European Brand Manager Whiskey (Kingston Upon Thames)

Are you an ambitious, commercially savvy and creative Marketer who has been waiting for an opportunity to step-change your career trajectory? The European Whiskey Team is growing, and we have created a new European Brand Manager role to help us continue on our impressive growth trajectory across Europe. This coveted role will work on the company’s Whiskey portfolio across Europe, from Everyday to Prestige brands.

The European Brand Manager for Whiskey is responsible for executing impactful brand-building strategies, in-line with global plans, for the priority brands within both the American and non-American whiskey portfolios (e.g., Irish, Canadian, Indian), with the aim of meeting or exceeding annual AOP and KPIs. This position collaborates closely with our Marketing and Sales teams across Europe, agencies, and trade partners to achieve key objectives. Additionally, the European Brand Manager for Whiskey is responsible for fulfilling personal development goals. Effective workflow management and implementation are critical priorities for this role.

• Contribute to the 3-5 year plan aimed at achieving targets for priority brands and markets.
• Identify key strategic initiatives and marketing components necessary to fulfill yearly Annual Operating Plan targets for each priority brand and market.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of global targeting and positioning for EU consumers, collaborating with global teams to refine the strategy as necessary.
• Execute the monthly SOP process reporting.
• Participate in the monthly alignment meetings with Global Brand teams and EU commercial teams.
• Oversee the monitoring of monthly brand KPIs to ensure AOP targets are met.
• Brief the team on the localization and enhancement of all essential paid and earned communication toolkits, including creative assets, media, public relations, social media, and more.
• Establish, promote, and safeguard brand assets across various markets, campaigns, and activations.
• Clearly define the Campaign Management System (CMS) for all campaigns and programs.
• Ensure alignment of BTL programming with the Sales team and provide the Shopper team with pertinent trade marketing tools.
• Equip commercial teams with the necessary tools and resources to effectively implement AOP initiatives.
• Assist in closing gaps identified.
• Conduct consumer and shopper research, along with competitive audits, to identify brand frictions and optimize the path to purchase.
• Gather consumer insights specific to each priority brand and country.
• Establish pre- and post-analysis measures to evaluate the effectiveness of each initiative and the associated expenditures.
• Develop Brand Plans for assigned brands in collaboration with key global marketing partners and the UK Sales and Trade Marketing teams.
• Review yearly brand AMP.
• Raise all requisite POs and accruals, and process and track all invoices accordingly.
• Support the regional NBD process and ensure regulatory compliance across markets.
• Collaborate with Global Brand teams to align local strategies, allocations, and brand-building platforms.
• Liaise with the commercial team regarding brand plans, AMP allocations, and strategic priorities for each key market as part of the annual budgeting process.
• Coordinate with the Shopper team to harmonize and prioritize programming needs across key accounts, channels, and markets.
• Work closely with R&D and Supply Chain to meet NBD deadlines and requirements.
• Establish clear and organized priorities for yourself.
• As a priority team leader, identify the key team members critical to achieving success.
• Clearly define the roles of each team member and ensure they understand their responsibilities.
• Regularly monitor team progress in relation to these priorities.
• Oversee the agency's creative output related to package development, marketing collateral, and sales materials for all assigned new business development projects and brands.

Requirements

• MUST Ability to handle multiple tasks at one time.
• Budgeting, planning and/or financial analysis experience.
• Strong computer skills and high comfort using technology and systems.
• Bachelor's Degree.
• Willingness to travel.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• Good time management skills and the ability to prioritise.
• 5 years Business experience, at least 5 years relevant experience (minimum).

PREFERRED

• 5-10 years relevant experience (minimum).
• Undergraduate degree in Business, Marketing or Communications.
• Experience in Alcohol Beverage Industry or CPG overall.
• 3 years implementation or project management experience.
• 3 years Alcoholic Beverage Industry compliance experience.