Commercial Brand Manager | 11-Month Fixed-Term Contract

About Valeo Foods

Our mission, at Valeo Foods, is simple yet powerful: to make every day moments taste better. We believe that great food has the power to create memories, bring people together, and transform an ordinary day into something special. This philosophy drives everything we do, from sourcing the finest ingredients to perfecting every recipe and product. In today’s fast-paced world, what we eat matters more than ever.

Valeo Foods Group is a leading international food business Valeo Foods was founded in 2010 and has since grown to annual sales of more than €2 billion. Through our ambitious acquisition programme, our portfolio has expanded to become the market leader in Snacking & Sweet Treats, Health & Wellness, Baking & Meal Ingredients, Beverages and Food Service. We have a portfolio of Europe’s finest and most established brands, with deep heritage and connections with consumers.

We operate more than 30 manufacturing sites across Ireland, UK, Europe and Canada and employ almost 6,000 people.

In Ireland we are the leading supplier into the ambient food sector, our brands, many leaders in their categories include the iconic Jacob’s biscuits, Batchelor’s, Odlum’s, Chef, Kelkin, Rowse honey, Kettle crisps, and Barratt, Fox’s and Poppets sweets and candy. Many have histories that stretch back over 150 years and this heritage, and their strong appeal to consumers, is what makes them stand out as category leaders.

The Role

Reporting to the Category Director Snacking, the Commercial Brand Manager needs to identify the optimal commercial strategy, then construct product, format, price and promotional plans that unlock these. Create customer approaches that facilitate the delivery of these plans and ensure these change programs are delivered through the sales, activation and marketing teams. The Commercial Brand Manager has full P&L ownership and accountability to RC level.

What You will Do…

• Full P&L accountability for the relevant mixed portfolio of Owned Brand, Partner Brands and Private Label.
• Lead the development of the one commercial plan that combines the needs of brands, channels, customers and the company’s short and long-term market share and financial goals.
• Lead category to define revenue and margin enhancement opportunities around pack, price, promotion, and channel distribution and embed them into the commercial plans working closely with internal cross-functional teams and with external Brand Partners.
• Independently own the P&L, including day to day spend accountability, forecasts, budgets, and approval process.
• Collaborate with Marketing and other stakeholders on Brand Strategy development where applicable and the creation of tailored customer presentations.
• Develop productive working relationships with key decision makers at various levels within Valeo Group and Partner Brand organisations to build aligned plans that deliver profitable growth.
• Manage the joint business planning process internally on Owned Brands and in conjunction with Partner Brands to deliver the targeted growth.
• Manage budgets and trade spend in accordance with Brand Partner agreements.
• Brand Forecast/Actual Reviews Vs Plan – Monthly/Quarterly/Annual
• Trade Promotional Planning, Approval, Evaluation & Reporting
• Forecast/Demand Planning, working with Factories, Demand Planners, Supply Team and Brand Partners to manage stocks and maintain service levels.
• Set Recommended Retails and Customer Pricing & Promotional Strategy, working with Commercial Finance to ensure compliance and execution by the Sales team.
• Business Case development for all NPD, EPD and POS assets.
• Management of Aged Stock and product portfolio

What You will Have…

• Degree educated, Masters preferable.
• Min 3-4 years FMCG experience from a Commercial Marketing or Sales background.
• Highly analytical and financially literate, with strong commercial acumen.
• Specific strength in understanding, interpreting and drawing key insights from multiple data sources including financial, consumer, shopper and category.
• Solid understanding of Brand Management, Customer Marketing, Category Management and Account Management.
• Forward-thinking, planned and organized individual who can work on their own initiative to plan the 12+ months ahead for their brand portfolio.
• Proven skills and ability to manage process with good attention to detail.
• Experience working with and on behalf of Partner Brands (desirable).

Who You Are...

• Results Driven with a collaborative style to work cross functionally within the business as well as with external stakeholders.
• Treats colleagues and customers with respect and is always honest in all interactions.
• Demonstrates agility by being flexible and open to change.
• Ability to clearly explain work being performed to stakeholders.
• Dynamic self-starter with a positive can-do attitude able to proactively manage a varied workload and deal with pressure.
• Contributes to overall team performance, including support and assistance to other team members.
• Focused individual with ability to drive personal, team and business growth and maximize opportunities with customers.

What We Offer...

• Competitive salary.
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth.
• A supportive and vibrant team environment.
• Employee discounts on our incredible range of wines and foods across the portfolio.
• Pension contributions.
• EAP programme.
• The chance to be part of a company that values diversity, inclusion and sustainability.