The Lubricants Trade Marketing Manager will be responsible for implementing agreed-upon brand and channel marketing initiatives, campaigns, and other programmes to support the achievement of market penetration, brand health, business targets, and loyalty in both B2B and B2C sectors.
Key Performance areas for the role:
Work with the Country Lubricants Marketing Manager to build the annual Lubricants Marketing Plan and monitor marketing budget expenditure and implementation
Implement the Direct and Indirect marketing programmes for the target sector/channel, covering pricing (cross and multi-channel), product portfolio, training (including product & sector knowledge and sales skills), integrated marketing communications plans embedded in the country marketing plans
Drive local adaptation of global brand and sector materials and programmes (i.e. merchandising and promotions) where relevant to drive growth
Work closely with the Marketing Operations Manager to monitor and analyze data to understand brand, product, and channel performance and trends across each sector
Work closely with other Trade Marketing Manager and Retail Lubricants Category Manager to pro-actively implement marketing communication and marketing support across all lines of business
Provide relevant insights regarding market trends (customer and competitor) as inputs in the development and review of business/marketing programs and identification of growth opportunities
Continuously monitor business performance across channels and work with the Lubricants Marketing Manager and Sales & Marketing Manager to develop corrective action plans to stay on plan
Work closely with the sales teams (FBAMs) and Front Line Technical Services (FLTS) team to support value selling and implementation of B2B Customer Value Propositions (CVP) and Pipeline (SPANCOP) management initiatives
Ensure all marketing activities are evaluated in terms of return on investment, and that a Post Investment Review is carried out post activities
Coordinate and support on the ground implementation of agreed marketing initiatives by the distributors
Manage third party marketing agency relationships and interfaces to ensure delivery of relevant brand and channel initiatives
Principal Accountabilities:
Marketing Planning & Implementation
Participate in the development of the country marketing plan covering key brands and channels in liaison with the Lubricants Marketing Manager as per the VE Lubricants marketing planning calendar
Manage implementation of agreed lubricants brand and channel (B2B & B2C) sales & marketing initiatives - including concept development, actual implementation directly and through third-party agencies where appropriate, within agreed budgets
Manage implementation of B2B customer value propositions (CVP) and pipeline (SPANCOP) management by the sales teams and Frontline Technical Services (FLTS) Team
Monitor the impact of marketing initiatives to ensure delivery of target return on marketing investments (pre and post-implementation)
Manage agency relationships to implement agreed marketing communication for assigned brands and channel initiatives
Support and participate in the on-ground implementation of distributor marketing initiatives, agency supervision, and performance evaluation on a need basis
Key Challenges:
To be able to implement simultaneous activities and programs on time and within budget, producing the agreed top-line growth
Success in this role will require a close relationship with sales, technical team, country marketing, and key distributors. In addition, a thorough understanding of the external market and competitor activities is essential
Requirements
Job Knowledge, Skills & Experiences:
A university degree preferably in business, marketing or related field
At least 4 years of experience in a marketing or marketing support role or environment with strong analytical skills
Ability to think strategically and to translate new concepts into operational plans
Ability to draw insights from data and communicate them to different audiences with ease. Good understanding of Retail and B2C markets
Strong value chain; Pricing; Channel management & Route-to-Market (RTM) competencies
Strong proven commercial skills and judgment
Strong customer orientation
Ability to manage complex projects and handle numerous relationships
Strong interpersonal and excellent organizational skills
Experience in Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) setting and digital marketing is an advantage
High proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and other common computer programs