Senior Cask Programme Manager - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

At Suntory Global Spirits, we craft spirits of the highest quality and deliver brilliant experiences to people around the world. Suntory Global Spirits has evolved into the world's third largest leading premium spirits company ... where each employee is treated like family and trusted with legacy. With our greatest assets - our premium spirits and our people - we're driving growth through impactful marketing, innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. Suntory Global Spirits is a place where you can come Unleash your Spirit by making an impact each and every day.

ABOUT SUNTORY GLOBAL SPIRITS:

Suntory Group Spirits (SGS) is ‘Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World’. Rooted in two centuries of family heritage, SGS has evolved into the world's third largest leading premium spirits company, where each employee is treated like family and trusted with legacy. With our greatest assets - our premium spirits and our people - we're driving growth through impactful marketing, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. SGS is a place where you can come to ‘Unleash your Spirit’ by making an impact each and every day.

PURPOSE & SCOPE OF ROLE:
SGS is at a key stage in the long-term development of its Scotch Whisky portfolio – with all of its key brands refreshing their strategy, brand designs and range architectures. These changes are critical elements of a wider plan for financial growth based on opportunity spaces as outlined in the Scotch and Irish Brand House Strategic Plan.

The Cask Program Manager role has been newly created to reflect a specific growth opportunity both with Markets and Private Clients (PC) for the Scotch & Irish Brand House. Working directly for the Scotch & Irish Innovation Director this role will take the lead in managing an amplified Cask Program from first point of contact with prospective clients / markets to the point of order, i.e. front-end program delivery from which the Senior Innovation Manager responsible for casks will drive the physical development to point of shipment from OU. This is a unique and exciting opportunity for someone with an entrepreneurial, enterprising and commercially focused mindset to directly influence and timeously drive incremental value through this cask program.

This is a critical program owner role within our Brand House – acting as the ‘Ring Master’, driving and coordinating all commercial agreements with customers while giving clear direction into the relevant supporting functions (primarily but not exclusively Innovation, Operations inc Spirits Team, Supply Chain, Legal, Finance and RGM). Given the business focus on simplicity, agility and efficiency with compressed timelines at times required and commercial sensitivity of the program, it is essential that the successful candidate is able to quickly get up to speed on the program, establish strong relationships with key markets and Private Clients as directed and make an immediate impact to ensure the amplified program can be implemented within weeks of arrival into the business with robust plans in place to support in full and on time delivery.

The role requires focus on end-to-end commercial and marketing excellence and a sound understanding of existing processes and systems used in the execution of these projects, inclusive of the Seed to Sip governance process and Planisware project management software, while noting the day-to-day executional delivery will be supported by a dedicated Senior Innovation Manager.

The role will be responsible for establishing relationships with prospective customers (i.e. Private Client and Markets pre/post sales), setting criteria for cask approval, agreeing pricing and contractual terms, organising cask samples via our Spirits Team, setting up and managing the Customer database, developing the requisite sales documents, supporting toolkits and related experiences, while measuring and evaluating program success. The role is also reliant on the candidate having a strategic marketing mindset to ensure our Cask Program is future focused with long range plans in place to safe-guard growth in alignment with any business innovation sufficiency targets and identification of opportunity spaces e.g. elevated ranges for higher aged expressions.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

As the Cask Program lead, drive the OTIF delivery of a high impact amplified Cask Program vis-à-vis NSV, Customer Relationships, brand equity and wider portfolio opportunities:

• Set criteria for cask approval and create a clear communication plan for all prospective customers

• Establish strong relationships with key markets and Private Clients as directed, making an immediate impact to ensure the amplified program can be implemented within weeks of arrival into the business

• Drive pricing and contractual terms to point of agreement with customers while giving clear direction into the relevant supporting functions (primarily but not exclusively Innovation, Operations inc Spirits Team, Supply Chain, Legal, Finance and RGM)

• Organise cask samples via our Spirits Team for prospective customers

• Develop robust in-year plans to support in-full and on-time delivery of the program

  • Work closely with the SIM to establish and monitor the project timelines, in support of clear internal and external comms

• Set up and manage the Customer database

• Develop the requisite sales / marketing support materials inclusive of sales documents, toolkits and experience platforms

• Measure and evaluate program success

• Establish long-range 5-year plans to safe-guard growth in alignment with any business innovation sufficiency targets

  • Identify opportunity spaces e.g. elevated ranges for higher aged expressions, and price point, market and channel gaps etc

• Drive timely comms and reporting into Scotch & Irish Innovation Director and the Brand House Leadership Team

  • While driving critical decisions at key milestones via Steercos as required

• Establish clear expectations and JTBD direction for all brands included within the program

  • Ensure the Cask Program is delivered in alignment with any specified brand objectives and brand level financial guardrails

• Ensure an impeccable and collaborative way of working in direct alignment with our ‘Suntory Leadership Spirit Behaviours’ (shared file-point to be set up and managed for internal stakeholders’ visibility)

  • Establish a clear and collaborative way of working across all supporting functions to ensure the cross-functional project teams have good visibility on what they need to deliver, and any status shifts, in order to deliver the program efficiently and effectively

  • Working directly with cross functional teams to solve issues as they arise

  • Defining actions required from each function at each stage of the project (inclusive of RASCI, way-of working and workflows) and ensuring the commitment of these teams to delivering them

• Drive Continual Improvement opportunities aligned to our Brand House strategy, competitive insights and Growing for Good sustainability goals

KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Entrepreneurial self-starter - flexible and comfortable working in unstructured environment, and able to manage multiple priorities effortlessly

• Acute commercial awareness, with strong understanding of key levers impacting our bottom line

• Results oriented with proven track-record in delivering impactful projects / programs

• Excellent interpersonal skills, with ability to communicate effectively in a multicultural, cross functional organisation, while leading with respectful authority

• Conflict resolution/team leadership in a highly matrixed environment

• Excellent verbal and written English

• Resilient and focused with high energy levels and positive, can-do attitude

• Close attention to detail is a given, with outstanding process and project management skills

• Proven commitment to delivering projects on-time and above expectations

• Demonstrated experience in working across and up, within the organisation, gaining credibility amongst peers, managers and other commercial leadership teams

KEY RELATIONSHIPS:

• Internal: Marketing, Operations/Production (inclusive of Spirits and Inventory Management Team), Finance and RGM, Supply Chain (Procurement / Packaging Development / S&OP), Legal, IP, Regulatory etc

• External: Markets, Private Clients, contracted Brand Partners

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years’ experience in commercial and/or marketing and/or innovation roles with track-record in successfully delivering high-value projects / programs

• Track record in cross-functional team leadership and generating motivation/enthusiasm for marketing and/or innovation programs / projects

• Track record in driving growth and increased revenue from marketing and/or innovation programs / projects

At Suntory Global Spirits, people are our number one priority, and we believe our people grow together in diverse and inclusive environments where their unique insights, experiences and backgrounds are valued and respected. Suntory Global Spirits is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, military veteran status and all other characteristics, attributes or choices protected by law. All recruitment and hiring decisions are based on an applicant’s skills and experience.