Marketing Manager

Role Purpose:

• The Marketing Manager Unga Limited role sits within the Commercial function and is tasked with growing brand visibility, TOMA, revenue, share and profitability to enable the business to achieve its budgeted numbers.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

People and Culture

• Uphold a culture of integrity, customer/consumer first, and speed of execution in the performance of duties and within the team.
• Lead, develop, and improve the skill sets of the direct marketing team.
• Lead and manage retained agencies working with Unga Limited to ensure compliance with company standards and supplier code of conduct.
• Cultivate a bias-for-action mindset to ensure prioritized execution.
• Brand and Product Marketing Management
• Develop and implement annual brand plans aligned with company growth, revenue, and profit objectives.
• Manage and oversee healthy brand P&L performance.
• Manage brand pricing, packaging, and promotional activities.
• Drive brand market share, volume, and revenue growth.
• Position company brands as top-of-mind in accordance with brand strategies.

Marketing

• Create pull demand for the company’s brand portfolio through curated marketing campaigns to drive growth.
• Develop, execute, and evaluate an annual cross-brand, cross-channel marketing plan and calendar spanning ATL and BTL.
• Own and manage group marketing media spend and budgets, ensuring strong ROI on all initiatives.
• Drive group volume and revenue through targeted promotions and advertising campaigns.
• Develop, implement, and sustain comprehensive trade and customer marketing plans for the group.
• Market Research and Consumer Insights & Analysis
• Conduct brand health tracking studies to inform campaign execution and maintain continuous brand health.
• Monitor brand market shares and brand love scores, implementing corrective measures where necessary.
• Conduct consumer and customer research pre- and post-campaign and product launches.
• Support the sales team with retail audit studies.
• Monitor market trends and competitor activities to deploy effective counter-strategies.

Budget and Agency Management

• Direct and manage external agencies across digital, BTL, and media.
• Oversee the annual marketing budget to ensure full alignment with strategic business goals.
• Go-To-Market and Campaign Management
• Develop and execute Go-To-Market strategies to drive below-the-line activation and distribution across respective brands.
• Build and execute an annual marketing campaign calendar structured around brand priorities, key channels, and seasonality.

Customer and Shopper Marketing

• Partner with National Sales Managers to develop and execute trade marketing schemes that drive sales and distribution targets.
• Assist sales teams in mapping distinct business channels and formulating channel-specific strategies.
• Establish and roll out "Picture of Success" and retail merchandising standards to maximize shelf presence and visibility.
• Innovations and New Product Development (NPD)
• Conduct market research to identify product, variant, packaging, flavor, and use-case opportunities.
• Lead the Unga Limited NPD stage-gate process in close collaboration with Quality and Sales teams.
• Oversee the end-to-end commercial rollout of new products to ensure target objectives and commercial viability are achieved.

Job Requirements

Qualification & Experience 

• At least 7+ years' experience in brand management and marketing, of which at least 4+ years must have been spent as a brand manager (FMCG brand management experience a must)
• Demonstrable experience of working with data and insights to inform decisions on brand work
• Experience building brand equity, managing product lifecycles, and dealing packaging, pricing, positioning and promotion for brands
• Proven track record in leading, developing, and executing successful marketing campaigns (solid examples/portfolio required)
• Experience working with creative, ATL and BTL agencies
• Experience in handling projects, launches, marketing campaigns with solid examples
• Experience of marketing on and with digital/social platforms
• Demonstrable understanding of new-age marketing techniques, specifically social media marketing and use of AI
• Experience managing marketing budgets and tracking ROI

Core Competencies & Key Attributes

Core Leadership Competencies

• Collaboration and consultation – work effectively with others and contributes effectively to achieve shared objectives
• Excellence – sets high stands for self and upholds others to them in all things while driving for continuous improvement
• Commercial acumen – clear understanding of the role brands and marketing play in driving volume and revenue for the group
• Effective communicator – both visual and textual, speaking and writing clearly and effectively, while listening effectively and tuning in to the said and unsaid messages

Core Technical Competencies

• Understanding of basic marketing concepts and pillars
• Understanding of the NPD process
• Understanding of brand P & Ls
• Understanding of social media and digital marketing terms, metrics and strategies
• Understanding of Consumer and market research studies