Senior Customer Marketing Manager

A little bit about Lindt

We are a premium chocolate manufacturer established in 1845 operating in over 86 countries around the World. Guided by our Global purpose to Enchant the World with Chocolate and UK vision of Creating Moments to Make Everyone Feel Special, we have around 400 team members in the UK across our Head Office, Retail, and Field Sales divisions. We are a Top 20 Great Place to Work and are proud of our incredible people, our unique values-led culture and our iconic market leading brands such as LINDOR & GOLD BUNNY.

We’re also proud of being one of the few bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the world, where we control every step of our chocolate production.

How you could help us to Enchant the World with Chocolate

As Senior Customer Marketing Manager, you will be joining the Customer Marketing team which sits in the Category & Commercial Strategy function. Our team purpose is to focus our understanding on how consumers behave as shoppers and creating conversion strategies to influence their purchasing decisions at the final moment of choice. We do this by being unmissable in all buying occasions and deploying conversion tactics that activates purchase triggers and overcomes purchase barriers. In your role, you will specifically execute these strategies within Grocery (Tesco) and Digital Pureplay customers

About this role:

• Planning and executing Lindt brand activation in Grocery & Digital customers to drive incremental, unmissable, equity building visibility & conversion to sales. Plans must be aligned to our Commercial Strategy, Perfect Store objectives and the Category Vision
• In-Store and Online Strategies: optimise point of sale materials, product placements and digital marketing efforts to enhance the shopping experience and drive sales in store and online
• Channel specific promotions and Campaigns: activate consumer promotions, partnerships, product sampling and other incentives to encourage purchases and drive conversion at the point of sale
• Understanding Shopper Behavior: ensure plans are based on insights into what influences purchasing decisions
• Collaboration with Customers & Agencies: lead and work closely with key retail media agencies to develop joint marketing initiatives that benefit both parties
• Measuring and Analysing Results: responsible for measuring the effectiveness of campaigns and initiatives through metrics such as sales lift, return on investment (ROI), and shopper conversion

• Line Manager Responsibility: lead, motivate and develop two direct reports nu setting clear objectives aligned to team vision and business objectives

Where you’ll be based

This role is based in Richmond, London (Hybrid Working: in the office 60% and WFH 40%)

Internal Level 2

Key Responsibilities

Lead the best possible execution of current year plans:

• As part of the cross functional customer/account team, you will work with commercial & category teams, and retail media & creative agencies to lead the planning, execution and evaluation of all brand activities in Tesco and Digital PP to agreed budget, timings and targets
• Responsible for the development and approval of temporary and/or permanent Point of Sale (POS) to enhance brand equity along the shopper path to purchase whilst meeting customer requirements. This also includes working with the Display Manager to deliver creative designs for pre-filled and flatpack display units that maximise Lindt visibility within retailer guidelines
• Customer Engagement – develop shopper marketing relationships within Retailers and expand network/contact matrix by strengthening customer contacts via appropriate forums. Demonstrate thought leadership with use of channel and shopper insight led plans
• Presentation of activation plans to key internal stakeholders, external agencies and Customers
• Responsible for management of the Consumer Promotion (CP) Budget, including negotiation with customers, agencies & suppliers to achieve best costs and return on investment
• Retail Media & Agency Management – lead the retail media relationship, including the annual plan and JMP negotiation. Responsible for booking and PO agreement of full year retail media plan, and briefing and management of creative agency to ensure projects are delivered on time and to quality standards
• Responsible for review and analysis of all in store activity to deliver customer marketing insights and solutions which shape and impact business strategy and growth i.e. ROI Sampling analysis, CP Media analysis, Display research and findings etc.
• Monitoring competitor activity and best-practice for activation and display and making recommendations for incorporation into future plans.

Lead year +3 plan development:

Leadership agenda – input into strategic direction of Lindt business at appropriate forums. Working in collaboration with Sales and Category (Cat Man & Strategy) to deliver a compelling presentation of plans at:

• Strategic Customer & Brand Planning meetings
• Brand and Seasonal Launch Days
• Customer selling meetings

• Supporting Customer Marketing Controller to focus on longer term planning with customers
• Deploy shopper insight in the most effective and efficient way of driving conversion in an omni-channel shopping environment for Tesco & Digital PP

Working Relationships

This role will require strong interpersonal and influencing skills to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders:

Internal: Customer Marketing, Category, Sales, Brand Marketing, Procurement and Finance

External: Customers, retailer media agencies, shopper marketing agencies, design agencies, display suppliers

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience Preferred

Ideally you will be:

• Experienced in shopper roles in the UK Grocery Channel
• Experienced in local brand / product or shopper marketing
• Experienced in line management & people development
• Driven, high tenacity, resourceful with a focus on delivering results
• Demonstrate interpersonal and leadership skills, show strong potential to upwards influence
• A collaborator with the ability to network and establish strong relationships cross functionally and externally
• Compelling communicator and presenter who’s able to tailor dependent on audience
• Experienced in managing external media & design agency workloads and day to day relationships
• Capable in managing complex end to end projects
• Proficient in data analytics, insights as well as Excel and Powerpoint