Brand Activation Associate Manager - Africa Export

Job Description

The Kraft Heinz Company is looking for a Brand Activation Associate Manager to drive consumer demand and strengthen Heinz’s presence across Africa Export territories. In this role, you will spearhead Kraft Heinz’s geographic expansion and portfolio diversification across the continent, ensuring that global brand strategies are effectively localized and that our products win at shelf through superior trade execution and high-impact consumer activations.

Key Responsibilities: -

Brand Management & Strategy

• Planning: Partner with the Marketing Head to develop the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and identify locally relevant activation initiatives that support the BU agenda and P&L.
• Consumer Acquisition: Design activation campaigns that convert local market consumers to the Kraft Heinz portfolio, increasing market share in emerging categories.
• Activation: Lead, align, and monitor marketing campaigns from planning through execution, ensuring consistency with brand objectives and JTBD.
• Localization: Translate global brand guidelines into culturally relevant marketing communications for diverse African markets, ensuring a consistent brand look and feel in line with brand guidelines.
• Innovation Launches: Lead the end-to-end launch of new products (NPD) in export markets, including identifying portfolio gaps, preparing business plans, managing P&L, and conducting post-launch audits.
• Budget Ownership: Manage the A&P (Advertising & Promotion) budget for the region, ensuring optimized ROI across all marketing spend.
   

Trade Marketing & Channel Execution

• Picture of Success (PicOS): Define what great looks like at shelf for Heinz, including planograms, secondary displays, and pricing compliance across Modern Trade and Traditional Trade (Open Markets).
• Distributor Partnerships: Work closely with export partner BDMs and distributors to ensure they have the tools, including POSM and sales kits, as well as the right incentives to prioritize Kraft Heinz brands.
• Promotional Strategy: Design and execute trade promotions and loyalty programs for wholesalers and retailers to drive volume and share of cupboard.
• In-Store Excellence: Manage third-party agencies responsible for merchandising and sampling activations to convert shoppers at the point of sale.
   

Market Intelligence & Analysis

• Performance Tracking: Analyze monthly sell-in, sell-out, and market data, including Nielsen and retail audit data, to drive the business and take corrective action when needed.
• Competitor Benchmarking: Monitor local and international competitors to ensure our pricing and value proposition remain competitive.
• Consumer Insights: Develop a strong understanding of the market, competition, consumers, and customers through analysis of market and consumer research.
   

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical skills and a data-driven mindset
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders across regions and functions
• Strong agency management capability, with experience briefing and managing creative, media, and activation agencies to deliver high-quality output
• Results-driven and consumer-oriented
• Proactive in resolving problems and overcoming challenges
   

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field
• Strong analytical and creative thinking skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional teams
• Strong problem-solving skills, with resilience and the ability to think outside the box
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
   

Experience

• Minimum of 3–5 years of FMCG experience
• Proven experience working across Africa Export markets or other emerging markets is highly preferred
• Strong understanding of the logistics, regulatory, and cultural nuances across the continent

Location(s)

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes.