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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead product marketing for top sports brands and shape M&S's sports category strategy.
- Company: Join the dynamic team at Marks & Spencer, a leader in retail innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy 20% discount, competitive holidays, and wellness support.
- Why this job: Make an impact in a pivotal role that drives sports performance and brand partnerships.
- Qualifications: Experience in product or brand marketing, especially with sports or fashion brands.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to inclusivity and innovation.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.
What's in it for you
Being a part of M&S is exactly that - playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We're an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever, and however they want to shop with us.
Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special:
- After completing your probationary period, you'll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.
- Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
- Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
- A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
- A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
- Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
- Industry-leading parental, adoption, and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
- Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
- A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.
What you'll do
As Product Marketing Manager, Sports, you will play a key role in shaping how Sports shows up at M&S, working at the intersection of brand partners, BU and product teams, .COM and trade marketing and brand marketing. You will be a core member of the BU Category Marketing team, working closely with Fashion BU Marketing Managers, strategy & planning, brand marketing and .COM teams, and holding senior relationships with Sports partner brands (e.g. Nike, Adidas, Sweaty Betty).
Your role is to bring together partner brand strategies, product plans and customer insight into a single, coherent Sports category plan, aligned to M&S priorities. This includes working in close partnership with The Sports Edit (TSE) as a standalone partner business, ensuring alignment between M&S and TSE category priorities, brand weighting and plans.
Working closely with the Head of BU Marketing, and in partnership with the Senior Category Marketing Managers for Womenswear and Menswear, you will ensure Sports brand activity is integrated into the wider Fashion category strategy and planning. You play a critical role in determining where, when and how Sports brands show up across the year, balancing all-year-round (AYR) performance with seasonal peaks and key M&S moments.
The role leans strongly into joint business planning (JBP), trade marketing and always-on category planning, working closely with Strategy & Planning, Media, .COM and Value-Added Services (VAS) teams to define brand weighting, prioritisation and key customer stories. This is a pivotal category marketing role, critical to driving Sports performance, partner value and customer relevance, across both M&S and TSE.
Support the Head of BU Marketing in developing the annual category marketing strategy and leading the planning of Sports, aligned to BU priorities, customer needs and commercial goals. Translate partner brand strategies, product plans and newness roadmaps into a clear, customer-led Sports category plan. Define Sports category priorities, including brand roles and weighting, hero products and franchises, seasonal peaks and key moments, all-year-round (AYR) core and performance stories. Own day-to-day category marketing relationships with key Sports 3PB partners (e.g. Nike, Adidas, Sweaty Betty) and be the Category Marketing lead for the TSE partnership, working closely with the TSE Marketing Manager.
Build the annual Sports trade marketing plan, aligned to M&S key moments, seasonal priorities and trading objectives. Work with Strategy and Media teams to define the always-on Sports approach, considering brand weighting and prioritisation and prioritisation of core vs seasonal vs peak activity. Partner with Trading teams to respond to performance and adjust category focus where needed. Develop clear, succinct Sports category plans and briefs to hand over to Brand Marketing.
Who you are
- Proven experience in product marketing, brand marketing or commercial marketing within retail, fashion or sports brand partner.
- Experience working with third-party brand partners and co-funded marketing models.
- Strong understanding of trade marketing, JBPs and partner-led activation.
- Experience working cross-functionally with Buying, Trading, .COM, Media and Marketing teams.
- Strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate complexity of balancing brands, own brands and seasonal priorities into a clear category plan and direction.
- Commercially minded with a strong understanding of trade, margin and performance levers.
- Confident stakeholder manager, able to influence across all levels.
- Highly organised, proactive and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, matrix environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to create clear, compelling briefs.
Everyone's Welcome
We are ambitious about the future of retail. We're disrupting, innovating, and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We're transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted, and admired by our colleagues, customers, and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.
We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together. If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
About Us
M&S is ready to push boundaries to lead the industry into a greener, speedier, more inspiring digital era. That's why we're revolutionising how we work and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. There're never been a better time to be part of our team. Marks & Spencer aims to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make an immediate impact. We are committed to an active Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process and we are happy to talk smart/flexible working.
About the Team
From Merchandising and Marketing - Product Development and Design, through to Supply Chain and Space Planning - our mission is to bring stylish wardrobe, home and beauty essentials to our customers via an easy, inspiring shopping experience online and in store that will delight them every time. As we accelerate the transformation of our business to suit the changing needs of our customer, we need results-driven colleagues that not only have a passion for our product, but a strong team working ethos, creativity and a healthy commercial drive to join us on our journey.
Product Marketing Manager (Sports Brands) employer: M&S
Contact Detail:
M&S Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Product Marketing Manager (Sports Brands)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, especially those connected to M&S. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insights that might just land you an interview.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by researching M&S and their sports brands. Know their latest campaigns and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals. Show them you’re not just another candidate!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be clear about what you bring to the table as a Product Marketing Manager. Highlight your experience with brand partnerships and how you can drive performance at M&S.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the M&S team.
We think you need these skills to ace Product Marketing Manager (Sports Brands)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Product Marketing Manager role. Highlight your experience with sports brands and how it aligns with M&S's vision. We want to see how you can bring that magic to our customers!
Showcase Your Skills: Don’t just list your skills; demonstrate them! Use specific examples from your past experiences that showcase your strategic thinking and stakeholder management. We love seeing how you’ve made an impact in previous roles.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. We appreciate well-structured applications that are easy to read. Make sure your key achievements stand out so we can see your potential at a glance!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, you’ll find all the details about the role and our amazing company culture there!
How to prepare for a job interview at M&S
✨Know Your Brands
Before the interview, dive deep into the sports brands M&S collaborates with, like Nike and Adidas. Understand their marketing strategies and how they align with M&S's goals. This will show your genuine interest and help you discuss how you can contribute to the brand partnerships.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
Prepare examples of how you've successfully developed and executed marketing strategies in previous roles. Be ready to discuss how you balanced brand priorities and seasonal peaks, as this is crucial for the Product Marketing Manager role.
✨Communicate Clearly
Practice articulating your thoughts clearly and concisely. You’ll need to create compelling briefs, so demonstrate your strong written and verbal communication skills during the interview. Consider using the STAR method to structure your responses.
✨Be Ready for Cross-Functional Questions
Expect questions about your experience working with various teams, such as Buying, Trading, and Media. Prepare to discuss how you’ve collaborated across functions to achieve marketing objectives, as this role requires a high level of stakeholder management.
