International Marketing Manager

We've got an exciting opportunity for an experienced International Marketing Manager (Africa, South America & Europe) to accelerate our Vimto brand growth across our international route to market. The focus of the role is to expand our market share across existing markets in Africa and Europe whilst exploring opportunities to enter new territories within South America. Our international route to market has delivered double digit growth over the last few years and continues to be a key strategic growth pillar for our Vimto brand & Nichols plc as a whole. We're looking for a passionate, pro-active, commercially savvy International Marketing Manager to work closely with our international commercial team for Africa, South America and Europe to deliver our ambitious growth plans in partnership. As our International Marketing Manager, you will manage and oversee the marketing strategy, and develop and deliver our consumer marketing plans, partner sell ins and brand activations. You'll be excited about the opportunity to regularly travel to key markets within your designated geographical area with international travel accounting for 25% of your time. By doing so you'll experience first-hand the markets in which we operate, be able to immerse yourself in the consumer experience, build strong relationships with our in country partners, third party research and marketing agencies, and identify opportunities to maximise our brand presence and market penetration to drive organic growth. You can either be based at our head office in Newton-le-Willows if its local to you or you'll visit regularly to spend time coaching and developing the International Marketing Executive who you will line manage and to collaborate with the cross function teams supported the delivery of the international route to market strategy. You will have responsibility for the attributed marketing budget and monthly performance reporting in these regions. You'll also utilise consumer insight to drive winning plans to support the delivery of the international route to market strategic objectives and delivery of profitable growth. You will own brand led NPI related projects and be a key project member for new market entry, supported by the wider team where required. Working directly with key commercial and category stakeholders, you will deliver best in class brand marketing plans, differentiated activations, and the use of insight to drive shopper engagement and conversion in your designated international markets. You'll also be great at building strong and enduring relationships with key internal and external stakeholders and you will understand the importance of cultural nuances in your communication style and engagement approach. ABOUT THE JOB

• To ultimately be the Nichols PLC International brand champion within the company and to external stakeholders for defined geographical remit.
• To support in the delivery of profitable brand growth across portfolio areas of responsibility, in line with our Group Strategy and Happier Future Strategy in conjunction with colleagues across multiple disciplines.
• To lead the annual brand planning process across areas of responsibility with support from the Brand Controller Vimto.
• To manage the implementation of the consumer brand plans, ensuring all activity is completed on time, to budget and is in line with the brand guidelines and brand positioning. To work in close consultation and partnership with the Nichols PLC commercial, operations team and external agencies and partners as appropriate to implement the plans, ensuring best in class execution across all touch points.
• To define, oversee and implement the RTM trade comms strategy and plans.
• To monitor and report on brand performance through analysis of market data, sales data (using internal and external data sources) and recommend remedial action as required.
• To ensure marketing budget delivery against plan.
• To define the innovation pipeline rooted in consumer insight and act as the project leader, ensuring the timely and successful launch of product development / NPD projects to market.
• To propose requirements for qualitative and quantitative research and write research briefs and recommend course of action.
• To lead, coach and develop the Marketing Executive to achieve business and personnel objectives.
• To support the sales team in the new market entry scoping process and to own the development and implementation of marketing plans for new markets.
  
  Demonstrable experience working within international marketing at a manager level in a reputable FMCG business or equivalent
• International FMCG Brand marketing experience (preferably Food and Drink) with evidence of management of countries geographical regions.
• Evidence of leading and delivering brand plans.
• Evidence of developing and managing a customer plan and strategy
• Experience of working with a stage & gate innovation process and leading cross functional teams to deliver new product development projects from ideation to launch on time and to budget essential.
• Experience of briefing external agencies and assessing creative responses in line with agreed brand positioning/ objectives.
• Experience of managing the delivery of through-the-line consumer facing communication campaigns including creative development & media / comms planning.
• Agency relationship management, mainly in the areas of consumer marketing e.g. research, media, comms and design.
• Demonstrate commercial awareness e.g. Pricing/promotional strategies
• People management experience
• Project management and strong organisational skills essential
• Multi-lingual with French would be great given the markets across Africa in which we operate
ABOUT YOU You will:
• See the bigger picture and be able to strategically connect the dots
• Love bringing others on the journey with through demonstrating great communicating skills and cultural awareness to engage at all levels
• Get energy from collaborating with others to achieve shared objectives and goals
• Be super creative and passionate about brands & marketing excellence
• Highly organised with a strong drive to get things started and to deliver on time and in full
• Love variety - both the tasks you do and the environments you work in
• Be confident about travel to different geographies and sometimes remote locations
• Embrace and drive change
• Be a great people leader, inspiring and energising teams ensuring effective delivery through others and development of others
  
  As well as our refreshingly different Vimto taste, our varied brand portfolio spans the still, carbonated, post-mix and frozen drinks categories across the UK and in 73 countries across the world.
At the heart of everything is our rich family heritage, an unrelenting ambition to keep innovating, and a true pride in who we are. It is our team of talented people that make us. We are actively looking for difference and we are working hard to make sure all our practices are inclusive. It is our team of talented people that make us. We are actively looking for difference and we are working hard to make sure all our practices are inclusive., While our people tell us Nichols plc is a great place to work, we know we can do more. We are committed to being an inclusive employer and are learning what this means every day. We are striving to ensure we are building more diverse teams, we are at our best when we bring together our different life experiences, ways of thinking and individuality. Any job offer is subject to an individual's Right to Work in the UK. Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor visas.

As a valued member of the team, in any role within the business you will be entitled to the following - these are just some of the benefits and perks available to you:
• 25 days holiday (with opportunity to buy extra every year)
• Private medical cover
• Your birthday off work
• 1 day a year off work to volunteer in the community (you choose)
• A generous pension scheme
• Annual Bonus