Senior Brand & Business Development Manager – London

Senior Brand & Business Development Manager – Chateau d’Esclans

Chateau d’Esclans is the category-leading winery in Provence rosé wines, having started the “rosé renaissance” with wines such as Whispering Angel and Garrus. To manage the brand performance and marketing activities in the UK market, we are looking for a Senior Brand & Business Development Manager (SBBDM) to join the Moët Hennessy UK (MHUK) wine team.

The SBBDM Chateau d’Esclans manages the delivery of ambitious business results through marketing activities, in close collaboration with the Maison representatives in the UK market. This person manages the development and execution of the annual brand plan and activations across all channels in the UK, with a focus on commercial growth driving activities. Also, the SBBDM works closely with the local Maison team and the various MHUK sales teams on commercial activity such as customer pitches and target account hit lists. This role works collaboratively with all key stakeholders in the business (Moët Hennessy UK, Chateau d’Esclans Maison, Moët Hennessy Wine Estates), and contains the line management of a Junior Brand Manager and an Intern.

Job Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE

Strategic Business Planning:

• Work with Maison team and MHUK Head of Wines to develop, create, plan, and execute brand plans that maximise brand equity, revenue and profit.
• Be the key point of contact for local Maison team, ensuring mutual visibility and alignment on business strategy through weekly meetings and quarterly business reviews.
• Build on-trade target account lists and monitor overall brand distribution.
• Work with MHUK On-Trade and Off-Trade sales teams on brand-specific commercial pitches and promotional programmes.
• Support brand completion of commercial analytics, including monthly sales reporting and diagnostic assessment of the entire portfolio.
• Create KPIs to track and measure marketing programme effectiveness, ensure positive ROI.
• Work hand in hand with Commercial Planning and Demand & Supply Planning to regularly monitor forecasting, vintage changes and stock allocations, proposing adjustments to ensure commercial goals are delivered.
• Assist with the development of the Competition Framework by analysing category performance, opportunities, identifying key consumer targets, innovation opportunities, and activation strategies.

Brand Management:

• Oversee execution of brand activations managed by Junior Brand Manager.
• Work closely with local Maison team on trade activities such as events, product listings and tastings.
• Elevate execution in On & Off Trade accounts in partnership with Trade Marketing.
• Run brand presentations and trainings to the sales force and to trade partners, as & when needed.
• Be an “ambassador” for the Chateau d’Esclans brand in the UK trade, by spending time regularly in both the on-trade and off-trade account universe and connecting with relevant trade stakeholders (buyers, sommeliers, business owners etc).

Performance Management:

• Manage the A&P deployment strategy in collaboration with Maison, ensuring A&P spend is prioritised against business & brand objectives and managed to budget.
• Oversee the maintenance of the brand A&P in dedicated software and manage phasing and pacing, ensuring alignment with all reporting targets throughout the year (LE1, LE2, Landing).
• Support the implementation of optimal allocation, pricing, mix, and channel strategies, in collaboration with the Financial planning team to maximize profit and volume growth.

People Management:

• Manage and develop the Château d’Esclans Junior Brand Manager, coaching and supporting to enable them to gain the necessary skills to successfully manage each project’s objectives, strategy, timelines, budgets and stakeholder communication.
• Manage and develop the Rosé Category Intern, which is a shared resource across the MHUK Provence rosé portfolio.

Profile

Professional experience & know how:

• +7 years of sales and/or marketing experience in the wines/spirits sector
• Experience in the UK wine trade (understanding of sales channels and key players)
• Understanding of brand development in a commercial context
• Confident communicator with excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills
• Demonstrated success influencing cross-functional key stakeholders, including senior leaders
• Strong analytical skills to support data-driven decision making
• Experience managing agencies and third-party vendors is a plus
• Line management experience is a plus

Languages:

• Fluent English
• Understanding of French is a plus

Other skills:

• Flexible and growth mindset approach towards problem solving
• Commercial and business development mindset
• Positive and can-do attitude

WSET Wines level 3 + is a plus