Commercial Manager

Job Title: EU & ROW Commercial Manager, Mr Black Coffee Liqueur

Location: London

Type of contract: permanent

About us

With over 200 brands sold in nearly 180 countries, we’re the world’s leading premium drinks company. Bring your passion and use your curiosity as you explore, collaborate, and innovate to build brands consumers love. Together with passionate people from all over the world, you’ll test new ideas, learn and grow, and unlock a brighter, more exciting future.

Join us to create a career worth celebrating.

About Mr Black

Coffee lovers rejoice! Welcome to the ambitious, caffeinated world of Mr Black. Mr Black is a bean-to-bottle bittersweet blend of top-grade Arabica coffees and Australian vodka. Originating from Australia, the spiritual home of modern coffee culture, Mr Black’s taste is iconic: notes of freshly roasted coffee, dark chocolate and caramel with a smooth coffee finish. A mixologist favourite, Mr Black, makes the ultimate Espresso Martini, but it is equally delicious on the rocks.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced commercial lead who can work closely with the Europe Marketing Manager (as a powerhouse team of 2), cross-functional partners and the Global Brand Director to grow Mr Black in GB and Western Europe markets, owning distributor, sales relationships and being responsible for the 3-5-year roadmap to get there, inclusive of growth drivers, recommended investment and evaluation. Additionally, this person will lead the demand planning and management of any ROW business (Asia markets, ~5% of total ROW volume). Europe is the second-largest region for Mr Black and key to Mr Black's 5-year global growth ambition.

This person will run demand/supply forecasting with Australia, the distribution/wholesaler relationships, any new relationships, and the Europe BA. Furthermore, they will be the face of the brand in GB, and WE and lead conversations on how to win with Mr Black as a premium coffee liqueur in the markets.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive the business with a clear commercial strategy translated into clear channel and customer strategies and standards with a heavy focus on growing and winning the on-premise

• Own, refine and enrol stakeholders in the 3-5 year roadmap for delivering growth on Mr Black and against the business case, working to build a ‘step-up’ ambition above and beyond the business case

• As part of this plan, recommend the right SKU mix for the GB, WE markets in the next 3-years  

• Build the annual sales plan, working with distributors to evaluate, deliver plan with responsibility for 5-7 key markets in the region

• Work closely to establish relationships across GB and Europe with customers, including off-trade (retail, grocery) and on-trade (national on-premise accounts)

• Work with distribution, wholesalers to set and evaluate:

  • Pricing in market

  • Margin

  • Investment and focus

  • Return on investment and areas of growth

  • Shipments and pacing

• Lead Mr Black brand ambassador alongside the wholesaler, including working through KPI, performance and adjustments

• Time breakdown: Strategy & Annual Planning (25%); Day-to-day distributor, wholesaler management and demand, supply planning (50%); BA Management (10%); All other responsibilities (15%).

• Note: For 6-months beginning January 2025, this person will also be responsible for setting and handling demand needs for Aviation Gin in Europe, covering Nordics customers and any planned expansion alongside the global team (based in New York)

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience required 

• 7-9 years of commercial, selling experience with time spent in the market preferred

• Deep understanding of how Diageo goes to market, both on and off trade and the legal and retail dynamics by market across Europe

• Experience working alongside commercial teams and relationships across the business, including with distributors, wholesalers and customers

Working with Us

Flexibility is key to success. From part-time and compressed hours to different locations our people work flexibly in ways to suit them. Talk to us about what flexibility means to you and we’ll work together so that you’re supported from day one.

We recognise and value performance, offering our people a highly competitive Rewards and Benefits package including:

• Contemporary work life balance policies and wellbeing activities
• On site gym or subsidised gym membership
• Contributary pension scheme
• Comprehensive health insurance for you and your family
• On site nursery or vouchers
• Annual bonus based on your base salary (dependent on performance)
• Share options
• 28 days’ vacation per annum

Our purpose is to celebrate life, every day, everywhere. And creating an inclusive culture, where everyone feels valued and that they can belong, is a crucial part of this.

We embrace diversity in the broadest possible sense. This means that you’ll be welcomed and celebrated for who you are just by being you. You’ll be part of and help build and champion an inclusive culture that celebrates people of different gender, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation, social class, educational backgrounds, experiences, attitudes, and more.

Our ambition is to create the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products companies in the world. Join us and help transform our business as we take our brands to the next level and build new ones as part of shaping the next generation of celebrations for consumers around the world.

Feel inspired? Then this may be the opportunity for you. 

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