Senior Brand Manager - Whiskies

Campari Group today is a major player in the global branded spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, marketed and distributed in over 190 markets around the world, with leading positions in Europe and the Americas.

Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 22 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 22 countries, and employs approximately 4,000 people.

Shares of the parent company Davide Campari - Milano N.V. are listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. Campari Group is today the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry.

General Description of the Role

As a Senior Brand Manager (SBM) supporting the Whisk(e)y portfolio, you will develop and execute the brand’s vision and strategy by building the roadmap and driving profitable brand growth by playing a key strategic business leader role. You will lead others directly and indirectly to drive a portfolio of brands in Canada and be part of an environment that embraces change together. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record managing people, large budgets and leading consumer communication, engagement and connection plans across the different marketing touchpoints. This opportunity is unique to someone who has great confidence and a strong ability to drive strategy while also having a “can do” approach with the team!

Key Responsibilities

Brand Strategy

• Promote brand building best practices across the organization and champion the vision across a variety of stakeholders including the Canadian executive team, Global Strategic Marketing (GSM), Customer & Channel Marketing (CCM), Finance, Sales, Legal, and Supply Chain.
• Develop and implement the strategic annual brand marketing plans by aligning with VP Marketing as well as partnering with marketing and cross functional team.
• Lead the creation and development of the vision for a portfolio of brands in Canada to deliver and exceed financial goals.

Financial Strategy

• Work with finance and GSM on mid-to-long term goal setting.
• Responsible for brand financials including driving total efficiencies in the marketing budget and providing spend analysis.
• Develop and present quarterly business reviews to the leadership team.
• Lead the portfolio of brand’s P&L for a marketing driven organization

Communication Strategy

• Manage the Integrated Agency Team to execute annual plans that are integrated across diverse channels and partners.
• Work with global and local digital experts to lead a savvy digital consumer experience aimed at fostering engagement and building genuine brand advocacy with consumers.
• Engage and mobilize sales partners to drive not only enthusiasm but concrete execution excellence.
• Work with legal and PR to ensure compliance and brand governance of all content and communication assets deployed in Canada for managed portfolio of brands.
• Lead integrated communication planning and execution by setting and achieving key performance objectives while leveraging all consumer touchpoints.

Product & Analytics Strategy

• Drive the consumer insights focus and help translate the data to optimize strategy and execution.
• Drive the development of marketing assets and selling tools in partnership with sales, and CCM team members.
• Strategize and drive growth through innovation and product development initiatives working with Innovation leads and using Campari’s innovation gate process (i.e. testing, insights, business case modeling, etc.).

People Leader

• Inspire and lead a team of 2 to deliver excellence in brand marketing and execution, fostering a supportive environment that drives Campari Canada culture while delivering results.
• Partner and support the team in all aspects of individual brand strategy, positioning, brand architecture, communication and commercial planning while leveraging creativity and a passion for both marketing and the spirits industry.
• Develop people’s presence, profile and performance as individuals and within the greater organization.

Skills

Functional

• Direct-to-consumer connection planning (advertising, consumer engagement, social media, special events, etc.)
• Consumer insight generation and application abilities
• Understanding of Canadian Advertising Regulations and Standards, particularly in the area of Beverage Alcohol
• Consumer research methodologies
• Knowledge of the Canadian market, categories, competitive sets and consumer trends
• Knowledge of Canadian media landscape, including media planning, communication, social media, events, sponsorship

Technical

• Strong leadership and coaching skills
• Commercial acumen, ability to prepare a business case and secure buy-in from stakeholders
• Beverage Alcohol Industry: Pricing Models, Route-to-Market Structure and Implications and Marketing Regulations
• Strategic planning and resource allocation skills

Managerial

• Demonstrated ability to communicate positively and work effectively with others
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to speak and present to key decisions makers, both internally and externally as required
• Ability to execute brilliantly and attention to details.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Business Judgment: The ability to take effective decisions balancing market, product, financial and organizational issues.
• Strong achievement orientation with a commitment to delivering business results
• Strong analytical skills, including quantitative analysis
• Motivated to complete tasks independently and ability to work with minimal supervision
• Team player: The ability to work with others across all boundaries to reach common objectives and delivery extraordinary results
• Ability to prioritize and balance required tasks with sensitivity to time, resources, and budget
• Prioritizes company goals and lives the Campari values
• Proactive, well organized and be able to demonstrate attention to detail
• The ability to deliver results, overcome difficulties, forecast trends, and drive change.
• Must be a person of high integrity and commitment, with a strong work ethic
• Consumer Focus: The ability to put themselves in the “consumer’s shoes”, understanding their current wants and anticipating future wants
• People Development: The ability to retain, develop and attract talent
• Innovative Problem Solving: the ability to find, implement and disseminate a culture of creative and innovative solutions

Key Relationships

Internal:

• North American and Global Product Supply Chain employees
• Canadian Marketing employees
• Canadian Executive Team
• Canadian Customer & Channel Marketing employees
• Canadian Finance employees
• Canadian Sales employees
• Global Strategic Marketing Teams
• Master Distillers/Blenders

External:

• Media and media partners
• Agencies (public relations, marketing, communications, social media, research)
• Experiential and Sampling staff
• Liquor Boards/Retailers

Requirements

• Strong ability to effectively present and communicate to leadership and cross functional teams
• Creative thinker who can champion the brand and bring it to life
• MBA preferred; BA/BS required
• 5+ years in brand management with CPG experience, spirits background preferred
• Strong consumer insight and judgment
• Thrives in an environment that is fast paced and able to adapt to changing situations
• Highly proficient in PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Data Analysis, Syndicated Research
• Passion for spirits industry
• Able to build collaborative relationships, influence, and work cross functionally plus inspire direct reports
• Ability to travel up to 10%
• Strong analytical skills, problem solving and financial/business understanding
• Must demonstrate strong understanding of marketing strategy

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

At Campari Group we believe in building more value together, thus we see diversity in all forms as a source of enrichment. Our employment policies and practices ensure that we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment without regard to any individual’s race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or characteristics or expression, political affiliation or activity, age, veteran status, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Note to applicants:

Your application will be assessed based on your abilities, expertise, general knowledge and experience, not because of any confidential, proprietary or trade secret information you may possess. You must not disclose to Campari Group any such information. In the event that you are asked a question that cannot be answered without disclosure of any confidential, proprietary or trade secret information (including from a current or prior employer or their vendors or customers), you must decline to answer the question.

Notice to third party agencies:

Please note that we do not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of a signed Recruitment Services Agreement, we will not consider, or agree to, payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event that a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without a previously signed agreement, we explicitly reserve the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency