Senior Brand Manager – FTC 12 months (Maternity Cover)

Who we are
We are the dairy shaker uppers. We’re on a mission to take yoghurt from the fridge to the fore and shake things up. At The Collective, yoghurt is the star of the show. Fighting the good food fight is at the heart of what we do. To be better for people – through epic flavours and inherently healthier snacking, and for the planet – through innovative packaging and regenerative farming. The Collective is part of Yeo Valley Productions, based in Somerset. We make regular trips to the west country to collaborate with our fellow team at Yeo Valley HQ but day-to-day, we remain a close-knit team of 11 based in our London (Soho) office. The entrepreneurial spirit of The Collective company is still very much at the heart of our business. We preach flexible working but for close collaboration, do require a minimum of 2-3 days per week in the office.

The Role
We’re looking for a dynamic Senior Brand Manager to step in as a 12-month fixed term maternity cover and hit the ground running to deliver an ambitious innovation agenda and drive our brand awareness forward, within an exciting and fast-paced yoghurt category. Responsible for our kids’ portfolio (Suckies, Super Spoonies and NPD), you will need to think and act in bold and disruptive ways across the marketing mix; including creative direction development for kids world and brand plans, campaign execution, NPD & EPD innovation ideation, packaging design, social & digital, and performance reporting. You will lead cross-functional collaboration with brand and category roles to deliver the kids Brand Plans for the year in line with our 3-year strategy. The role requires a balance of being commercially sharp, consumer-obsessed and a creative thinker, with a proven track record of first-class project management. We welcome a wide range of energies, personalities & interests. Key skills required include collaboration, organisation, prioritisation and knowing when to update, share or escalate projects. A passion for delivering the ‘antidote to boring’ is our motivation! We’re all about rolling our sleeves up, digging in, testing new things and learning fast. You’ll report into our Marketing Manager and work closely and collaboratively with our wider marketing, sales, product, insights and design teams to represent the brand, our consumer and marketing plans both internally and externally.

Responsibilities
Own the creation and execution of integrated brand plans that drive awareness, consideration and advocacy, ensuring all activity is delivered with excellence, on time and within budget. Strong consumer understanding and brand building skills are required to deliver strong launch and ongoing support campaigns. You will support the Marketing Manager on ATL Masterbrand campaign execution and work closely with the Brand Activation Manager to brief best-in-class shopper media plans and trial driving activity and ensure a fully joined up through-the-line plan is executed. Inspiring both internal teams and retail partners with clear, insight-led brand plans. Shape and lead the kid’s portfolio strategy, championing core ranges while evolving a compelling long-term kids’ proposition. Embedding true consumer-first thinking while balancing retailer and commercial realities; identifying risks & opportunities and working closely with sales (grocery & OOH), category & insights and brand managers across the multi-brand business. You’re comfortable with influencing and challenging cross-functional stakeholders to deliver best-in-class execution. Lead the end-to-end innovation agenda for the kids’ product pillar, managing multiple projects in an ever-changing environment. You will lead EPD and NPD plans from Gate 0 concept through to launch and beyond, bringing in consumer trend, behavioural insight and food/product trends (in collaboration with our Product team). Navigating cross-functional teams through gate processes effectively, aligning stakeholders, ensuring launches are delivered successfully with impact, and reviewing post-launch performance. Define and drive the digital brand agenda, building emotional consumer connections through best-in-class content and channel strategy across social, website, email and paid media. Leading digital agency partners with clarity and ambition, ensuring activity is on-brand, high performing and continuously optimised. Manage budgets, performance tracking and brand diagnostics, identifying the key drivers of success, risks and growth opportunities. Turning insight into action through clear recommendations, robust business updates and smart budget allocation to maximise effectiveness and return on investment. Regularly reporting in weekly and monthly meetings. Play a leadership role within the team, fostering a culture of feedback, recognition and accountability for projects. Acting as a trusted contributor who brings perspective, supports others, and steps in where needed to drive collective success.

What we’re looking for from you
· A minimum of 4 years working in brand/marketing with your most recent role as a high-level BM or SBM, ideally with challenger brand experience and/or worked on a kids’ brand.
· A proven track record of delivering exceptional work and making things happen; sweating the detail and never settle for mediocre.
· Strong project management, agency/stakeholder management and budget management skills.
· Briefing agencies, building collaborative ‘one team’ relationships and giving feedback effectively.
· A team player, believing in the benefit of collaborative relationships and cross-functional working to achieve positive solutions and outcomes.
· Digital experience with knowledge of Meta, & TikTok and CRM systems.
· A passion for pushing creative boundaries, thinking outside the constraints of traditional marketing and bringing new ideas to the table.
· You’re able to inspire through great story telling and brilliant communication skills, internally and externally.
· Commercially savvy and strong analytical skills who can turn consumer insights or category data into actionable recommendations. Experience with Kantar, Cirana, EPOS data and a passion for trend reports.
· You approach problem solving differently and get results through fresh thinking and team collaboration.
· A passionate self-starter who doesn’t wait for the next instruction and will get your sleeves rolled up to get things done.
· You have stamina and energy and thrive in a fast paced and challenging environment.
· A team player, believing in the benefit of collaborative relationships and cross-functional working (including giving and receiving feedback).
· Minimum 2-3 days office days per week.

What you’ll get
We aim to offer a balanced and holistic package to meet your every need. There’s so much good stuff we don’t have room to list it all, but here are a few of the highlights in addition to your basic salary:
· Competitive Salary
· Performance-related bonus scheme
· 25 days holiday and your birthday off
· Awesome summer and Christmas parties
· 2 volunteering days a year
· Private healthcare
· Life insurance
· 2 wellness days a year
· Flexible working
· And of course… as much yoghurt as you can eat!

How to apply
Please apply via the LinkedIn page outlining why you think this role should be yours! Please collate your CV, cover letter and salary expectations into one document to upload. Applications will close on Sunday 3rd May. We’re always bowled over by the number of people who are interested in joining the herd and although we’d love to get back to everyone with individual feedback, being a small team, we hope you understand that’s not always possible.