Ben & Jerry’s Country Business Lead UKI

Job Title: Ben & Jerry’s Country Business Lead UKI

Location: Kingston

JOB PURPOSE

Background

Ben & Jerry’s was founded in 1978 in a renovated gas station in Burlington Vermont, USA by childhood friends & dedicated activists Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. They took a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making from Penn State University and began their business making the finest quality ice cream with big chunks and swirls. They operated the company on a sustainable concept of linked prosperity and a Three-Part mission where product, economic and social objectives carried equal importance.

Today, Ben & Jerry’s is a €1 Billion business globally and one of the fastest growing brands within the total European Ice Cream portfolio. UKI is the largest market in Europe, and has a pivotal role in driving the business’ growth ambitions while simultaneously living our values.

We are looking for a passionate leader who shares our core belief in values-based business and has an appetite to drive a transformational growth, whist having fun along the way – because as Jerry once said, “if it’s not fun, why do it!”.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ben & Jerry's Country Business Lead for UKI leads the brand and business in our largest market outside of the US. The role includes leadership, development and implementation of Ben & Jerry’s Three Part Mission in UKI: Product, Economic and Social. The role reports to B&J’s EU Managing Director and is supported by the local Ben & Jerry’s UK Team and Ben & Jerry's EU team, to deliver activities to meaningfully grow Ben & Jerry's business.

In particular, these are:

• Lead the UK brand strategy and business plans, ensuring alignment with global marketing initiatives, and social mission objectives. 
• Develop and manage the existing and future portfolio, including new formats to achieve long-term growth, sales and profit goals. 
• Work closely with UKI cross functional team to identify new opportunities and marketing activities to achieve sales volume and market penetration goals, across all channels (pioneering in e-commerce, digital commerce, Away from Home and In Home).
• Support the roll out of retail Scoop Shops, working closely with the UK Franchising team to deliver excellent fan experience and sustainable, profitable model.
• Lead for Digital excellence and innovation to reach and delight Gen Z fans in digital channels, and continue to push forward our digital learning agenda.
• Develop & roll out together with social mission manager, activist campaigns that drive systemic change and social impact.
• Manage relationships with key external partners (Non-profit partners, Mindshare, Hope & Glory PR). 
• Take full responsibility for the P&L in order to deliver on USG and profit targets as well as effective budget management.
• Contribute to the development of direct reports through effective coaching and advocating for appropriate training opportunities. 
• Be an influential leader in the wider UK Ice Cream and European B&J’s communities (Core member of Ice Cream MLT and B&J’s European Leadership teams).
• Exhibit commitment to the company’s social mission and Marketing's vital role in delivering all three elements of Ben & Jerry's three-part mission statement.

ALL ABOUT YOU

Qualifications/ Required Skills & Attributes

• Degree or equivalent preferred
• Relevant years marketing experience in Brand Management- including product launch, customer relationship building, developing and executing marketing programs in multiple communication platforms
• Must be a strategic thinker with strong financial acumen, who is comfortable using data and applying consumer insights to complex business challenges
• Proven experience in developing and implementing effective and integrated Brand Marketing Plans, leveraging global framework and executing brilliant breakthrough activation in market 
• Excellent competencies in Digital marketing 
• Proven experience in full P&L ownership and accountability
• Strong & proven manager of others with a passion for capability building. Ability to lead and motivate a cross-functional team 
• Must have strong influence and negotiation skills and be comfortable interacting and stakeholder managing internal B&J and Magnum Ice Cream Company senior stakeholders, through a matrix organization
• Very good PC skills (especially MS Office)
• Passion to make this world a better place

Work environment

• Office environment, some repetitive motion required.
• Ability to work in outdoor environments supporting events
• Travel is expected (mainly to B&J’s EU Office at Datchet) approx. 10-20% of the time. As well as some EU travel (3-5 times a year)

NOTES

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Dove, Tresemme, Lynx, Lifebuoy, Shea Moisture, Persil, Domestos, Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, Marmite, The Vegetarian Butcher, Graze and Pot Noodle.

Faced with the challenge of climate change and the need for human development, we want to move towards a world where everyone can live well and within the natural limits of the planet. That’s why our purpose is ‘to make sustainable living commonplace’ 

Location

In June 2020 we announced our plan to consolidate a number of Unilever’s offices across the South East of England into a new Unilever campus in Kingston-upon-Thames in or around early 2025. However, on the 08 August 2024 we announced to our existing staff our proposal to retain our central Head Office in London, 100 Victoria Embankment (“100VE”) until our lease expires in 2027. As a result of this new proposal, we will be consulting with our existing staff, and new joiners who join during this period of consultation at 100VE, on the proposal made in August 2024. During consultation we will clarify the future location of each team and function. This means your role will either be based in 100VE until 2027 or in Kingston-Upon-Thames from early 2025. As we are yet to commence consultation on the proposal you agree, until such a time when consultation has concluded, your normal place of work as set out in the enclosed Statement of Terms & Conditions will be 100VE. You agree that on the conclusion of the consultation your place of work will be 100VE or 100VE until early 2025 and then Kingston-upon-Thames ("the locations") and you will be notified of which of the locations will be your place of work after that consultation ends.

What We Offer

Not only do we offer a competitive salary and pension scheme, we also offer an annual bonus, subsidised gym membership, a discounted staff shop and shares. You’ll have the opportunity to work directly with our renowned and exciting brands in a flexible and hybrid working environment.

Whilst the role is advertised on a full-time basis, we would be happy to discuss possible flexible working options and what this may look like for you. We are a key advocate of wellbeing and offer a variety of support for our people including hubs, programmes and development opportunities. We strive to achieve a family-friendly and inclusive workplace and to, above all, create possibilities for all.

Diversity at Unilever is about inclusion, embracing differences, creating possibilities and growing together for better business performance. We embrace diversity in our workforce. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. We are also more than happy to provide reasonable adjustments during our application and interview process to enable you to be present your best self. To find out more, including about our Employee Resource Groups, please click here Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at Unilever | Unilever.

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