EWA Head of Demand Creation, BWPC

Work Level:  WL3

Reports to: General Manager, East and West Africa

Scope: Regional (East and West Africa)

Location: Nairobi / Lagos

Terms & Conditions: Full-Time; Permanent

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world. 

At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

JOB PURPOSE

• The Head of Demand Creation is responsible for driving consumer demand and achieving exceptional achievement of business objectives for a portfolio of BWPC Power Brands in East and West Africa markets.
• This role involves translating business strategy into actionable marketing plans, leading demand creation and customer strategy & planning teams, and championing a digital-first, social-first approach to brand building and consumer engagement.
• Drive Innovation to achieve ambitious business objective, delivering multi-year brand growth, penetration, brand power KPIs and business model.
• Provide leadership and direction to the Customer Strategy & Planning teams to develop and execute channel & category strategy to deliver target for the year, and deliver the levers of NRM & Trade Investments for customer business development teams

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

• Translate the 1-UL BWPC BG strategic vision into comprehensive Power Brand Marketing Plans specifically tailored for EWA markets, acting as the guardian of these plans and ensuring their effective implementation.
• Lead and inspire the market Demand Creation Teams, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and excellence in execution.
• Set ambitious annual OKRs for Power Brand Demand Creation Squads to deliver in quarterly iterations
• Oversee all Demand Creation activities across the portfolio of BWPC Power brands in the market, encompassing advertising campaigns, consumer engagement initiatives, Direct-to-Consumer strategies, and the execution of global brand innovations (as market taker).
• Build and enhance capabilities within the market and across the region in social-first marketing and the evolving BWPC media landscape. Act as a driving force and guardian for the quality and consistency of execution across all touchpoints including instore.
• Collaborate with Business Group/Design Market (as agreed per campaign) to develop impactful brand assets, create compelling content, and amplify brand messaging across digital and retail platforms in the market.
• Drive all marketing activities focused on (digital) Consumer Demand Creation, in partnership with 1-UL DMC, including brand activation, consumer insights generation, data analytics, content development, strategic partnerships, and the planning and execution of in-market experiential events across all Power Brands in the market.
• Lead the Digital Marketing agenda, developing and implementing strategies to plan and deliver seamless, engaging digital consumer experiences and campaigns.
• Collaborate with the DMC Lead and the CMI Lead to test and produce assets, to collect market insights and drive media/digital communication.
• Lead the BWPC CSP and NRM teams, responsible for the category plan by channel & customer, contributing to the development of the pricing strategy, as well as the development of communication for customer plans, customer stories and POS materials.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

• Demand Creation Leadership: 12+ years of proven experience in marketing, with a strong emphasis on demand generation, brand building, and digital marketing within the consumer goods industry. Experience in beauty, clean future and hygiene or a related sector is highly desirable.
• Strategic Planning & Execution: Demonstrated success in developing and executing integrated marketing plans that align with business objectives, drive consumer demand, and deliver measurable results.
• Digital Marketing Expertise: Deep understanding of digital marketing channels, tactics, and best practices, including social media marketing, influencer marketing, content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and paid advertising.
• Team Leadership & Management: Proven ability to lead, inspire, and develop high-performing marketing teams, fostering a collaborative and results-oriented environment with clear accountability and decisive action.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Experience working effectively with cross-functional teams, including customer development, R&D, finance, and creative agencies, to achieve shared goals.
• Budget Management: Strong financial acumen and experience managing marketing budgets, tracking ROI, and optimising campaign spending.
• Multi-country / above market / global experience is desirable

Skills

Strategic Marketing & Demand Creation:

• Strategic Thinking & Planning: Ability to translate business objectives into actionable marketing strategies and plans that drive consumer demand and achieve measurable results.
• Demand Generation Expertise: Deep understanding of demand creation principles, tactics, and best practices across various channels, including digital, social, and experiential.
• Brand Building & Storytelling: Skill in crafting compelling brand narratives, developing engaging content, and creating consistent brand experiences that resonate with target audiences / social first cohorts.
• Product Understanding: In-depth understanding of the brand formulation and how to bring product superiority to life during the shopper journey to drive desire and UBS.
• Passion for Beauty and Clean Future: Demonstrable passion for the beauty and clean future landscape, its products, keeping up with trends, innovations, and key players, reflecting a genuine enthusiasm for the sector.

Digital Marketing & E-commerce:

• Digital Marketing Mastery: Comprehensive knowledge of digital marketing channels, platforms, and tools, including social media, search engine optimisation (SEO), paid advertising, email marketing, and marketing automation.
• Social Media Expertise: In-depth understanding of social media platforms, trends, and best practices for building brand awareness, engaging audiences, and driving conversions.
• E-commerce & D2C: Experience with e-commerce platforms, digital merchandising, and direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketing strategies.

Leadership & Collaboration:

• Team Leadership & Management: Proven ability to lead, motivate, and inspire high-performing marketing teams, fostering a collaborative and results-oriented culture with clear accountability and decisive decision-making.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams, external agencies, and stakeholders.

Analytical & Data-Driven Mindset:

• Data Analysis & Insights: Proficiency in using data analytics tools and techniques to track marketing performance, measure ROI, and derive actionable insights.
• Budget Management & Optimisation: Strong financial acumen and experience managing marketing budgets, optimising campaign spending, and maximizing return on investment.

Leadership

• You are a Leader of Change. People look to you to provide safety in a storm, and you also appropriately challenge to get even better results. Your role model resilience and care. You navigate these uncertain times by flexing plans and your leadership style, always with authenticity.
• You are still responsible for delivering to the highest standards. You must be resilient so you can lead others to deliver with passion through uncertainty and create opportunities through the core and beyond. You must be able to flex your style and your plans to guide others through difficult times.

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicates from all walks of life! This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. 

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.