Head of Marketing UK & Ireland (Maternity Cover) in Milton Keynes

Mission: Ownership of the development and implementation of Region Marketing strategy to drive consumer and retail demand for MGA Entertainment Ltd brands and products.

• Strategic planning: 20%
• Budget Management: 10%
• Marketing Activation: 10%
• Media Management: 10%
• Trade marketing and sales support: 10%
• Exhibitions and Trade shows: 5%
• Team Management: 25%

Position Requirements

Education/Experience: Ideally, educated to degree level in business/marketing. Minimum 8 years’ experience in brand management within consumer goods companies. Knowledge of toy industry and experience of targeting collectors, parents and children preferred. Extensive experience of the full marketing mix - strategy, planning, trade marketing, brand partnerships, events, market research, PR, ecommerce, CRM, digital including social media and product development. Product line and pricing management experience. People development and management experience with multiple reports.

Skills/Knowledge/Ability:

• Excellent organisational and leadership skills
• Vision, drive and passion for consumer brands and retail
• Ability to communicate well at all levels and across multiple business units
• Pragmatic, resilient and flexible
• Hands‑on and collaborative approach
• Experience of managing multiple external agencies
• Calm and level‑headed under pressure
• Ability to adapt to change in complex business environments
• High energy and the ability to work in a fast‑changing environment while managing conflicting priorities
• Financially and commercially astute - comfortable with data, budget setting and management
• Proficient with PowerPoint, Excel, Word and Microsoft Outlook.

Authority:

Reports to the UK & Ireland Managing Director, working closely with global marketing teams and US brand teams. Direct reports include a team of Marketing Managers and SBMs. Leading the development of a robust consumer‑led strategy and tactical plans to build the MGA brand profile and product categories/ranges to drive significant and profitable growth. Driving brand performance in the Region, identifying opportunities for revenue growth and distribution. Understanding the market for each brand, using Circana market data, retailer data, competitor insight and ad‑hoc insights; using this to identify and evaluate market gaps, product innovations and promotional planning. Translating the global/region brand strategy into consumer‑focused briefs; working in conjunction with the local marketing team to develop effective activations and other impact‑driving initiatives across digital, in‑store and consumer touch points. Working closely with key stakeholders (sales, finance, QA, trade marketing) to identify drivers of growth, shape the brand strategy and align business plans and marketing activity. Management of your regional budgets and results.

Key Result Areas and Activities:

• Strategic Planning: Development and implementation of demand creation plans to establish the regional marketing strategy to deliver financial objectives. Create and deliver marketing communication strategy across all media/ retail touch points to drive child and parent demand. Develop expert category, consumer and market understanding to identify product development opportunities across territories.
• Marketing activation: Implement effective consumer demand driving programs including PR, media (inc. TV, digital & social advertising), sales promotion, digital, social media and merchandising. Manage key agency partners to deliver marketing plan to ensure positive ROI and review contract performance against agreed targets. Develop and manage B2B brand partnership activities and drive brand experiential strategy. Measure and manage campaign effectiveness against KPI’s and course correct.
• Budgeting and Reporting: Build and manage marketing budget effectively against forecast and objectives, ensuring spend in line with guidelines agreed and ensure return on investment is maximised. Track and use Circana, PBI, retail and media insights to plan development and execution of region marketing plans and share insights with global teams. Pro‑actively track performance of your region, implementing course correct tactics as necessary.
• Product line management and Pricing: Drive region product line, reviewing performance on a regular basis (including weekly analysis of key customer EPOS data). Support pricing and launch timings input for region product line. Develop expert category, consumer insight and market understanding in order to make informed decisions for the future growth development of the brand portfolio. Work closely with sales team to drive account/ market growth through sell‑in (sell sheets, presentations, listings, exclusives etc.) and to generate sell‑through (retail promotions, online, catalogue page design etc.). Oversee product sample management as required and build strong relationships with all manufacturer touch points. Oversee design and development of any POS/ FSDU/ merchandising materials. Develop strong retail marketing and buying relationships.
• Showroom, Exhibition and Trade Fair management: Support the planning of product showrooms and regional trade fairs on a bi‑annual basis. As required, support exhibition stands and attend annual toy fairs.
• Team management: Coach and develop local marketing teams, ensuring clear objectives and KPI’s are set and performance expectations met. Work closely with direct reports to manage and prioritise workload. Drive collaborative way of working to maximise the performance of your region.

Seniority level: Director

Employment type: Full‑time

Job function: Marketing, Sales, and Strategy/Planning

Industries: Retail and Food and Beverage Services

Milton Keynes, England, United Kingdom