Senior Brand Manager Whiskey

Location: Hamburg

Contract terms: Permanent

About us

Diageo was created in 1997 but its business is built on the principles and foundations laid years before by giants of the industry – Arthur Guinness, John Walker, Elizabeth Cumming and many more. Today, Diageo is a world class leader in beverage alcohol, producing an outstanding collection of over 200 brands and owning the top two largest spirit brands in the world, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff and 20 of the world’s top 100 spirit brands. Its portfolio also includes Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s and Windsor Whiskies, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo has built a strong platform for growth – through investment in its own brands, and by acquisition to broaden the geographical footprint and category depth and range. The company’s strong local business units are well-positioned to win in increasingly competitive and fast-paced environments. Diageo’s portfolio is well-diversified across price-tiers, enabling it to participate where consumer opportunity is greatest, and to capture shifts in consumer preference.

Diageo's culture is built and maintained by the five values that underpin its business and guide how Diageo works. At Diageo, employees are passionate about its customers and consumers and want to be the best. They give each other the freedom to succeed and value each other. Employees work hard so they can be proud of what they do and how they do it. While Diageo moves at pace, constantly evolving and improving, its values remain consistent. Diageo wants that employees live these values every day, everywhere so that Diageo can be proud of what they do and be the best that they can be.

About the role

Diageo brand teams are the custodians of our brands and work to ensure the future growth and success of said brand. As a member of this team you will be the guardian of our the brands within this category and work to shape their future.

To reflect our desire to be agile and also ensure our talent can be developed across the most important projects, this role sits within the Whiskey brand category team but is not purely aligned to one single brand within in.

You will drive and project manage the creation of  brand strategy and brand plans based on consumer, customer and shopper insights, build brand equity and help drive;

• Recruitment/Re-recruitment – both from a customer and consumer perspective

• Scale – in all commercial elements of the brands, building strong relationships with the commercial teams on the ground to deliver above and beyond the AOP

• Fame – making these brands the most talked about across the market. You will work with the Global Brand Teams, multiple agencies, cross-functional teams and partners to deliver on our salience and brand love objectives

• Physical Availability - the ability to see, find and trigger associated memories in a buying context, all resulting in success at the point of purchase

Your key responsibilities

• Drive and project manage the creation of long-term brand strategy and brand plans based on consumer, customer, and shopper insight

• Lead cross-agency teams and foster new partnerships in developing the brand’s communication approach and execution in an omnichannel environment (on, off & 3rd space)

• Find, own and build the role the brand plays in culture, working collaboratively with members of the Culture & Entertainment function

• Shape the brand to thrive in a digital environment, develop long term digital strategy & social media plans

• Own the shadow P&L for the brands across the market.  Understand and respond to the drivers of your brand performance, working in partnership with the commercial teams to deliver the annual operating plan

• Understand and manage pricing & promo strategy, margin mix and volume drivers

• Translates strategies into brilliantly driven plans that consistently beat the competition and gain share

Win through Execution

• Sets and pursues direction without guidance and takes a wide view of their accountabilities

• High energy and ambition to achieve successful outcomes and high standards

• Balances analysis and execution and adjusts thinking in the face of new information

• Actively spots opportunities or issues and identifies which are urgent and important

• Generates a range of workable solutions, decides what should be done and takes action

Shape the Future

• Sees the big picture and possibility from multiple angles and through a creative lens

• Frames issues in a way that creates clarity and incorporates others' best thinking

• Accurately digests large amounts of information and breaks down complex problems thoroughly

• Challenges themselves and others to take on new or unfamiliar tasks and ways of working

Inspire through Purpose

• Finds broader meaning in their work and aspires to make a significant difference

• Reads their environment and understands how culture and context influences people's perspectives

• Is actively aware of the impact they have on others and tunes in to the needs of individuals around them

• Communicates in a compelling, persuasive and impactful way

• Draws on a variety of influencing styles to engage different audiences

Invest in Talent

• Displays confidence in their ability to meet challenges and succeed

• Maintains belief and optimism and bounces back quickly from setbacks or failures

• Demonstrates a realistic and thoughtful awareness of their own capabilities

• Proactively seeks feedback and development for growth and takes action

About you

• 6+ years of relevant marketing experience

• Existing apability to build genuine relationships built on mutual trust & respect

• Successful management of senior partners, resulting in strong and positive outcomes

• Holistic abilities across various marketing growth drivers as well as a track record of delivering transformational business results

• Comfort with dealing with ambiguity, complexity and working within a fast-paced, entrepreneurial and matrixed environment

• A history of working across media, digital, experiential, PR, culture

• Demonstrated brilliant execution to high standards across various pillars of brand building

• Deep personal accountability for great performance

• Strong commercial and numerical acumen with attention to detail

• Experience working across multiple countries/geographies

• Proficiency in English & German (is a plus)

Our offer

• An inclusive company culture that puts employees and their development first 

• A competitive salary with bonus and many benefits that suit your lifestyle 

• An industry leading parental leave policy 

• …and of course, THE best colleagues! 

Celebrating our inclusive and diverse culture is core to Diageo’s purpose of “celebrating life every day everywhere”. This purpose is, in itself, inclusive in nature, as it values everybody irrespective of background, disability, religion, gender identity, sexuality or ethnicity. 

We know that for Diageo to thrive and to realize its ambition, we depend on having diverse talent with a range of backgrounds, skills and capabilities in each of the 180 countries in which we operate and to reflect our broad consumer base.  

Flexibility is key to success in our business and many of our staff work flexibly in many different ways, including part-time, compressed hours, flexible location.  

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions.  

Don’t let anything stop you from applying!