Category & Brand Manager - Beauty (Skin & Hair Care) at PZ Cussons

Key Objectives

Develop and drive the overall brand/category strategies by creating and applying Regional/local marketing initiatives to deliver the right balance of organic growth, brand expansion and diversification, supported by the appropriate resources and information networks to deliver agreed profitability.

• Create, develop, and oversee the implementation of brand strategy to support the overall marketing strategy.
  •  3-year brand growth strategy
  •  3-year innovation pipeline
  •  Annual digital plan
  •  Quarterly shopper plans
• Category Specific goals:
  • Grow HC penetration leveraging opportunities in the various sub-brands and channel & innovating into spaces that drive accelerated category growth. 
  • Activate brand purpose: Caring for our everyday Sheros.
• Deliver brand targets for NNS & GM%, M&C plans, NPD programs and brand equity / brand health measures (awareness, trial, attribute rating.)
  • Invest to drive CY performance through Activations & OTIF innovation plans supported by brand building.
  • Review NNS by sub brand monthly and drive gap fill conversations with channel
  • Drive NPD/ emerging category performance in primary channels.
  • Review quarterly consumer panel and drive actions to accelerate penetration. (Geographies, channels, SKUs or sub-brands).
  • Ownership and leadership of FY 24 sales plan and profitability by sub-brand. 
• Deliver overall budgeted profitability by growing and sustaining brand performance.
  • Review price tree and category price movement monthly
  • Drive margin enhancing initiatives 
• Lead NPD process for Kenya ensuring that its requirements are managed by various functions and delivered according to targets.
  • FY 24 Category refresh and expansion by Q3. 
  • Scope:
    • New bottle for ASL
    • Refreshed logo, graphics & claims
    • Doy Pack for DWL penetration
    • Concentrated Surface cleaner
    • Veggie Wash – drive category captaincy
• Ensure category pricing supports brand positioning and is relevant to the competitive arena. 
  • 28.5% - 32% in FY 24.
• Lead the selection of the appropriate Trade Channels
  • Ensure development and execution of trade standards in line with brand positioning and growth strategy
• Explore and exploit new opportunities for the brand portfolio
• Identify market, category and consumer insights and deliver agreed marketing research plans
  •  Selection of right insight tools to support penetration drive
  • Coordinate sessions and reviews
  • Lead projects/action plans arising from same.
• Monitor, control, and report brand performance through internal & external brand health indicators such as NNS, GM, MC & key consumer KPIs providing solutions to shortfalls.
  • Buz Reviews, monthly scorecards, Buz Opps Reviews, Risks and Opps, Business Planning Steps
• Execute brand M&C plan within guidelines & budget, creating and modifying as necessary to meet objectives follow SOPs for investment based on 
  • briefs
  • Sign-off
  • Procurement 
  • Monitoring
  • Evaluations
• Proactively lead the Business Planning process.
  •  Drive inputs, thorough discuss and flow through for proper action closure. 

Qualifications Experience

• Bachelor’s degree
• Over 7 years demonstrated experience in Brand Management
• Professional Qualification in Marketing is essential
• Post graduate degree is desirable
• IT savvy including the use of MS Office Suite of Applications

Capabilities/Technical skills

• Consumer Champion
• Insight generation (Proven strength)
• Communication (Mastery)