Senior Brand Manager, Laphroaig - 6 month Fixed Term Contract

At Suntory Global Spirits, we craft spirits of the highest quality and deliver brilliant experiences to people around the world. Suntory Global Spirits has evolved into the world's third largest leading premium spirits company ... where each employee is treated like family and trusted with legacy. With our greatest assets - our premium spirits and our people - we're driving growth through impactful marketing, innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. Suntory Global Spirits is a place where you can come Unleash your Spirit by making an impact each and every day.

 

What makes this a great opportunity?

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Brand Manager to work in the global brand team for Laphroaig – the iconic Islay single malt.

 

Reporting into the Global Brand Director Laphroaig and as a member of the Laphroaig team, you will be passionate, creative, strategic, and agile. You’ll play a key role in ensuring Laphroaig is unforgettable – making it more visible and more relevant to more people on more occasions, leading the single malt category in a return to growth.

 

The Senior Brand Manager leads on important brand projects, including new product development, asset and toolkit development, partnership activation, and developing platforms for advocacy and activation across global markets and different commercial channels.

 

More generally, the Senior Brand Manager supports the Global Brand Director and Marketing Manager to ensure project goals, timelines, and budgets are adhered to, as well as the smooth running of projects across external agencies, internal teams, and with key markets. This role inspires our local market teams to execute against the strategic objectives and will continually identify opportunities to improve the quality of that execution.

 

The Senior Brand Manager is an important day-to-day contact for Laphroaig across priority global markets, and will regularly work with the Digital, Insights, Finance, Innovation, Whisky Making, Prestige, and Distillery teams.

 

Role Responsibilities

• Manage or support on key projects relating to brand strategy – for example, range architecture, pricing strategy, brand partnerships, experience & advocacy programs, trade engagement initiatives etc
• Develop world class assets and programs that can be utilised by key markets online & offline to build brand equity, ensuring execution guidance to markets and partner agencies is clear, easily-understood, and actionable
• Ensure the brand is making best use of its industry-leading Friends of Laphroaig membership programme – recruiting more members, and using it to build the total brand, not only as a route for selling DTC
• Work closely with PBMC markets, ensuring our brand strategies are deployed successfully and that the markets have what they need to execute brilliantly
• Support market leads with 3YR Growth Planning Process for Priority brand market combinations (PBMC’s) and other important markets
• Lead cross-functional teams to develop core brand innovations efficiently and effectively, from initial ideation, concept development and design, to commercialisation in market
• Inspire & support in-market teams to execute brilliantly, particularly the commercialisation of brand innovation driving excellence online and offline
• Support performance analysis/management process for Scotch & Irish Portfolio to identify key issues/opportunities.  Assess the ‘what and why’ and make recommendations on actions
• Manage BI budget ensuring accurate forecasting & responsible management of spend
• Identify best practice, using it to improve our programs/assets and inspire local markets

 

KEY RELATIONSHIPS:

• Scotch & Irish Brand House team members
• Marketing and commercial colleagues in priority markets across the globe
• Senior manager stakeholders
• Digital
• Insights
• Finance
• Innovation
• Whisky Making
• Prestige
• Distillery
• External agencies: creative, media, design, PR

Qualifications

• 5+ Years brand management, marketing, or creative agency experience
• Creative and innovative problem-solving skills
• Proven experience in managing complex projects and influencing senior stakeholders
• Track record of cross-functional team leadership
• Experience working with Finance team (and an understanding of P&L dynamics)

 

Additional Qualifications Desired:

• Experience translating brand strategy into compelling activation
• International experience
• Strong business acumen and analytical skills
• Experience within premium/luxury spirits advantageous

 

Role Specific Competentcies:

• Strong interpersonal skills – ability to build strong working relationships and work in teams
• Can combine strategic business approach while managing multiple projects
• Capable of challenging and influencing thinking across a broad range of stakeholders 
• Good analytical skills – can use data and identify the implications
• Self-starter, proactive and motivated
• Ability to work autonomously
• Comfortable travelling where required – potentially up to 15% of time

 

 

While relocation, immigration, and/or tax compliance support are not guaranteed, we may offer assistance to successful candidates depending on factors such as role requirements in accordance with company guidelines.

At Suntory Global Spirits, people are our number one priority, and we believe our people grow together in diverse and inclusive environments where their unique insights, experiences and backgrounds are valued and respected. Suntory Global Spirits is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, military veteran status and all other characteristics, attributes or choices protected by law. All recruitment and hiring decisions are based on an applicant’s skills and experience.