Brand Manager in London

Location: Bermondsey Street, London (3 days in office, 2 days remote)

Salary: Up to £50,000 (DOE)

About Proof Drinks

Proof Drinks is the UK's leading independent drinks distributor, representing a carefully curated portfolio of innovative and high-quality brands. We work closely with both producers and trade partners to build meaningful, long-term brand success in the UK market.

The Role

We are looking for a Brand Manager to take ownership of a portfolio of brands within our portfolio and drive their performance in the UK market. This is not a traditional, creative-led brand management role. As a distributor, our focus is trade and customer-centric, meaning success comes from how effectively brands are positioned, sold, and activated within the on-trade and off-trade - rather than leading global creative campaigns.

You will act as the key link between our brand partners, internal sales teams, and customers - ensuring that each brand has a clear commercial strategy, strong visibility in market, and the right tools to succeed at point of sale. This is a hands-on role, where you'll be as comfortable building strategy as you are executing it in market, and where you are expected to treat each brand as if it were your own business.

Key Responsibilities

• Brand Strategy & Execution
  • Develop and implement UK-focused brand plans aligned with supplier objectives and market opportunities.
  • Either translate and execute global brand strategies locally, or build bottom-up, UK-led plans from scratch, depending on the brand's level of direction and maturity.
  • Adapt global assets into impactful, trade-relevant activations.
  • Ensure brands are positioned effectively across different channels.
• Trade & Customer Focus
  • Work closely with the sales team to identify opportunities and win placements in key accounts.
  • Continuously identify new opportunities for your brands to explore, and proactively spearhead these alongside the sales team.
  • Present directly to buyers and customers, gaining first-hand feedback and using those insights to refine strategy and execution.
  • Build tailored activation plans for on-trade groups, independents, and retail customers.
  • Know your customer base in detail and use that understanding to unlock distribution and visibility.
• In-Market Execution
  • Take a hands-on approach to bringing brands to life, including attending events, tastings, and activations on behalf of your brands.
  • Be willing to roll up your sleeves and support execution wherever needed to ensure success in market.
  • Take pride in delivering creative, practical solutions that win business and increase brand presence.
• Commercial Ownership
  • Treat each brand as your own, with full accountability for performance and growth.
  • Ensure every pound spent is carefully considered, justified, and delivers clear return on investment.
  • Monitor sales performance, distribution, and rate of sale.
  • Identify gaps and opportunities to drive growth.
  • Act as the primary contact for brand partners.
  • Communicate confidently and effectively, adapting your style to suit different brand owners and stakeholders.
  • Provide regular updates on performance, activity, and opportunities.
  • Align on priorities and ensure expectations are met.
• Internal Collaboration
  • Work cross-functionally with sales, marketing, and operations.
  • Equip the sales team with the tools, training, and insight needed to sell effectively.

What Makes This Role Different

• Trade-first: Success is driven by distribution, visibility, and rate of sale.
• Commercially focused: Strong emphasis on performance, not just brand storytelling.
• Customer-centric: Tailoring activity to specific accounts and audiences.
• Flexible in approach: Working across a mix of brands where you may be executing established global plans or building strategy from the ground up.
• Execution-driven & hands-on: Bringing brands to life where it matters most — at the point of purchase and in-market.
• Ownership-led: Managing brands as if they are your own business, with full accountability for results and spend.

About You

• Experience in brand management, trade marketing, or a commercial marketing role (drinks experience is a must).
• Proven experience working across both UK on-trade and off-trade channels.
• Strong familiarity with key UK customers and a clear understanding of how they operate.
• Highly commercial mindset with the ability to analyse performance and act on insights.
• Comfortable with data analysis and interpretation, using data to inform decisions and identify opportunities.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to adapt your style depending on the brand owner or stakeholder.
• Proactive, opportunity-led mindset with a track record of identifying and driving growth initiatives.
• Organised, hands-on, and comfortable managing multiple brands simultaneously.
• Willingness to be in market, attend events, present to customers, and get fully involved in execution.
• Pride in ownership, attention to detail, and delivering results.
• Passion for premium drinks and the industry.

Working Pattern

• 3 days per week (Tuesday-Thursday) in our Bermondsey Street, London office.
• 2 days per week (Monday & Friday) working from home.

Why Join Proof Drinks?

• Be part of a fast-paced, dynamic, growing business with an exciting portfolio.
• Work closely with innovative global and independent brands.
• Gain real ownership and impact across your portfolio.
• Collaborative, entrepreneurial team culture.

If you're looking for a role where you can combine commercial thinking, brand building, and hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment, we'd love to hear from you.