape the future of our industry. We are a business-to-business company, serving the entire food sector, from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. We have a long-standing commitment to sustainability and our goal is to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Chocolate Academy Brand Specialist helps plan, organise, and support all UK Chocolate Academy events, making sure everything runs smoothly from start to finish. The role reports into the Head of the Academy and works closely with a variety of internal and external customers and stakeholders. Acting as a key brand ambassador, they also manage the Academy’s marketing and social media activity, keeping communication clear, engaging, and consistent with the brand.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Create tailored event proposals that meet client needs and present them within agreed timelines.
• Handle day-to-day administrative tasks, including invoicing, payments, and course bookings, to keep everything running smoothly.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors, venues, and colleges to support seamless event delivery.
• Plan key event elements such as the venue, seating layout, guest list, and vendor requirements.
• Delegate event-related tasks to team members where appropriate to ensure efficient teamwork.
• Showcase the Academy’s courses, activities, and facilities to clients, including guided venue tours and confident product knowledge.
• Coordinate event entertainment and ensure it aligns with the overall experience.
• Manage budgets carefully, ensuring each event meets specifications while staying cost-effective.
• Prepare invoices, track payments, and produce clear financial reports to support effective budget management.
• Oversee events on the day, including setup, guest welcoming, troubleshooting, staff coordination, and vendor management.
• Work closely with the marketing team to develop event promotions, and create event-specific materials when needed.
• Lead and manage all Academy social media communication across multiple platforms to boost visibility and engagement.
• Identify and develop sales opportunities for future events, using strong knowledge of the Academy’s offering.

ABOUT YOU

• Event-related qualification advantageous, practical experience is equally valued.
• Strong IT skills, especially in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word).
• Food industry or hospitality experience (even informal).
• Proven experience in planning and delivering events, ideally across a range of formats and sizes.
• Marketing experience or strong working knowledge of marketing principles and channels.
• Familiarity with common reservation, booking/CRM, or scheduling software and confidence learning new systems.
• Clear, confident communicator with strong organizational skills, able to build professional relationships with people at all levels.
• Proactive, detail-focused, and reliable under pressure.
• Collaborative team player with a positive, adaptable approach.
• Consistently demonstrates company values: Customer Focus, Passion, Entrepreneurship, Team Spirit, and Integrity.

At Barry Callebaut, we are committed to Diversity & Inclusion. United by our strong values, we thrive on the diversity of who we are, where we come from, what we’ve experienced and how we think. We are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment where people can truly be themselves, grow to their full potential and feel they belong.