Connections Planning Manager at Diageo

Diageo is still a relatively young company - we have only existed in our current form since 1997- but our brands and our business have a rich heritage. our earliest ancestor company formed in 1749, is Justerini & Brooks - wine merchants, and blenders of the famous J&B whisky range. 10 years after that, in 1759 Arthur Guinness signed the lease on the now world famous St James's Gate brewery in Dublin, going on to create a globally iconic brand.

About the role:

• Southern, West and Central Africa (SWC) covers more than 14 countries across Southern, Central and West Africa. It has statutory presence in 7 countries including two listed companies (Ghana and Seychelles) and one JV (Angola) and oversees manufacturing in four countries. It also manages partnerships to manufacture and distribute the Diageo portfolio across around 35 countries in Sub Saharan Africa. It manages a full TBA portfolio: beer, RTD’s (Ready-To-Drinks), local spirits, international spirits and top end luxury spirits.
• The countries’ economies vary significantly and present different levels of opportunity and challenge for business growth as well as language diversity. There is a high level of volatility across the countries and fierce competition within the beer and spirits portfolio given Africa has the largest vibrant and growing LPA -34 consumer base.
• In Diageo Africa context, the margin profile is attractive, with a higher focus on spirits and outsourcing of beer manufacturing. Our extensive and exciting brand portfolio serves consumers across diverse demographics and delivers against consumers’ in-culture premiumisation experiences.Our extensive and exciting brand portfolio serves consumers across diverse demographics and occasions and deliversagainst consumers’ in-culture premiumisation experiences. It is also well positioned to tap into future trends.
• Distributor and creative partnerships are critical for driving growth for this remit as well as strategic choices to be made on portfolio, production, logistics and route to market. 
• Given its scale and margin profile, SWC is critical for the success of Diageo in Africa; there is also significant scope of business expansion – new territories, new categories and new routes to market.

Purpose of Role

• The role of the Consumer Planning team is to proactively provide a holistic, end-to-end view of the growth opportunities in our market and to guide the development of interventions to harness these opportunities from a culture, consumer and shopper point of view. This team is expected to uncover deep penetrating insights about occasions, purchasing and consumption behaviours and use these insights to inspire marketing strategies and plans which ensure we drive purchase through all channels.
• This role is responsible for transforming how our brands connect with consumers efficiently and effectively. The role will implement the key principles of the Connections Planning Model and deliverworld class data-driven connection plans for our brands that are activated brilliantly working seamlessly with the category brand teams.

Role Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership to the connections planning process (with media agency and brands) and delivery of key outputs i.e. A fully integrated connection plan that marries creative and media placement and operates 100%, ‘no dead ends’ across the consumer journey.
• Ensure appropriate use of data, & insight as part of the connections planning process, to understand local business challenges and opportunities and translate them into briefs, as well as predict trends and campaign impact
• Influencing and building capability in order to drive effective media strategy that delivers category and brand growth.
• Work in collaboration with senior stakeholders to influence media investments decisions.
• Lead continuous measurement, evaluation and improvement of the connections plans for all strategic brands with quarterly reviews with the Marketing Leadership Team

Experience / skills required:

• 4 years of integrated media or connections planning experience, with strong social and digital media experience
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, stay on the pulse of competitive and market activities,  as well as industry trends
• Successful and productive relationship management with agency partners
• Strong drive and determination.  A track record of beta testing & optimization.
• Expert at dealing with ambiguity and complexity and proactively uses these moments to display leadership and take control
• A master at influencing skills across all levels of the organization to build belief in others and drive action

• Strategic thinking - A strategic and visionary leader able to make bold strategic choices that deliver for the short and long term. 
• Commercial acumen – An understanding of business end to end and providing robust counsel to executive team.
• Performance driven - Has an acute focus on performance and results, is highly accountable and determined to win.
• Agile - Demonstrates pace and urgency, responding quickly to emerging threats and opportunities,
• Influencing – can navigate a matrix organisation and build brilliant relationships internally and externally.
• Personally resilient – able to maintain emotional balance in the face of pressure and high-performanceexpectation. 
• Externally focused - Great external radar to spot opportunities and challenges and strongly networked into key communities of experts to understand market and legislation trends.
• Invest in Talent – Track record of leading leaders and ability to build and nurture high performing teamsand insightful into what drives performance. 

Method of Application