Title:  Marketing Planning & Operations Lead

We Go Places! How about you?
Immediate Superior: Sharon Peskin 
Job Grade: 15 
Location: Johannesburg
Function: Commerce
Sub Function: Commerce - Marketing - Brand Management
Type of Contract: Permanent
Reference Number: 127237 
Closing Date: 27/12/2024

Purpose of the job

The Marketing Planning & Operations Lead is responsible for driving the development, implementation, and optimization of marketing plans within the Insights, Foresights, and Portfolio Innovation team. This role is crucial for coordinating strategic marketing initiatives, ensuring operational efficiency, and aligning resources across portfolio projects. The ideal candidate combines strategic planning expertise with hands-on experience in marketing operations and a strong understanding of consumer insights and market trends. This role supports decision-making and operational excellence to accelerate the impact of the portfolio on business growth and competitive positioning.

Key Responsibilities

Marketing Planning & Strategy Development and training:

• Strategic Planning: Lead the planning process of annual marketing plans, defining strategic priorities, objectives, and performance targets in alignment with portfolio goals.
• Portfolio Strategy & Innovation Integration: Work closely with portfolio & innovation manager to coordinate AP, SP and marketing strategy inputs, ensuring OTIF delivery. 
• Marketing Capability ‘train the trainer’: Work with the Regional & Global Capability teams to learn and master content, to train on the content & have the ability to train others as necessary.
•  Marketing Capability Operational Planning: Align with Regional and Global capability and commerce teams to plan and arrange all elements of capability training. This would include diary bookings, venue hire and all related arrangements. 

Marketing Operations & Process Optimization:

• Operational Efficiency: Develop and refine processes that streamline marketing planning, execution, and reporting across campaigns and projects, reducing time-to-market.
• Capability Training Resource Allocation: Manage and optimize resource allocation, ensuring appropriate funding, personnel, and tools are in place for project success.
• Marketing Process Improvement: Continuously assess and improve operational processes, implementing best practices for increased productivity and effectiveness.

Cross-functional Coordination:

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with Category and Brand, Trade marketing and Sales, to synchronize marketing initiatives with broader business objectives. 
• Global & Regional Commerce Alignment: Work closely with the global and regional teams to manage the capability calendar and key training interventions.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Ensure consistent communication with internal stakeholders to align on timelines, goals, and deliverables for each marketing project.
• Agency & Vendor Management: Oversee relationships with external agencies, vendors, and consultants, ensuring they adhere to timelines, budgets, and quality standards for capability planning.

Budget & Resource Management:

• Budget Planning & Control: Work closely with the finance team to develop and manage the marketing capability budget, ensuring that funds are allocated effectively across key initiatives.

Job Requirements

1. Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or similar field required.

2. Experience:

• 7+ years of experience in brand or marketing planning, operations, or portfolio management within a consumer insights or marketing strategy function.

Skills:

• Strong project management skills with a focus on operational efficiency and process optimization.
• Deep understanding of business rhythms of SP, AP, ICP and Fast start processes.
• Good understanding of category and brand and trade marketing strategies, to facilitate integration of plans. 
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with experience in cross-functional collaboration.

Compentencies:

• Operational Planning: Ability to co-ordinate and manage multiple inputs and timelines simultaneously.
• Operational Agility: Proactive approach to identifying and solving operational challenges, adapting quickly to changing business needs.
• Results-Driven: Focused on achieving measurable results through effective planning, execution, and performance tracking.
• Team Collaboration: Works effectively with internal and external stakeholders, building strong relationships across functions.
• Adaptability: Comfortable managing multiple projects in a fast-paced environment and making adjustments as priorities shift.
   

The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply. Heineken Beverages (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd) is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates and values inclusion and diversity. You must be fully eligible to live and work in South Africa to apply.