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Senior Partnerships Manager
About the position
This role is for a highly creative and connected leader to drive the EPDM zone's partnerships strategy. This role will be responsible for building the 3-year partnership roadmap, sourcing and negotiating iconic sponsorships and brand alliances, and leading on large through-the-line sponsorship campaigns. This person is reporting into Julie Veryser, Sr Director Brand Building.
Key responsibilities:
- EPDM Strategic Roadmap: building the partnership strategy and pipeline (vision board and outreach) and building the 3-year EU partnership roadmap (Sports, Entertainment, Music, AFH connection).
- Execution: Sourcing, negotiating, and securing high-profile brand alliances and large-scale sponsorships (Champions League, Premier, Olympics, Live Nation, etc).
- End-to-End Execution: lead the entire partnership lifecycle – from outreach and creative concepting (together with our creative agency) to commercial negotiations and global toolkit distribution.
- Impact Measurement: define KPIs for partnership success to understand brand and commercial impact within a short term and longer term time horizon.
- Agency Management: oversee specialized partnerships (tbc), PR and media agencies to amplify collaborations across social and traditional media.
- Brand Partnership Associations into Creator Strategy: Building on the "Cultural Flywheel" together with our internal cultural agency, the Kitchen i.e. turning partnerships into social conversation and earned talkability.
- Mentorship: mentorship responsibilities within the team.
- Key KPI’s: Sub-category innovation brand growth, campaign adoption and partnerships in pipeline to execution.
- Scope : across EPDM, with a high potential for global scale.
- Stakeholder Management : Global team collaboration (including VP, global CMO) to make global opps happen. EPDM: Growth VP, Innovation Director, and local Marketing Directors and Marketing Managers across EPDM. Peers across EPDM Growth org include Brand lead, Innovation POD leads.
- People Management : tbc – depending on need. Dotted line.
Expected Experience & Required Skills
- 10+ years of marketing experience in a global FMCG company,
- Brand Partnerships expertise: 5+ years senior experience in establishing multi-year, large scale opportunities.
- Brand Management: significant experience in understanding brand equity, brand architecture, innovation and multi-category brand management. Proven track record of defining brand identity and executing marketing campaigns that drive brand awareness.
- Cultural navigator: strong awareness of what is resonating in culture to drive cultural relevance and earned media, but also where the biggest commercial and brand opportunities lie.
- Negotiation skills: expertise in navigating complex IP licensing, talent contracts, legal implications, and multistakeholder agreements.
- Content deployment: Ability to develop comprehensive brand guidelines and playbooks for consistent market activation.
- Stakeholder management: Strong communication and collaboration skills with an ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders. Media channel experience: Experience with integrated campaigns (TTL) across media channels.
Professional Attributes
- Communication Skills - People are easily be exposed to senior management, no matter their level. Therefore, it’s important to have excellent interpersonal skills, to take care of all kinds of different collaborators.
- Confident / Ability to give pushback - We like people who are go getters and are not easily thrown off their game, not even when getting resistance.
- Resilience - Having the ability to bounce back after a disappointment or set back, big or small is what we value. Always continue to move onward & upward.
- Ability to Simplify - We like to keep it simple. And to implement fast. Your simplification skills will be highly appreciated, when providing simple solutions dealing with sophisticated challenges.
- Commercial Sense - Always seeking for opportunities to expand your business and build more savings, while over delivering your targets.
- Analytical - We’re a very data driven company, making it crucial to be able to translate complex data into a simple solution with an analytical approach.
- Result driven - You don’t only focus on your own results, but always do what’s best for the company.
- Curiosity, positivity & passion - You’re curious, positive and enthusiastic. People know you as the driver of the team.
- Project management skills - Time management has no secrets for you. You’re organized, structured and always have an overview of all the deliverables. You know how to bring multiple projects to a successful ending within the given timeframe.
- Networking skills - You’re able to be interesting and interested in business conversations, motivating people to want to be in your network. The stronger the network you have, the more easily you can get things done. You, highly aware of that, are constantly expending your network.
- Empathy – listening to the customer - You’re known for your emotional intelligence. You listen more and talk less, and therefore truly understand your customer. With that demeanor you build commercial chances to optimize the customer experience.
- High pressure - You don’t get easily stressed by pressure, on the opposite, a fast paced and dynamic environment is what keeps you energized.
- Team player - Achieving results is nice, but achieving results with the team is simply the best. Being a standout colleague means you’re sometimes a leader, sometimes a follower but always working towards the same common goal together with your teammates.
What we offer you
- An ambitious employer; we only want the best for you.
- A fast career track like only few other companies can match.
- A competitive salary and excellent bonus structure (above market); at KraftHeinz we strongly believe and live by ownership and meritocracy.
- A hybrid working model; because we believe the future of work is based on a building modern, adaptable, and agile workplace culture.
- A wide range of discounts with KraftHeinz’s partnerships on fashion, electronics, travels and many more!
- Last and not least; there are always room for new insights: If you have an idea, please let us know, and we can set it in action!
About us
Kraft Heinz is a global food company with a delicious heritage. With iconic and emerging food and beverage brands around the world, we deliver the best taste, fun and quality to every meal table we touch. We’re on a mission to disrupt not only our own business, but the global food industry. A consumer obsession and unexpected partnerships fuel our progress as we drive innovation across every part of our company.
Around the world, our people are connected by a culture of ownership, agility and endless curiosity. We also believe in being good humans, who are working to improve our company, communities, and planet. We’re proud of where we’ve been – and even more thrilled about where we’re headed – as we nourish the world and lead the future of food.
Why us
We grow our people to grow our business. We champion great people who bring ambition, curiosity, and high performance to the table as the guardians of our beloved and nostalgic brands. Good isn't good enough. We choose greatness every day by challenging the ordinary and making bold decisions. All while celebrating our wins - and our failures – as we work together to lead the future of food.
Challenging the status quo takes talent. We invest in your purpose and potential by developing skills and nurturing strengths that leave a legacy on our business and a lasting impact on your career. Because great people make great companies, and we’re growing something great here at Kraft Heinz.