Brand Manager - Brady Family

at  OBrien Fine Foods

O’Brien Fine Foods (OBFF) is an Irish family business based in Timahoe, Co. Kildare. First established in 2000, the business has expanded over the years to become the leading producer of cooked meats on the island of Ireland, with a growing presence in the UK. We employ over 600 people and specialise in the manufacture and marketing of premium meats, supplying both branded and private label ranges to retailers across Ireland and the UK from our three manufacturing sites in Timahoe Co. Kildare, Rathowen Co. Westmeath, and Leytonstone in London. Our branded portfolio includes Brady Family, a household name and Ireland’s No. 1 cooked meats brand, Green Farm, Ireland’s No 1 white meat brand and Bearfields of London, a traditional ham and gammon business in the UK.
Our purpose, which is to bring better quality food to everyone, every day, is at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to being a more sustainable and responsible business and have recently achieved B Corp certification, set verified science-based carbon reduction targets and have obtained gold membership within Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme.
We look for people who share our values and who have a genuine passion for learning. With a strong track record of growth, O’Brien Fine Foods provides you with a real opportunity to make a significant and personal impact on our success.

EXPECTATIONS, COMPETENCIES & QUALIFICATIONS

• 4+ years’ experience in a marketing or brand management role
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business or a related field
• Clear communicator with strong persuasive and presentation capabilities.
• Strong numerical and organisational skills
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data and market trends.
• Some experience of the advertising development process is desirable.
• Be proficient in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Resilient & able to work on own initiative.
• Interest in or knowledge of GAA would be an advantage.
• Digital Marketing and Shopper Marketing experience would be an advantage.
• Full clean driving licence.

ROLE PURPOSE

Reporting to the Marketing Manager IOI, the Brady Family Brand Manager will have responsibility for the full marketing mix on the Brady Family brand. Brady Family is an outstanding success story, it is the No. 1 cooked meats brand in the market and its growth in recent years has propelled it into Ireland’s Top 20 Grocery brands. As a wholly Irish owned brand, all marketing elements are created locally, so this role offers a great deal of development opportunity and autonomy.
We are looking for the right candidate to help shape the strategy and develop the plans to deliver on our ambitious growth targets for this well-established brand.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the development of a compelling brand vision and strategy, aligned to the OBFF purpose and strategic plan. Must have the ability to drive all elements of the brand from strategy to execution.
• Demonstrate strong consumer understanding and orientation. The Brand Manager must have the ability to efficiently mine data to unlock consumer insights to feed into the development of the brand strategy.
• This role requires a strong multi-tasker with the ability to drive the brand planning process for the following year while managing the activation for the current. Lead the development of the annual brand plan, using consumer metrics to build brand plans & budgets.
• Champion the development and application of a distinctive and compelling brand positioning, aligned to the overall brand strategy.
• Manage the effective execution of brand plans across all elements of the marketing mix (product, communication, price, etc.), including innovation. The ability to manage internal and external partners to deliver the best-in-class activation of plans is a critical skill for this role.
• Together with the Marketing Manager, develop and land memorable brand communication that cuts through with consumers and moves the sales line in a positive manner.
• Manage the relationships with key sponsorship partners and ensure effective activation across the brand’s sponsorship properties.
• Lead the annual events programme for Brady Family, ensuring brand presence is optimised and delivering a positive consumer experience
• Working with the innovation team, develop an innovation pipeline grounded in consumer insight and aligned to the category vision to drive growth.
• Work cross functionally with all relevant departments to ensure NPD projects are delivered efficiently and profitably.
• Key responsibility for managing the brand margin; must have the ability to influence the factors that affect gross margin e.g., price, costs, etc.
• The ability to manage a budget in the most effective manner to deliver the strongest return on investment achievable. Must have a working knowledge of brand profitability and factors that influence this metric.
• Work cross-functionally & develop a strong working relationship with the Marketing Executive to ensure best in class execution of the brand plan.
• Build key interpersonal relationships within the internal teams, agency teams and retail partners, with the ability to influence these teams as when required.
• Understand the category dynamics and how they impact on consumers. Be the voice of the consumer in the business and must have the ability to understand the needs of all consumers in this category.
• Demonstrate an awareness of competitor activity & highlight best practice, both from within and outside category.
• Manage the social media content calendar for Brady Family, working closely with our creative and media agencies.