Junior Brand Manager (m/w/d), Marketing Guhl, Europe

Who we are:

Founded in Japan in 1887, Kao is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives with our high quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all – a beautiful life that respects the needs of our consumers and customers as well as the planet. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. As a company driven by purpose and strong corporate values we pride ourselves to be listed among the World´s Most Ethical Companies since 16 consecutive years. Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do – acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation and treating each other with trust and respect.

The role:

The Junior Brand Manager is a core player within the Guhl Europe Marketing Team, contributing to the growth of the brand. The individual is responsible for further building the brand equity and positioning, for contributing to the definition, development, and qualification of the Guhl NPD (New Product Development) innovation pipeline, the communication strategy and execution together with our external agency partners, and leading international cross-functional project teams.

This is a permanent, full-time position based in Darmstadt (hybrid working model).

What you will do:

• Product Portfolio and Innovation Pipeline: The JBM is contributing to the definition and development of the product innovation pipeline / NPDs as well as managing the product portfolio based on a) consumer insights, market trends, competitive activity and leveraging internal technological expertise to identify NPD opportunities b) Concept ideation generation and development c) Concept qualification incl. guiding all market research d) product development with R&D e) Concept execution (incl. packaging design, product aesthetics, fragrance, color, copy development and benefit claims). F) Product Financials
• Go To Market Strategy: The JBM is contributing to the successful roll-out of product and commercial initiatives in the local markets: a) development & implementation of concept sells and retailer specific activities in close cooperation with Trade Marketing, Sales and Local Marketing b) Support of development and execution of communication mix incl. creative brief, market research, creative production, creative post production and market deployment - depending on project and scope
• Other regular Business Management, i.e. marketing budget control, business & competitive analyses, trend observation, leading of external partners
• Brand Strategy: The JBM is supporting the team in deploying & building the brand strategy with a focus on where to play and how to win.

What you will need:

• The ideal candidate holds a university Degree/MBA and has made first experiences in similar, relevant working areas.
• Brand Management experience in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), ideally in Beauty Care and Product Development
• First experiences in working with cross-functional project teams
• Independent, analytical & structured way of working
• Strong creative skills,
• Strong project management and priority setting skills,
• Strong presentation skills,
• Enthusiasm, energy, flexibility, positive attitude, and entrepreneurial spirit
• Great sense of aesthetics and awareness of beauty and lifestyle trends as well as a high affinity to beauty care
• Fluent in English and German (oral and written).
• NPD and concept development based on consumer insights.
• Marketing mix experience: ideally, on both national and international marketing level
• Advertising and packaging design development incl. briefing and managing external agencies.
• Knowledge of the beauty care category, ideally, including hair care
• General knowledge of market research techniques
• Strong affinity for beauty care and a highly professional working style (independent, pro-active, showing ownership, with integrity, etc.)

How we work: Having been selected among the World´s Most Ethical Companies for 18 consecutive years, we are a company with a purpose and strong corporate values. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. At Kao, each employee can actively shape their job and their career. We work collaboratively to achieve our common goals, always aiming to deliver the best for our customers.

What we offer: A friendly and flexible work environment with competitive salaries, benefits package, ongoing development and the opportunity to enhance your skills and deliver tangible results. At Kao your voice will be heard. Your opinion really counts. We believe that change comes from taking opportunities into your own hands, so we value and reward entrepreneurial thinking and innovation.

Hiring Process: Kao embraces the diversity and the individual personalities of its people because we believe it is diversity that makes us strong. This is why we welcome applications from all areas of the global community.

Want to learn more: If you feel you are as unique as our products and want to find out why 33,000 people across the globe opted for a career with us please visit https://www.kao.com/emea/en/