Junior / Assistant Brand Manager - Category & Operator Experience

Join us as Junior / Assistant Brand Manager - Category & Operator Experience

Function: Marketing | Brand Management & Category Stratgey Planing

Reports to: Category Head – Health Food Drinks & Unilever Food Solutions

Scope:Local Scope

Location:Colombo 14 – Grandpass, Sri Lanka

Terms & Conditions: Full time

JOB PURPOSE

This role exists to bring our purpose-led innovation to life with work that you do creating a better business and a better world. You’ll be part of a team that believes in doing work that matters — for people and the planet.

Because here, we don’t just hire for jobs. We invite you to be part of something bigger.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Achieve agreed annual contract brand volumes, underlying volume growth, trading contribution and market shares

• Lead the process of brand development, using relevant tools, in line with category strategies.

• Develop company-wide deep understanding of market dynamics, consumers, and operators through regular field visits and close engagement with channel managers.

• Leverage trade insights including challenges, opportunities, and performance metrics to design and implement targeted activities and micro-marketing strategies that enhance sell-out performance and drive market share growth.

• Propose, manage, and reconcile trade and promotional support budgets by rigorously reviewing activity performance and improving promotional effectiveness.

• Develop distinct advertising employing Unilever prescribed systems and procedures.

• Lead the process of deploying innovations in the marketplace, ensuring on-time and in-full execution by understanding retail environment dynamics and managing end-to-end trade deployment.

• Propose consumer price changes on a regular basis to achieve target margins and trading contribution.

• Lead the effective design and integration of category management strategies into the business planning process, while rigorously driving the sales & operations planning process for assigned categories.

• Ensure that accurate demand plans are in place.

• Liaise with external teams – creative agency, media agency, activation agency and PR agencies on brand activities.

• Ensure product availability, both sourced and locally manufactured by proactively leading discussions on brand-related issues and implementing corrective actions to resolve them.

• Serve as the key liaison between field sales teams and retail customers to ensure effective execution of category initiatives across all channels.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Candidate must have a bachelor’s degree

• Candidate must have 2-3 years of experience in Brand Management. Prior experience in the FMCG industry is preferred.

• Have strong business acumen with high problem-solving skills.

• Be able to strategically influence key stakeholders and business leaders and have desire to work in a fast-paced environment by fostering cross-functional support and learning.

• Be familiar to use syndicated data sources, i.e. Retail Panel, Household Panel.

• Be adept at analyzing and utilizing Consumer/Shopper Insights in building brand strategies/action plans.

• Have strong Market orientation – an outward focus toward the customer/consumer to maximize business results. 

• Possess objective analytical power – makes accurate/objective assessments of problems.

• Have entrepreneurial approach to the business, taking ownership and leadership of business opportunities.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior experience in the FMCG industry or in category management will be an added advantage.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.