Strategic Marketing Manager

We are looking for a:

  Strategic Marketing Manager

About the Role

As a Strategic Marketing Manager, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the long‑term direction of our CFT business strategy, product portfolio and driving profitable growth across regions and market segments. A critical part of this role is the ability to make well‑founded strategic decisions based on a deep, end‑to‑end understanding of the P&L. You will bring together market intelligence, financial insight, and strategic discipline to steer product strategy, optimize margins, and strengthen customer and partner engagement. This role is central to enabling our business to win sustainably in a rapidly changing global market.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Analysis

• Support Long Range Plans (LRP) and Annual Operating Plans (AOP) in close collaboration with senior leadership.
• Define pricing approaches and performance targets that support sustainable and profitable business growth
• Monitor competitor strategies, regulatory changes, and market trends to inform business decisions.
• Lead and share comprehensive market analyses, including customer needs assessments, industry trends, and competitive landscape insights.
• Identify and prioritize growth segments and determine the optimal path to market.
• Formulate a clear product vision and strategic roadmap aligned with business goals, including long‑term market forecasting.
• Ensure strategic decisions are tightly linked to thorough P&L understanding, financial impact assessments, and long‑term value creation.
• Leverage and further develop the Nippon Ketjen joint venture to advance technical development, innovation, and financial growth opportunities across the portfolio

Financial Management

• Own margin performance at Product Group / Market Segment / Region level.
• Conduct financial analyses, budgeting, and cost‑impact assessments on P&L performance.
• Drive product cost‑reduction initiatives and implement robust cost controls.
• Track and evaluate ROI for product initiatives; ensure the portfolio meets financial contribution targets.
• Define regional inventory needs and collaborate with SIOP to improve forecast accuracy.
• Lead continuous improvement projects that increase cash generation or reduce operational/portfolio risk.

Contracts & Partnerships

• Negotiate, review, and optimize partnership agreements, ensuring strong collaboration and mutual value creation.
• Act as operational lead for alliances and strategic partnerships.
• Champion external and internal partnership building to strengthen commercial positioning and execution.

Communication & Customer Experience

• Deeply understand customer business models, strategies, regulatory environments, and future needs.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally (Sales, Technical Excellence, Manufacturing, R&D, Technology, SIOP, Comms) to deliver differentiated, customer‑centric solutions.
• Support communication initiatives, including case studies, market messaging, and promotional activities.

Qualifications & Experience

• University degree in Chemical Engineering or Chemistry
• MBA preferred.
• 8–10+ years’ relevant experience in strategic marketing, product management, business development, or commercial roles.
• In depth understanding of hydroprocessing and catalysis is an advantage.
• Strong experience working with SAP S/4, with the ability to extract, interpret, and leverage data for strategic decision‑making
• Proven ability to build and maintain Power BI dashboards to visualize performance, financial trends, and strategic insights
• Exceptional influencing skills with a strong personal drive to challenge assumptions, build alignment, and steer decisions across functions and seniority levels.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and manage P&L drivers, financial models, and profitability levers.
• Strong analytical, financial, and strategic planning capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to drive cross‑functional initiatives and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Proven problem solver with strong communication, negotiation, and project management skills.
• Japanese language proficiency preferred to support collaboration and alignment with the Nippon Ketjen joint venture.

Why Join Us?

• Opportunity to shape long‑term strategy in a high‑impact, global role.
• Work with industry experts across commercial, technical, and operational disciplines.
• Contribute to innovation and the energy transition in a dynamic and growing business.
• Career development opportunities in a simpler, faster, growth‑oriented organization