Brand & Trade Marketing Manager (JB6332)

Recruitment; Gqeberha; On-site; ZAR 446,000 - 502,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company laptop

Smartphone

Job summary

Kontak in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, seeks a Brand & Trade Marketing Manager to drive how our multi-brand portfolio is positioned in SA retail and plan trade marketing activity that supports sales and moves products off the shelf. You will lead annual brand plans, manage budgets, oversee POS and activations, and report on results.

The role involves launching a vehicle air fragrance brand in 2027 and supporting its US rollout, with regular store visits and national travel.

Qualifications

• Degree or diploma in marketing, business or commerce, or equivalent proven experience.
• At least five years’ FMCG marketing experience with minimum three years managing trade marketing or brands in SA retail.
• Experience planning, running and evaluating retail promotions with cost/sell-out analysis.
• Experience delivering POS materials, planograms and in-store activations through agencies or merchandising teams.
• Ability to read retailer sell-out data and prepare promotion evaluations using Excel/Sheets.
• Experience applying brand guidelines and briefing designers on packaging/ artwork.
• Experience managing a marketing budget with PO processes and spend reporting.
• Clear written English and confident presenting to retail buyers and senior managers.
• Willingness to travel nationally for retailer meetings and launches.
• Based in Port Elizabeth and office-based work.

Responsibilities

• Own brand positioning and tone of voice for each brand; maintain brand guidelines.
• Develop annual brand and trade marketing plans and 12-month calendars.
• Prepare quarterly budget proposals and monitor spend against approved budgets.
• Review artwork, packaging, POS and campaigns; brief designers with specs and deadlines.
• Build trade marketing plans for each channel and key customer.
• Plan promotions calendar, mechanics, timing and in-store support with approved price lists.
• Set planogram, shelf, POS and price-display standards and oversee their application.
• Coordinate in-store activations, sampling and promoter campaigns with briefs and staffing.
• Manage merchandising and promoter agencies; conduct store audits and performance reviews.
• Post-promotion evaluation within 20 business days; analyze sell-out uplift and ROI.
• Report sell-out, rate of sale and distribution by brand/channel; use Sage sales data.
• Recommend promotions to repeat, change or stop based on results.
• Prepare monthly brand and trade reports covering KPIs and budget spend.
• Lead brand/trade launch plans for the vehicle air fragrance brand and future brands.
• Prepare sell-in kits with presentations and pricing; provide planogram proposals.
• Review launch performance at 30, 60 and 90 days; suggest corrective actions.
• Manage brand/trade spend with PO control; ensure invoices match delivery.
• Obtain supplier quotes and maintain records.
• Apply vaping age restrictions and keep approval records.
• Check prices/promotions against the approved price list before release.
• Hold monthly trade-planning meetings and confirm stock cover before promotions.
• Coordinate with Social Media and e-commerce teams for aligned activity.
• Provide weekly updates on promotions and present monthly KPI reports to the Founder.

Skills

Trade marketing

Brand management

Budget management

Promotions analysis

Education

Marketing degree/diploma

Tools

Excel/Google Sheets

POS materials design

Planograms & in-store activation

Job description

Brand & Trade Marketing Manager (JB6332)

• Marketing/Public Relations

Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
R40 000 to R45 000 a month + quarterly performance incentive
Permanent

A fast-growing FMCG business is building a multi-brand portfolio across vaping, vehicle air care and other categories. The Brand & Trade Marketing Manager will lead how the brands are positioned and presented to customers, and will plan and deliver trade marketing activity that supports sales and moves products off the shelf. The role includes preparing the South African retail launch of a new vehicle air fragrance brand, planned for Q1 2027, and supporting its planned United States launch thereafter. This is a hands‑on, office-based position in Port Elizabeth, with regular store visits and national travel to retailer head offices, distributors and launch activations. The successful candidate will report to the Commercial Operations Manager and work closely with the sales, social media, design and e-commerce teams. The package includes a company laptop and smartphone, with business travel and store‑visit costs covered under the company travel policy.

Minimum Requirements:

• Degree or diploma in marketing, business or commerce, or equivalent proven experience.
• At least five years’ FMCG marketing experience, including a minimum of three years personally managing trade marketing or brands in South African retail.
• Demonstrated experience personally planning, running and evaluating retail promotions, with the ability to explain the costs and sell-out results.
• Experience delivering point-of-sale (POS) materials, planograms and in-store activations through agencies, suppliers or merchandising teams.
• Ability to read retailer sell-out data and prepare promotion evaluations and monthly reports using Excel or Google Sheets.
• Experience developing or applying brand guidelines and briefing designers or agencies on packaging, POS or campaign artwork.
• Experience managing a marketing budget, including purchase orders, supplier quotes and spend-versus-budget reporting.
• Clear written English and confidence presenting to retail buyers and senior managers.
• Willingness to apply age-restriction, legal and retailer advertising rules to vaping materials, including when this limits marketing activity.
• Valid driver’s licence and willingness to travel nationally for retailer meetings, store visits and launches.
• Based in Port Elizabeth and able to work office-based.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Own brand positioning, target consumer, brand architecture and tone of voice for each brand, and maintain brand guidelines.
• Develop annual brand and trade marketing plans and 12-month campaign calendars for approval.
• Prepare quarterly brand and trade campaign budget proposals for approval by the Finance Manager, then monitor spend against the approved budget.
• Review and approve artwork, packaging updates, POS and campaign creative for brand fit before release; brief the Designer in writing with specifications, deadlines and feedback.
• Build trade marketing plans for each channel and key customer, aligned with customer plans prepared by the Business Development Manager.
• Plan the promotions calendar, including promotion mechanics, timing and in-store support. Promotional prices must use the approved price list.
• Set planogram, shelf, POS and price-display standards, and oversee their application in stores.
• Plan and coordinate in-store activations, sampling and promoter campaigns, including briefs, staffing, stock and reporting.
• Manage merchandising and promoter agencies, including briefs, store‑audit call cycles, dated store photos and performance reviews.
• Set a baseline for each promotion and complete a post‑promotion evaluation within 20 business days, covering sell‑out uplift, incremental units, gross profit, total cost and return on investment.
• Report on sell‑out, rate of sale and distribution by brand, channel and key customer using retailer sell‑out data, depletion data and Sage sales.
• Recommend which promotions to repeat, change or stop, based on their results.
• Prepare a monthly brand and trade report covering sell‑out, promotion results, in‑store compliance, launch progress and spend against budget.
• Lead the brand and trade launch plan for the vehicle air fragrance brand and future brands, including launch calendars, sell‑in materials, POS, listing support, activations and launch tracking.
• Prepare sell‑in kits for the Business Development Manager, including customer presentations, product and listing sheets, approved pricing and promotion summaries, and planogram proposals.
• Review launch performance at 30, 60 and 90 days and recommend corrective action.
• Manage brand and trade marketing spend in line with the Finance Manager’s approved quarterly budget. Ensure spend has an approved purchase order and invoices are matched to delivery or proof of execution.
• Obtain comparative supplier quotes where required and maintain supplier records, including specifications, prices and performance.
• Apply age‑restriction and advertising rules to vaping materials and keep approval records for each item released.
• Check prices and promotions shown on POS, sell‑in materials and retailer communications against the approved price list before release.
• Hold monthly trade‑planning meetings with the Business Development Manager and Commercial Operations Manager, and confirm stock cover with Operations before promotions or launches are committed.
• Share confirmed promotions and launch dates with the Social Media & Content Manager and e‑commerce assistant so customer‑facing activity is aligned with in‑store plans.
• Provide weekly updates on live, upcoming and at‑risk promotions, and present the monthly KPI report to the Founder.

All backgrounds are welcomed, with no bias. All are considered based on requirements.