Marketing Manager SADC at Baxter International Inc.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for financial goals of assigned business units to achieve the Rena business targets and agreed growth plans.  
• Responsible for Marketing budget allocation and Management. Develop marketing/operational plan, outlining and designing key activities and marketing programs and their organization.
• Showcase solid ability to understand market trends, complex financial data, and customer needs to help define advanced planning and product positioning strategies that create value and drive growth.
• Setting overall products’ portfolio qualitative and quantitative objectives within a compiled and controlled marketing plan that serves as a platform for the annual business plan, meeting the operational financial objectives.
• Produce tactical plans for Key strategic markets/projects and lead team’s engagement in execution. Following up the implementation and application of the settled marketing strategies, tactics and plans with the internal and external stakeholders.
• Make regular field visits to Key accounts and KOLs to Develop and maintain strong working relationships with key customers & decision-makers to support current and future objectives.
• Excel in conducting product presentations, customers & teams (internal & distributors) training.
• Communicate effectively within the Regional & global teams to ensure alignment of strategies and getting required support.
• Manage the tools and collateral used by the clinical & sales teams for communication, training, and promotion of products and related business platforms.
• Engage in tender management and pricing governance to ensure alignment with market and therapy dynamics besides monitoring the impact on business units' financial goals ie profitability and sales
• Oversee events associated with key opinion leaders and advocacy groups to help shape Baxter’s understanding of market dynamics and developing trends.
• Effectively segment key markets and design positioning and targeting strategies and tactics.
• Engage in financial budget development with the sales team to ensure alignment with market trends, opportunities, growth plans and portfolio mix.
• Product & Market Expertise Strong ability to translate technical product details into easy-to-understand product features and benefits to position with differentiated selling tools. Ability to design market research and then apply findings to product promotion strategies.
• Issuing marketing documents with relevant marketing decisions and plans of action for necessary higher management approval e.g. annual marketing plans, promotional budgets, etc.
• Reporting Products’ portfolio performance from the competitive perspective with relevant recommendations and actions needed in line with the strategic plans for the higher-level management decisions.

Functional requirement & competencies Marketing Manager

Market Knowledge and Understanding

• Ability to develop detailed analysis of market dynamics and apply the obvious outcome to the operational plan
• Has an advanced understanding of customer needs i.e. proactively uncovers unmet needs
• Leads segmentation/target for a brand that materially influences ROI and is implemental.
• Has an advanced understanding of market research methodology and its benefits and costs including primary and secondary research, qualitative and quantitative research, internal data sources and their applications.
• Able to prepare agency contracts and manage agency relationships.
• Able to reanalyse, challenge and see true customer insights from quantitative and qualitative data.
• Able to apply knowledge and understanding of the political and country-respective Health system/service environment to the operational plan.
• Proposes and implements actions to move toward defined treatment goals for the brand/disease.
• Identify and communicate key clinical papers and evidence to support the brand core claims.
• Ensure training and understanding at the sales force level.
• Able to apply health economics data for own brand in the marketing mix and create appropriate models to drive outcomes.
• Able to develop clear and concise communications that maximize Baxter clinical data in line with brand essence.
• Able to proactively maximize/minimize competitive threats through thorough clinical understanding.
• Builds close relationships and has regular contact with national KOL’s.
• Represents Baxter at key external customer meetings.
• Develop a stakeholder map and plan of action to influence guidelines (as appropriate).
• Maps the impact and relative importance of specific guidelines & incorporates them into brand plans.
• Gathers and analyses competitive pricing for comparable products/services.
• Analyses and recommends annual price increases (as appropriate).
• Develops pricing guidelines and ensures implementation at sales force level (as appropriate).
• Proactively identifies competitor product strengths and weaknesses and applies Competitive Intelligence learning’s to develop counter tactics.
• Incorporates competitive analysis into the marketing plan.

Planning, Analysis and Strategic Marketing

• Has a full understanding of strategic, operational and Quarterly Planning Process.
• Able to develop medium term strategic and short-term operational plans.
• Provides a robust presentation of plans that stands up to detailed scrutiny.
• Monitors progress of the plan’s implementation and proposes corrective actions.
• Engages cross-functional stakeholders to generate buy in to the operational plan.
• Contributes to manufacturing forecasting process with stakeholders.
• Has a full understanding of patient modelling, able to understand, validate and manipulate assumptions.
• Develops robust sales forecast with appropriate levels of detail for operational / strategic planning.
• Develops investment, sales and ROI scenarios for individual products. Able to justify preferred option.
• Pro-actively manages situations with supply chain to maintain appropriate levels of supply to wholesalers and direct accounts.

Operational Marketing

• Able to selects the most appropriate marketing mix & promotional resource for current circumstances.
• Continuously develops marketing mix to drive profitable growth.
• Provides active input into the development of brand essence.
• Able to champion and present brand essence to extended team and maximise use of brand essence in all communications.
• Is able to assess and challenge appropriateness of concepts based on strategic needs and suggest alternatives.
• Measures effectiveness of message through customer market research.
• Uses multiple channels to reinforce the brand/message consistency.
• Develops and challenges core claims and key messages.
• Understands industry developments taking country specific (e.g. in the UK it is ABPI) regulations into consideration and maximises communications accordingly.
• Develops documents to support delivery of new programmes and materials which are used in the field.
• Able to construct agency briefing documents in line with brand plans that ensure total clarity of objectives, focus, messages, and tone for all agency staff.
• Leads two-way process for annual reviews of agencies.
• Manages agency relationships.
• Listens to and acts on appropriate Key Account Manager feedback, e.g. materials amends.
• Inspires confidence and belief around campaign delivery.
• Able to manage changing priorities, which influence tactical activities and ensure the overall operational plan, is achieved within budget for a single cost centre.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree with a medical background is required (medical, Pharmacist, biomedical, and science background are highly preferred)
• Extensive experience (5 years or more) in Marketing / Product Management in multinational/international medical device and/or pharmaceutical business (experience in Renal / Dialysis business is an advantage)
• Post Graduate degree or master’s in marketing is an advantage.
• Potential travel time & in-field visits: around 50 - 60%