Director, New Category, Africa

Join the Coca-Cola Company, a global leader in the beverage industry, where innovation meets tradition, and the future is as exciting as our rich history. Our team is dedicated to delivering best-in-class insights to drive customer growth and we are currently seeking a Director of Category Management to join our team. If you are ready to leverage unique insights, influence decision-making with fact-based thought leadership, and build strategies for future category growth, we invite you to be a part of our journey.

Our vision is to create loved brands, done sustainably, for better shared future. We strive to provide cutting-edge excellence in ingredients, innovation, design and marketing. As a Category & Innovation Director (Fuel Africa), you’ll work to develop annual and multi-year brand growth strategies and business plans for global brands in Africa to deliver against overall brand vision, business objectives and financial targets.

What You will Do For Us

Develop Long Range (LRP) and Annual Business Plan (ABP)

• Lead development of annual and multi-year brand growth strategies and business plans to deliver against overall category vision, business objectives and financial targets
• Recommend and deliver a rolling 24-month Africa Operating Unit calendar.
• Identify new volume and profit growth areas across the full product and pack spectrum by leveraging consumer research, collaborating with functional experts eg. Revenue Growth Management and Customer and Channel teams.

Manage Performance to Target

• Review Category Performance on Monthly and Quarterly Basis – and Propose Adjustment to plan to meet plans – including business results, CATEGORY equity tracking, in market targets such as distribution, shares, rate of sale, average price, number of executions.

Deliver Brand Marketing Programs

• Partner with internal (e.g. R&D, Supply Chain, Commercial) and external (e.g. customers, bottlers, suppliers) stakeholders to develop new and/or improved products, packaging and programs to meet consumer needs, deliver against brand strategies and drive System value/business objectives. Uniquely in this role, specific attention is required to ensuring the business has the supply chain and route to market to deliver its alcohol plans to market
• Provide leadership, clear direction and prioritization to the Creative Strategy leads and Integrated Marketing Experience (IMX) teams to achieve the business goals.
• Partner with Frontline and Franchise to deliver the marketing programs and innovations from ideation to launch.
• Lead development of bottler capability in areas of responsible marketing & sales and commercial

Deliver Innovation Pipeline over a 3–5-year period.

• Role leads innovation development (e.g. product, package, equipment) within his/her respective category (primarily consisting of globally led brands) to ensure a robust 1 to 3-year innovation pipeline
• Works collaboratively with global category team to bring global innovation to life within the Africa Operating Unit as well as share relevant Africa Operating Unit market information in support of global innovation development.
• Develops holistic business cases and development of product, package or equipment-based innovations working in collaboration with various technical, commercial and brand functions.
• Lead, in collaboration with technical functions, discovery of new technologies, new partners and new applications of existing technologies to package-based solutions.

Best Practice / Insight

• Connected to industry insight, research and best practice.

Role Requirement

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred.
• 10 years of brand management / marketing experience.
• Innovation experience a plus (demonstrated ability to lead a concept from idea to shelf)
• Candidates with experience from alcoholic beverages have an added advantage
• Ability to provide market specific input on marketing strategy and plans (e.g., consumer / shopper insights) and other key elements of broader Africa Operating Unit strategy, as necessary.
• Ability to translate brand vision/strategy through development of annual brand business plans along with corresponding resource requirements.
• Strong collaboration skills including ability to build partnerships, establish trust & credibility and influence across all levels of leadership.
• Ability to lead negotiations and alignment with key stakeholders.
• Ability to develop relationships with bottler and ensure alignment and buy-in on marketing agenda.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with ability to tailor communications to audience.
• Ability to coordinate & integrate full details (calendars, resources, metrics) of local activation with Bottlers and agency partners.
• Ability to identify needs for campaign localization or customization as necessary within the defined strategy and execution of these transcriptions' with agency partners.
• Analytical and financial acumen

What We Can Do For You:

Challenging Work–our unique global system offers constant opportunities to develop world-class skills and a truly international career.

Iconic Brand: Work on the most recognized brand in the world and be part of developing the brands next chapter.

Exposure to World Class Leaders: Availability to global marketing leaders that will expand your network and exposure you to emerging digital platforms and marketing insights.

Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.