Senior Brand Manager

Sofina Foods Europe; Leeds; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Sofina Foods is seeking a Senior Brand Manager to lead growth strategy for the Young’s brand in the UK, guiding category growth, consumer engagement and commercial performance. Based in Leeds, you will drive strategic brand planning, lead NPD pipelines, and collaborate with commercial, category and agency partners to identify opportunities and strengthen brand positioning.

This high-impact role offers visibility across the business and the chance to mentor marketing colleagues as the brand

Qualifications

• Experience as Senior Brand Manager or Brand Manager in FMCG, preferably foods.
• Strong understanding of UK grocery retail landscape and shopper behaviour.
• Proven track record in brand and innovation strategy delivery.
• Ability to interpret market data and drive commercial outcomes.
• Experience managing external creative, media or insight agencies.
• Leadership across cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders.
• Excellent strategic thinking translating insights into growth plans.
• Creative mindset with experience leading campaigns and brand initiatives.
• Strong project management and prioritisation in fast-paced environments.
• Confident communicator with stakeholder engagement skills.
• Degree in Marketing/Business or related discipline; CIM beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of annual and long-term brand strategies.
• Identify consumer, shopper and market opportunities to strengthen positioning.
• Own branded NPD/EPD pipelines with Innovation and Category teams.
• Deliver insight-led innovation strategies with business cases and forecasting.
• Lead integrated marketing campaigns across digital, social, PR and trade channels.
• Manage agency partnerships for creative, media and research outputs.
• Lead packaging development and brand identity evolution.
• Support commercial teams with retailer presentations and category reviews.
• Analyze performance to shape investment priorities.
• Manage budgets and optimise return on marketing investment.
• Ensure compliance with UK regulatory and brand governance.
• Support cross-functional teams with collaboration.

Skills

Senior Brand Manager

UK grocery expertise

Brand strategy

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Innovation and NPD

Education

Marketing degree

CIM qualification beneficial

Job description

Summary

Lead the Growth Strategy for One of the UK’s Most Recognised Seafood Brands

The Role

Our new Senior Brand Manager will play a leading role in shaping the future growth strategy of the Young’s brand, helping drive category growth, consumer engagement and commercial performance across one of the UK’s most recognised and trusted food brands.

This is a high-impact role within a fast-paced FMCG environment, responsible for leading strategic brand planning, innovation pipelines and integrated marketing activity across a broad product portfolio. Working closely with commercial, category, innovation and agency partners, you’ll help identify new growth opportunities, strengthen brand positioning and ensure the Young’s brand continues to evolve with changing consumer and shopper needs.

The role offers significant visibility across the business and the opportunity to influence both short and long-term strategic direction, while mentoring and supporting wider marketing capability within the team.

Based at our new Leeds Office, this role is ideal for an experienced Senior Brand Manager or established Brand Manager ready to step into a broader strategic leadership position within a large-scale food business.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of annual and long-term brand strategies aligned to commercial and category growth objectives
• Identify consumer, shopper and market opportunities to strengthen brand positioning and drive sustainable growth
• Own and lead branded NPD and EPD pipelines in partnership with Innovation and Category teams
• Deliver insight-led innovation strategies, including business cases, forecasting and post-launch evaluation
• Lead integrated marketing campaigns across digital, social, PR, shopper and trade channels
• Manage agency partnerships to deliver high-quality creative, media and research output
• Lead packaging development and brand identity evolution across the portfolio
• Support commercial teams with retailer presentations, category reviews and joint business planning activity
• Analyse brand, category and retailer performance to shape strategic decision-making and investment priorities
• Manage marketing budgets and optimise return on marketing investment
• Ensure all activity complies with UK regulatory and brand governance requirements
• Support and influence wider cross-functional teams, building strong collaborative relationships across the business

The Ideal Candidate

• Experience in a Senior Brand Manager or Brand Manager role within FMCG, ideally food
• Strong understanding of the UK grocery retail landscape, shopper behaviour and category dynamics
• Proven experience developing and delivering successful brand and innovation strategies
• Strong commercial acumen with confidence interpreting market, retailer and consumer performance data
• Experience managing external creative, media or insight agencies
• Strong leadership and influencing skills across cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders
• Excellent strategic thinking capability with the ability to translate insight into actionable growth plans
• Creative and innovative mindset with experience leading impactful campaigns and brand initiatives
• Strong project management and prioritisation skills within fast-paced environments
• Confident communicator with strong presentation and stakeholder engagement skills
• Curious, proactive and solutions-focused approach with strong attention to detail
• Degree qualified in Marketing, Business or a related discipline, or equivalent experience
• CIM qualification beneficial but not essential

Why Sofina Foods?

Sofina Foods is one of the world’s leading food companies, producing over 500 million meals every year across Canada and Europe. With over 13,000 employees across 40 sites, we combine the scale and stability of a global business with the pace, ambition and entrepreneurial spirit of a growing FMCG organisation.

Joining the Young’s team means becoming part of a business with iconic brands, ambitious growth plans and a strong focus on innovation, quality and sustainability. This role offers the opportunity to shape brand strategy at scale, influence category direction and play a visible role in the future growth of one of the UK’s best-loved seafood brands.

If you are looking for a role where you can lead strategic brand growth, influence business direction and help shape the future of food, we’d love to hear from you.

Company Information

Sofina Foods isn't just a food company - It’s a place to build your future.

With a team of over 13,000 people across 40 sites in Canada and Europe, we're passionate about delivering quality meats and seafood products to consumers around the world.

Join a company where innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction drive everything we do. At Sofina, you’ll grow your skills, make a real impact, and work with responsibly sourced products from more than 50 protein sources across five continents.

Our vision is bold: to be the most successful food company in the world. If you’re looking for a rewarding career in the food industry, there’s a place for you at Sofina Foods.

Equal Opportunities

Sofina Foods is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences – regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Location

Leeds, West Yorkshire

Hours of Work

Full-time

Company

Sofina Foods

Country Code

GB