Core Responsibilities:
- This role contributes to the development of the global category plan for the focus category. He/She then translates that strategy into an execution plan to deliver the category growth ambition and drive its implementation in the region. He/She assembles the category portfolio across product lines ensuring value propositions are clearly articulated to make selling easier for the G2M teams. He/She provides sales enablement resources required to effectively market the portfolio of category products, engage in customer meetings to promote solutions selling and facilitate the conversion of sales opportunities. The role acts as an integrating role between sales and TS, providing the category inputs to the commercial plans and sales enablement resources needed to effectively sell the portfolio of category products and close more deals.
Global category plan
- Category Strategy: Represent their region and join a cross-functional team to develop the global category strategy (5+ yr horizon). Bring specific regional market trends, insights and unmet needs to shape the development of this global category plan. Contribute to the development of the regional technical roadmap for their category
- Category Business Reporting: Ensure results are reported consistently across the business using the ARA classification. Guide the development of the budget & strat. plan for their category. Conduct on a regular basis an analysis of the profitability of the category and identify actions to improve it
Regional category growth
- Lead a cross-functional team to drive the implementation of the 0-18 month plan
- Pipeline Development: Partner with Sales / TS to drive opportunity pipeline growth for the category
- Prospecting: Support sales prospecting process through the development of target customer lists; Tracks progress on engaging with “must win” customers
- Demand generation: Partner with the digital demand team to develop campaigns for the WIN BIG categories and Must Win customers
- Sales enablement: work with the G2M enablement team to develop or adapt sales enablement tools to the region specific needs. Train regional G2M team on product portfolio and category trends/insights
Customers & Growth
- Customer Engagements & Opportunity Conversion: Participate in customer meetings to build market knowledge, inform solution development / proposal and help convert sales opportunities. Support sales prospecting process through the development of target customer lists; Track progress on engaging with “must win” customers
- Market Intelligence: Market & competitor intelligence for the category providing updates to customers & Ingredion; Leverage inputs to shape strategy & plans.
- Act as the Marketing lead for major category customers and shape account plans.
- Category & Brand Appraisals: Leverage team to regularly assesses sub-category performance at a customer brand level vs. likely consumer expectation. Identify gaps that would revolutionize sub-category / brand appeal
Innovation
- Generate an ongoing, consolidated view of regional priority customer problems to solve. Collaborate with the global category team to define the ones that are global and regional specific and to prioritize them
- Accountable for consolidation of insight into innovation ideation, regional business case development for innovation projects.
- Guide and support bottom-up opportunity sizing and target customers for innovation ideas and projects, collating input from local category marketing/sales. Act as a PBO for some category-focused innovation projects
- Coordinates execution of new product launches through the category. Develop strong value propositions for the launches backed by powerful concepts and consumer insights.
- Ensure local insight on next best competitor alternatives, innovations, and pricing.
Management & People Development:
- Lead, develop and motivate the team to deliver growth targets for the assigned categories. Strong focus on high performance and employee engagement to develop an aligned, cohesive and agile team
- Manages the team to drives the adoption of new differentiated marketing capabilities within the business.
Qualified candidates will have:
Mandatory requirements:
- Degree qualified, preferably MBA or Masters degree in Business, Food Science or Marketing
- Minimum 10 years previous experience in Marketing in a food company, with strong knowledge of the category
- Proven expertise in Marketing plan design and implementation and product launches
- Strong Marketing Acumen with a desire to further develop the knowledge, understanding and competency in marketing within the organization
- Ability to translate strategies into tactics which win business
- Value proposition development & value pricing
- Storyteller who can build insight-led concepts and presentations relevant to customers‘ brands
- Development of sales tools and supporting tactics
- Experience in an international environment
- English fluency, both written and spoken
Required behaviors and skills:
- Have strong skills in marketing, an interest in keeping up to date with the latest developments and a passion for the segment
- Shares knowledge and expertise to progress both country / regional as well as wider business goals
- Strong project management skills
- Strong presentation skills
- Flexible, responsive and works well on own initiative
- Able to withstand pressure during “high stress” projects
- Excellent team player and collaborator while operating independently on initiatives
- Strong interpersonal skills and excellent communicator.
Relocation Available:
Yes, Within Country