Head of Spirits Cluster

We're operating across different markets, channels, and areas of expertise. Using your curiosity and passion, you'll make the most of consumer insight and digital platforms, reaching new customers, markets, and celebrations to help us achieve our growth potential. We'll support your learning and growth as you develop your career with us and work with people across our business to realise your fullest potential.

About the role

Eastern Europe covers our Spirits business across Central-Eastern Europe, Baltic, Israel and Central Asia as well as our Beer business across all of Continental Europe. All in all, 43 countries. Our Route to Consumer is through distributors partners. Eastern Europe is designed for high growth and operates in an environment where premium drinks categories are growing fast. It's also a highly volatile business with many challenges, but with even more opportunities to grow and learn for both our business and our people.

Eastern Europe has its hub in Budapest. We are proud to be diverse business, more than 16 nations are represented in our workforce, and half of our Leaders are women. We aim to create an environment where international insights are valued, as these are key to our success in our diverse markets.

In the heart of the operations of this business unit is brilliant execution via our distributor partners, including maintaining highly valuable relationships with the General Managers and Owners of our partners, creating growth and value for them as well as for Diageo via great brand execution in all every covered markets.

Our Spirits business covers 32 markets via 26 distributor partners. The Spirits teams are located in 6 commercial offices within Europe (Hungary, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria).

Purpose of the Role

Lead the business with the distributor partners to deliver the annual plan and capitalize growth opportunities expanding Diageo portfolio footprint in the markets.

Role Responsibilities

Market / function complexity: EE operates through distributors partners. Our partners are responsible for the commercialization, execution and activation of Diageo portfolio (Off Trade, On Trade and E-commerce). The cluster managers lead commercial managers team to deliver annual plan and P&L shape. The cluster is supported by Activation team who leads the activation cycle with the partners. The role is in the EE HUB together with Marketing and enabling teams (Finance, Supply, Legal, HR, CR).

ABOUT YOU

Experience: 4-6 years commercial experience in account management, at least 2 years of team management experience. Cross functional experience in Activations, Marketing, Finance, commercial strategy, RGM is a plus.

Leadership Responsibilities:

• Influences distributor partners by Triple Win Propositions using growth insight and foresight driven by data. Builds strong network to understand customer, consumer and competitor.
• Overcomes barriers by building internal and external networking, building down silos, developing resilience and adaptability via an inclusive culture.
• Reframes how to think about risk, learns and pivots quickly.
• Leads sharp execution by ruthless focus and performance accountability
• Challenges self and continuously learns, upskill and grows.

Skills/ Requirements:

• Proven track record of entrepreneurial mindset and ability to work in a matrix organization with multiple partners and support functions.
• High level of influencing and negotiations skills.
• High level of data management and conceptual thinking, if needed outside of the box - able to join the dots, arrive to insights that lead to solutions and delivers growth.
• Deep understanding of how to maximize return on investment while delivering value for our customers and consumers
• Effective prioritization of short and long-term performance goals in planning, execution and evaluation
• Developing market experience is a plus

Functional Responsibilities

Relationship Management with internal and external stakeholders

• First line of contact for Distributors leadership
• Negotiate annual plan, contracts, changes in terms with partners.
• Lead MBR, QBRs and BPM cycle.
• Create smooth and simple ways of working with the Distributor as well as with internal functions to ensure the fastest decision making and execution.

Brilliant execution and foresight on how to win

• Contributes to Brand Strategy and Commercial Strategy by insights and expertise.
• Sharp execution by ruthless focus and performance accountability
• External focus to ensure insights and data to capture opportunities, mitigate risks and adjusting course of performance.
• Leading change initiatives with the team or the distributors.

Lead cluster team and be active member of Commercial Leadership Team

• Role models the highest level of line manager practices and actions.
• Builds high performing team by recruiting and developing the best talent for Diageo
• Acts as the face of Diageo in the countries in scope.

Benefits

• Unique Family Leave opportunity
• Opportunity to work across market and cultures
• You will deal with world class brand portfolio
• Product Allowance to purchase company products from the staff shop

Flexible Working Statement

Flexibility is key to our success. Talk to us about what flexibility means to you so that you're supported to manage your wellbeing and balance your priorities from day one.

Diversity statement

Our purpose is to celebrate life, every day, everywhere. And creating an inclusive culture, where everyone feels valued and that they can belong, is a crucial part of this.

We embrace diversity in the broadest possible sense. This means that you'll be welcomed and celebrated for who you are just by being you. You'll be part of and help build and champion an inclusive culture that celebrates people of different gender, ethnicity, ability, age, sexual orientation, social class, educational backgrounds, experiences, mindsets, and more.

Our ambition is to create the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products companies in the world. Join us and help transform our business as we take our brands to the next level and build new ones as part of shaping the next generation of celebrations for consumers around the world.

Feel inspired? Then this may be the opportunity for you. If you require a reasonable adjustment, please ensure that you capture this information when you submit your application.