Senior Brand Manager, Axe Innovation

ABOUT UNILEVER
With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.

JOB PURPOSE
Axe is an iconic legacy brand that plays an important role in the US Antiperspirant & Deodorant and Skin Cleansing categories. This brand has always been known for breakthrough innovation and boundary-pushing campaigns. As the Innovation lead in the US for US model, the Senior Brand Manager is responsible for developing, leading, and delivering innovation projects across Deodorants and Skin Cleansing that align to the brand’s ongoing three-year strategic roadmap.

The role reports to the Head of Axe NA and will be based in the United States, supporting across product, communications, and strategy. The US is a highly strategic cell for Unilever, making this a high-visibility role with significant scope for independent brand and team stewardship, agency and cross-functional leadership, and creativity.

A successful candidate will demonstrate passion, entrepreneurial spirit, and strong executional leadership, while helping Axe accelerate growth, deepen consumer connection, and deliver a powerful innovation agenda in the US. Given Axe’s legacy in fragrance, this candidate will require passion and expertise in the ever-evolving male fragrance category.

WHAT YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES WILL BE
Innovation Strategy & Growth Roadmap
The Senior Brand Manager will help shape and execute the strategic vision and growth roadmap for Axe in the US. This includes developing, leading, and delivering the innovation plans for the Deodorants and Skin Cleansing categories while ensuring the roadmap ladders up to the brand’s long-term growth ambition and cultural relevance agenda.
Cross-Functional Innovation Leadership
The Senior Brand Manager will serve as a key point of contact for the cross functional team, while liaising with Global Axe counterparts to identify what the US can leverage. This role will partner with CMI, R&D, Supply Chain, Claims and Legal, Artwork Excellence, Fragrance, Finance, Packaging, and Creative Services to ensure a robust innovation funnel and deliver against innovation needs
Unmissable Brand Superiority
The role will support and help drive Unmissable Brand Superiority for Axe by partnering across the system: Technical Project Leadership to deliver superior technology, CMI to maximize consumer impact, Supply Chain to expedite capabilities and maximize efficiency, Claims and Legal to develop and support superiority claims, and Finance to build profitable business cases. This will require influencing, inspiring, and driving teams—often virtually and remotely—to ensure on-time and in-full delivery.
Agency, Performance, and Team Leadership
The Senior Brand Manager will collaborate with agency partners to craft winning design and communications, with best-in-class digital and content for launch. They will fully understand Axe’s performance, challenges, and opportunities in market to tailor the activity plan and strategy to win, while maximizing synergies and resources wherever possible. The role is also accountable for analyzing Axe’s US performance and competitor intelligence, proactively identifying issues and opportunities that drive decisions or feed into innovation planning. In addition, this leader will partner closely with the broader brand team, contributing to an inclusive and high-performing environment.
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WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

• 6-8 years of relevant branding/marketing innovation experience
• Expertise in the US male fragrance category
• A creative eye for design
• Exhibit the Unilever Power Behaviors
• Care Deeply: Shows genuine care for consumers, customers, teams, communities, and the planet; builds trust by listening, acting with empathy, and creating an inclusive environment where people can do their best work.
• Focus on What Matters: Cuts through complexity to prioritize the work that creates the biggest impact; makes clear choices, stays focused on outcomes, and channels energy toward the few things that matter most.
• Stay Three Steps Ahead: Anticipates future trends, risks, and opportunities; thinks proactively, connects the dots, and plans ahead to keep the brand and business ahead of the market.
• Deliver with Excellence: Executes with discipline, pace, and accountability; follows through on commitments, raises the bar on quality, and delivers strong results through others.

Pay: The pay range for this position is $119,400 to $179,000. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs. 

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible. 

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible. 

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents. 

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At Unilever, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive/succeed. All applicants will receive fair and respectful consideration, and we actively support the growth and development of every employee.

Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities.

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If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.

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