Brand Building Manager

ABOUT OUR CLIENT

Our client is a dynamic and fast-growing multinational company in the food and beverage industry, with a strong presence across Southeast Europe (SEE). Focused on growth, innovation, and collaboration, they are dedicated to creating brands that people love, and their vision is to inspire people to add flavor to their everyday moments.

With operations in 8 countries and 13 production facilities, our client is a leading FMCG producer in the region. Their diverse portfolio includes over 20 unique brands with a strong domestic heritage, such as Argeta, Barcaffe, Grand kafa, Donat, Cedevita, Cockta, Smoki, and Štark, which are available in over 40 markets worldwide. In addition to their food and beverage offerings, they also manage a successful chain of pharmacies.

Our client boasts a robust distribution network, featuring more than 500 vehicles that deliver products from 16 distribution centers to over 60,000 sales points. This enables them to ensure seamless distribution of their own brands as well as those of key partners. Always open to new ideas, growth-oriented, and passionate, they continue to set standards in the industry.

Role: Brand Building Manager

As a Brand Building Manager for our client, you will play a crucial role in driving the company’s brand development and market presence in Germany.

Key Responsibilities:

• Analyze local consumer and shopper behavior to identify barriers to trial and repeat purchase, and develop initiatives to address them.
• Ensure compliance with local market regulations, including product certifications, notifications, permits, labeling, and marketing claims.
• Apply consumer and market insights to strengthen brand positioning, communication, and go-to-market strategies.
• Monitor competitor activities and recommend timely competitive responses.
• Execute the annual brand plan in line with global brand strategy and local market needs.
• Own the execution of local brand activation initiatives, with full responsibility for BTL marketing campaigns from planning through implementation.
• Lead the development and execution of POS materials, in-store visibility initiatives, and shelf management activities to maximize brand presence at the point of sale.
• Support product localization, including labels, claims, launch planning, and promotional materials.
• Contribute to local pricing strategy, distribution guidelines, and mandatory assortment planning.
• Adapt marketing communications for the local market, ensuring compliance with local advertising regulations and responsible communication standards.
• Plan and execute ground-level consumer and trade marketing activities, including store visits, sampling and tasting activations, and events.
• Track campaign KPIs, analyze performance data, prepare reports, and recommend optimization opportunities to improve marketing effectiveness and ROI.
• Manage brand budgets and monitor brand performance and promotional effectiveness.
• Partner closely with Sales, Distribution, Strategic Business Units, distributors, and external agencies to ensure effective market execution.
• Act as a brand ambassador, representing the company's brands internally and externally.

Requirements

• Experience in brand building, brand development, or brand management within the FMCG industry.
• Strong understanding of the German consumer market, shopper behavior, and FMCG retail landscape.
• Experience developing and executing integrated brand and marketing plans across the full marketing mix.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate consumer and market insights into effective brand strategies.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and project management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and external agencies.
• Fluent in German and English