Brand Manager - MAC at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc

Job Description

The Brand General Manager holds primary accountability for achieving brand sales, marketing and P&L (including NOP) targets for MAC in South Africa. Will work closely with the affiliate General Manager and Regional Brand Sales and Marketing VP to set goals and to develop and implement plans.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensures Customer and Market Growth
• Ensures that brand image and position are properly maintained in people and materials, in accordance with corporate standards.
• Ensures consistent interpretation of brand global objectives and strategies.
• Represents brand in a professional and positive manner when interacting with staff, customers, business partners, and representatives of advertising agencies, the press, and government.
• Monitors for appropriate implementation of brand identity tools such as merchandising guidelines, media positioning, catalogue advertising, product assortment, sales staffing, and store/ site selection.
• Works closely with affiliate PR and Advertising to ensure that brand objectives are clearly understood.
• Ensures that regions are provided with ongoing brand training.
• Creates and maintains a network of cooperative relationships with business partners and key customers.
• Negotiates yearly sales targets for brand with distribution.
• Manages Operational Effectiveness
• Works with regional Brand VPs and affiliate GM to consider global brand objectives to set challenging yet attainable brand sales and profit goals for the affiliate.
• Consider global brand guidelines and offerings to develop marketing and sales strategies to maximize sell-through.
• Makes product selection, assortment, and pricing decisions; makes decisions on promotions items (including collateral) and creative concepts.
• Develops plans for Marketing, Sales, Training, Merchandizing, Store Design, and PR.
• Communicates proposed deviations from global marketing guidelines and offerings to Regional Brand VP.
• Collaborates with Regional Brand VP to work with Brand Marketing, Product Council, and Labs to develop products exclusive to market; Brand Marketing, Creative, Visual Merchandizing, and Packaging to develop promotional items, creative concepts, and packaging specific for market as well as Global Communication to develop communications specific for market.
• Collaborates with Finance Manager, General Manager, and Regional Brand VP to set fiscal plans and efficient budgets.
• Proposes media and advertising choices and collaborates with the GM to negotiate rates with business partners. (Final decision lies with the GM)
• Works with Regional Trainers, Brand Education in New York, and the Regional Brand VP to coordinate development of training tools.
• Leads activities associated with new door and market launches.
• Responsible for forecasting new products and promotional materials in coordination with brand Demand Planning Manager (NY), Marketing Services (NY), and the Regional Brand VP.
• Oversees forecasts to ensure planning accuracy and appropriate inventory levels. Develops plans to reduce excess inventory levels.
• Develops sales cycle material (or appropriate materials for support at point-of-sale) for sales force to meet specific distribution channel requirements.
• Ensures that no grey market is created from local Retailers. Solves grey-market issues alongside the GM.
• Conducts post launch evaluation analysis of major programs.
• Improves Business Processes
• Collaborates with Regional Brand VP and Affiliate GM to identify opportunities for streamlining operations, reducing costs, and implementing financial and management technologies to enhance efficiency of brand operations.
• Evaluates competitive challenges for brand and identifies opportunities for growth and profit enhancement.
• Monitors competitive activity and trends in markets, customers, products, prices, and channels.
• Conducts P&L analysis by door.
• Identifies opportunities and risks, provides feedback to GM and Regional Brand VP, and develops recommendations and initiatives.
• Drive and successfully achieve the Employment Equity (EE) targets as outlined in the EE plan.
• Lead and Develop People
• Provides leadership, guidance, and management to brand staff.
• Acts with integrity – honours commitments, takes responsibility for decisions, and behaves consistently.
• Establishes high workplace operating standards and values.
• Ensures PDP goals are set for the brand. Provides coaching, constructive feedback, development opportunities, and recognition to direct reports and key distributor personnel as appropriate.
• Works with General Manager, Human Resource Director and Managers to ensure appropriate staffing and establish performance management and development initiatives.
• Ensures brand training of all point-of-sale, area management, and office personnel.
• Ensures that strengths and skills of personnel are developed ; monitors training with further coaching and counselling as needed
• Maintains appropriate communication within and between the different functional areas of the brand, within the region, and with New York headquarters.
• Makes final decisions in the hiring process of head office brand personnel and provides input in recruiting key distributor personnel.

Requirement

• University Degree or Equivalent
• 10 years of marketing and sales experience, preferably in the luxury/cosmetics-goods industry
• Experience in P&L management
• Must have a basic understanding of the country’s economic, political, social, cultural, and business landscape and issues
• MS Office and Advanced Excel
• Exposure to SAP
• A strong team player with excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Problem solver
• Leadership Skills
• Drivers License
• Passport
• International and local business travel required