Job Openings 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

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Job description

• In conjunction with Brand General Manager formulate the National Retail & Net Sales targets by Store Group. Allocate targets across regions. Implement strategies to ensure targets are achieved and where possible exceeded.
• Develop (in conjunction with the National Team), seasonal marketing and business plans for presentation, negotiation, follow up and implementation with each retail store group.
• Develop and nurture strong, effective and productive business partnerships with National retail buyers and Store management.
• Approve increases/decreases to distribution channels on a national basis in conjunction with Brand Management, reviewing ongoing opportunities for expansion.
• Evaluate and approve new or redundant distribution channels
• Actively maintain competitor and market awareness, and develop strategies to ensure brand outgrows competitors
• Prepare and plan strong implementation plans for staff coverage across all retailer groups, with particular focus in top doors or competitive doors, creating a pool from which to draw staff.
• Ensure top 20 doors grow ahead of competition, have staff coverage and together with Trade and Marketing Manager implement top 20 doors marketing program.
• Defines and supports the Brand Manager in the development of fiscal year budgets. Presents the Selling budget to Brand manager, reviews and revises.
• Builds relationships with business partners and key customers; makes recommendations to Brand manager on yearly targets, as well as on counter/store site selection and supports Brand manager in negotiations with business partners
• Spearheads all procedures, forms, analysis, and reports critical to the collection of sales results, competitive data, and provides feedback on a monthly basis, looking for simplified templates to work with.
• Reviews category performance against competitors monthly and provides brand updates.
• Understands position and ranking with competitive brands and monitors monthly.
• Direct and guide sales team to maintain productivity and sales targets to achieve the national result
• Negotiate sell-ins seasonally with retail partners and monitor monthly ensuring orders/stock reflect agreed quantities, with separate emphasis and deals on Top Doors and top 20 SKU’s.
• Coach AE’s with development and execution of strategic plan and analyse retail results on a monthly basis identifying opportunities for further growth
• Coach and develop AE’s to seek out store growth potential, and management of staff and recruitment
• Prepare accurate Net estimate reports on a monthly basis for Brand General Manager
• Prepare Net shipment summary reports on a monthly basis.
• Manage selling expenses within budget allocated, ensuring full utilisation of budgeted amounts.
• Establish Gift with Purchase quantities and allocations by Retailer taking into account latest market and sales trends.
• Plan, coordinate, participate and present at sales meetings, brand conferences, and top door meetings etc.
• Coordinate and manage visits by International Management including presentation and workbook preparation.
• Actively consult with retail partners to provide accurate and timely information to Marketing/Forecasting ensuring efficient stock replenishment achieved and maintained.
• Develop, implement and review succession planning strategies within the sales force
• Consult with Merchandising and Retailer and provide recommendations concerning Store planning, counter refurbishments and movements.
• Develops and implements Store Operating Procedure for sales utilisation daily.
• Develop and review P & L’s for effective economies on small doors, and break-even-points to help determine new door/closure decisions.
• Partake in field culture days to provide relevant feedback on counter/consumer needs.
• Develop succession planning strategies within the sales force.
• Provides leadership, guidance and management to staff
• Acts with integrity – honours commitments and behaves consistently
• Establishes high workplace operating standards and values
• Appraise team performance in regard to overall sales strategy to ensure department objectives are achieved and maintained
• Coach and develop individual members of team and assist with attainment of personal/professional growth. Controls the hiring decisions of new staff within the team
• Conduct regular team meetings to review plans, share information and ideas and encourage communication and teamwork
• Resolves conflicts and negotiates win-win solutions
• Elicits diverse points of view and acknowledges the views and contribution

Requirement

• Grade 12
• Business Degree or Diploma
• 8 - 10 years Retail Sales Management experience
• Experience with luxury cosmetics an advantage
• Advanced Excel
• SAP
• Must have a valid Drivers License