Innovations Manager at Guinness

Are you hungry for a big opportunity? Do you yearn for a fast-moving, entrepreneurial culture? Do you measure success by what you do as much as what you say? Are you motivated by brilliant execution of new ideas that delight consumers and are compelling to the retailer? If this is you, then welcome to the Innovation team at EABL. Are you wondering how important is this role to the whole business? The role is an integral part of the Innovation Marketing leadership team. The innovation team is charged with the responsibility of delivering 25% of the business growth to come through Innovations in the next 5 years. This is a critical task in achieving the future growth for the business. The innovation team therefore plays a critical role in shaping the future of the business, delivering innovations that respond to consumer and customer trends and innovations that are reshaping the choice available to our consumers. We are looking for a self-motivated, entrepreneurial individual who will be a great addition to the team and who shares our beliefs. In this team, we believe in acting like owners while holding others to account for highest standards. We have learned that we find a way to make things happen with pace and urgency – we’ve launched products in under 8 weeks from inception and delivered We believe in learning quickly and adjusting our plans as we execute. This calls for constant awareness of the environment, acting on insights that can be boldly and quickly executed in the market. We have learned that innovations sometimes surprise us. Who would have genuinely believed that Tusker Cider would be contributing 15% of Tusker in its first year, making it one of the biggest innovations in Kenya? We are creators, we build brands from scratch such as Chrome, Balozi and Orijin and create new variants of local brands such as Kenya Cane Citrus and Smirnoff Ice Guarana. In the spirit of making marketing simple, we also work collaboratively with global teams to introduce international brands in a way that is compelling and truly transformational such as recently launched Captain Morgan Gold. Finally, we have learned that the simplest things often determine success & failure. Getting the right idea, to the right consumer, at the right outlet and the right price are critical to success. These are often overlooked elements of the launch mix. The amazing launch of Smirnoff Ice Guarana with a focus on these fundamentals delivered £9m NSV in year 1. We think through the end to end value creation opportunity: from conception to commercialization in the market. In F17 we delivered Kes 11Bn NSV (Net Sales Value) & our future are even stronger with an intent to double innovation contribution to Kes +24Bn NSV which is where you fit in…. To deliver that we need an Innovations Manager, accountable for delivering game changing innovation projects. If you want to be part of this team that is passionate about customers & consumers & if you are excited about the opportunity to deliver game-changing innovation, then contact us.

Dimensions:

Financial: Deliver the EABL Kenya Innovations contribution to the annual operating plan c. £100m (KES 14Bn) & convert +80% of new launches pipeline overlay in the financial year.

Market Complexity : EABL is the market leader in this region within the Beverage Alcoholic drinks market with c.96% share of beer and c. 62% share of spirits. There are numerous competitors in the spirits segment. Market penetration for alcohol is c. 40% with about 21% constituting traditional brew from which we can trade up consumers. The market is further complicated by several factors that make the job infinitely more interesting, the experiences more valuable & the time spent in role more rewarding: Territory scope: EABL Kenya covers Kenya, South Sudan, Export markets and duty-free. Portfolio of brands: Launching a portfolio of brands across the following categories: Spirits, Beer & Ready-To-Drink alcoholic drinks, adds an additional level of complexity. We leverage the strong beer route-to consumer but comes with its complexities especially when launching spirits!

Purpose of Role

This is an extraordinary opportunity to work and shape the future of EABL; one of the leading organizations in East Africa. You will embrace this challenge & demonstrate a burning passion for creative, innovative thinking balanced with a black-belt in launch execution. A key part of this role is to ensure the use of creative excellence, disciplined project leadership and management in crafting new opportunities and brands from multiple start points. The Innovation Manager will lead projects designed to deliver against the local market’s programme, priorities and strategy as well as influencing the business with the scalability of projects.

The role will require:

• Inspiring leadership and influencing skills both within project teams, with global teams and with senior leaders around the business.
• Great consumer and customer understanding to generate insights on consumer behaviour that would deliver successful innovations uptake and great commercial execution.
• Strong team leadership to deliver brilliant execution through agency partners for both above-the-line and below-the-line work to deliver the innovations in an accessible way that meets consumer needs and is profitable to the business.

Top Accountabilities

• Product Innovation: Through a natural instinct of what consumers want, lead the development of Concepts, Design & Communications for both new brand launches as well as brand extensions on existing brands. Complete this through the GATE process, influencing & inspiring the organisation behind your vision.
• Project management: leading the development of multi innovation projects at once, you will be an expert in project management & mastering a range of project management tools will deliver all projects on time & within budget.
• World-Class Execution Launches: Working in partnership with the Supply brand change managers and Commercialization Managers to develop and commercialize the product innovation. Will require clear setting the execution standards and goals for launches, delivering & executing full consumer & commercial launches flawlessly, to time & to budget. This will include new brand launches as well as rolling out proven innovations from other markets.
• Influencing & Inspiring : It is critical that you can effectively influence & inspire the cross-functional project team to deliver the Ambition. This means genuine relationships, tough conversations when needed & above all to be a Master of inspiring the business to the opportunity the innovation has for the business in the future.
• Performance management: Through a strong understating of the business and understanding the relative commercial levers required to deliver the performance ambitions you will consistently measure and intervene to make sure all projects deliver to target. Timely escalations and course correction based on judgement from the performance tracking.

Key Relationships: EABL Kenya Executive team, Marketing team, Technical and brand change team, Finance team, Consumer research team, Sales and commercial team, Procurement team, Corporate Affairs team, Supply chain team, Quality and Brand assurance team, 3rd party agencies.

Qualifications & Experience Required:

• You have 5+ years of consumer marketing, innovation or commercial experience & have a proven track record of amazing results.
• You will demonstrate meticulous project management, strong marketing judgement & commercial grounding to ensure delivery of plans.
• You will have strong entrepreneurial flair to both identify new opportunities & navigate your project challenges through the complex business landscape.
• A great communicator, your build strong interpersonal networks within the business & have the ability to manage stakeholders in a clear concise manner.
• You are comfortable managing complexity with a demonstrated track record of managing an agenda of multiple priorities & stakeholders, juggling multiple projects & complex project timeline.
• You demonstrate drive, delivery & determination. Resilience is key! The ideal candidate be result oriented with a track record of consistently delivering strong performance.
• Line management & leadership. Leading, inspiring & coaching cross functional team members and 3rd party agencies.

Qualifications: Educated to Graduate level in a business related field.

Barriers to success in role

• Inability to successfully manage projects with precision
• Inability to manage many stakeholders both senior and junior
• Inability to influence, inspire & coach teams & operate brilliantly in a matrix organisation
• Inability to deal with ambiguity or prioritise.
• Inability to find solutions to overcome challenges to the project
• Inability to stay driven and connected to the goal of the project