Brand Lead - Ice Cream

Unilever; Durban; On-site; EUR 30 000 - 70 000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic and competitive Ice Cream business, driving growth and innovation in a thriving market. You will be at the forefront of crafting strong brand strategies and leading exciting projects that enhance our portfolio. This role offers a unique opportunity to manage end-to-end processes, from innovation to deployment, while working closely with global teams. If you are passionate about marketing and eager to make a significant impact in a fast-paced environment, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Embrace the chance to shape the future of a leading player in the Ice Cream industry and contribute to a vibrant team culture focused on excellence and creativity.

Qualifications

• 2-3 years of relevant marketing experience required.
• Strong project management and budget control skills needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead integrated brand plans and manage P&L for your brand.
• Drive innovation projects and execute brand communications.

Skills

Marketing & 6P Acumen

Project Management

Digital Marketing Capability

Strategic Thinking

Consumer and Customer Focus

Market Research & Insight Generation

Budget Management

Problem Solving

Growth Mindset

Rigour and Order

Education

Relevant Marketing Degree

Tools

Nielsen

Data Orbis

Job description

Function: Marketing (Ice Cream)

Reports to: Senior Marketing Manager Ice Cream

Location: South Africa (La Lucia Ridge/Sandton)

Terms & Conditions: Local Conditions Apply

If you are in the Unilever Ice Cream business or are considering working for the Unilever Ice Cream business, you will work for the global, leading Ice Cream player with €8bn Turn Over in 2023. The Ice Cream business is operating in a highly attractive category, as we are part of the 1 trillion snacking and refreshment industry, growing consistently at high pace. We have strong brand equities: 5 of the top 10 selling brands including Wall’s, Magnum, and Ben & Jerry’s. We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of Ice Cream as a standalone entity, once we separate from Unilever, which is planned to happen by November 2025.

JOB PURPOSE

An opportunity to join the dynamic, agile and competitive Ice Cream Business. Drive the volume led growth agenda within the Ice Cream category by crafting strong brands, leading Innovations & Activity Requests and managing the P&L for your brand.

The role is end-to-end (both innovation management & deployment) for Southern Africa – high bias for action, accountability, proactivity, and drive is needed for this role.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

• Leading Integrated Brand Plans process for your brand & portfolio (Defining, Designing and implementing the brand plans, and defining the Brand’s JTBD).
• Develop & Execute Inspiring brand communications for your portfolio.
• Leadership of Innovation Projects – e.g. development of new mixes/launch into new categories etc.
• Leadership of Activity Requests: e.g. introduction of new pack sizes/formats for existing mixes.
• Leadership of “Lift & Shift” Projects: e.g. liaising with global teams to source and launch existing mixes into SA.
• Analyze, track & give recommendations for your brand/portfolio performance using the Nielsen & Data Orbis tool.
• Budget management to be vigorously controlled to ensure full delivery of project deliverables within budget.
• Partnering with Customer & Channel Development & Shopper Marketing, to deliver the in-year brand plan.
• Management of your brand/portfolio digital strategy and plan.
• Work closely with global and local teams, as well as the artwork agency to develop packaging for the brand.
• Key relationships: Customer Development, Shopper Marketing, Supply Chain, Consumer Market Insights, Research and Development, Finance Business Partners & Global and Local teams where relevant.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

• Relevant Marketing Degree or equivalent.
• 2 - 3 years of relevant marketing work experience.
• Able to lead projects - Strong experience with Project Management and Business case development, in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with budget controls and savings initiatives is highly advantageous.
• S&OP Management for your brand/portfolio.
• Digital Marketing Capability.

Skills

• Marketing & 6P Acumen: Partner marketing in generating brand opportunities that create the best end to end consumer experience across the 6Ps.
• Business Acumen & Partnering: Work with cross functions not only marketing/CD. Shifting all briefs and learning plans from insight output to business outcome.
• Strong levels of growth mindset: a winning, competitive mindset.
• Bias for actions and drive: willingness to get things done.
• Consumer and customer focus: curiosity, ability to uncover relevant insights and translate these into actionable plans.
• Rigour and order: ability to identify important issues and works through complex problems in an accurate and in-depth way.
• A love to experiment.
• Market Research & Insight Generation: Knowing when and how to deploy research to answer key business questions.
• Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving: Defining a problem, causation and solution in an objective, systematic way.
• Digital Acumen: Using your digital acumen to inform marketing and customer strategies and activities.

Leadership

• You are energized by delivering fantastic results. You are an example to others – both your results and your resilience.
• As an individual, you are responsible for your own wellbeing and delivering high standards of work.

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applications 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.