Job Description:
The Regional Brand Portfolio Director for Chocolate Snacking Bars is a high-impact leadership role responsible for developing, deploying, governing, and tracking the long-term growth and commercial strategy for our iconic Bars portfolio across Europe and Central Eurasia. In this role, you will take direct ownership of driving annual regional growth targets, leading a high-performing team of 5 direct marketing reports, and aligning a cross-functional brand community across multiple European countries and functions. You will also partner closely with the Global Portfolio Vice President to influence and shape our global brand and portfolio strategies. The role reports into Regional Marketing Vice President - Europe Central Eurasia
Duration: 12 Months FTC (possibility of transitioning into a permanent role after 12 months.)
Preferred Location: Dublin or Slough (please share with us your mobility across Europe)
Context and Scope
This role requires a highly strategic mindset to translate high-level vision into robust local market actions. Operating within a complex matrix structure, the Director must navigate high levels of ambiguity and build strong relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders beyond the marketing function (including Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, and Global Portfolio VPs) to ensure the portfolio strategy remains dynamic, relevant, and commercially effective over time.
Market Scope Scale
- Geographic Scope: Europe and Central Eurasia (spanning 55 countries).
- Financial Scale: Managing an iconic brand portfolio exceeding $2 Billion in net sales.
- Team Leadership: Direct leadership of a high-performing team of 5 marketing professionals, and matrix leadership of a broad cross-functional community.
What are we looking for?
- Strategic Brand Leadership: Significant, proven experience in developing and leading the execution of regional brand-building strategies within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG/FMCG) industry.
- Matrix Organisation Management: Expert-level capability in navigating complex, matrixed multinational organisations and driving alignment among a diverse group of senior stakeholders.
- Strategic Perspective Agility: A strong track record of breakthrough thinking, managing long-term product pipelines, and looking at the business from a broad, macro-level perspective.
- People Leadership: Outstanding experience in leading, coaching, and developing teams of expert marketing talent.
- Influencing Networking: Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to build strong, collaborative networks of influence across multiple functions.
- Cross-Cultural Competence: Successful experience working across diverse cultures and international borders.
Core Leadership Competencies
- Strategic Agility Perspective: Practices breakthrough thinking and links long-term vision to action.
- Dealing with Ambiguity Business Acumen: Comfortably navigates complex regional challenges, makes sound decisions under pressure, and demonstrates deep financial understanding.
- Managing Vision, Purpose Command Skills: Engages, inspires, and aligns teams around shared commercial goals, demonstrating clear leadership presence.
Core Functional Competencies Technical Skills
- Strategic Planning: Creating compelling, data-driven brand strategies and commercial roadmaps.
- Portfolio Budget Management: Driving disciplined annual planning, prioritisation, and resource allocation.
- Consistent Financial Investment: Directing brand investments and measuring ROI effectively.
- Innovation Management: Successfully designing and managing a robust 1-to-3 year regional product pipeline.
What will be your key responsibilities?
1. Long-Term Strategic Growth Value Creation
- Strategic Growth Drivers: Develop regional portfolio choices and key growth levers to deliver on the defined role and performance metrics (KPIs) for the Bars category.
- Product Pipeline Innovation: Define and steer the product innovation (new product launches) and renovation (brand refreshes) pipeline. Guide early-stage concept development, cost-efficiency projects, and product compliance/sustainability initiatives.
- Financial Margin Management: Manage the long-term Profit Loss (PL) structure of the portfolio. Drive gross margin profitability roadmaps and make strategic short- and long-term regional investment decisions.
- Cross-Functional Governance: Lead a cross-functional steering team (comprising Sales, Finance, Supply Chain, and RD) to govern and align regional marketing, product pipeline, and value-creation plans against long-term strategic growth goals.
- Brand Experience Campaigns: Partner closely with Brand Content teams to design and build best-in-class consumer activations and integrated, memorable brand advertising campaigns and experiences.
2. Short-Term Performance Tracking In-Flight Adjustments
- Commercial Performance Reviews: Track and review in-year performance against volume, revenue, household penetration, and market share.
- Local Market Collaboration: Support regional markets and local marketing teams with operational course-correction strategies and best-practice sharing.
- Tactical Investment Shifts: Recommend and execute in-year adjustments to brand-level Advertising Promotion (AP) budgets.
- Strategic Oversight: Maintain ahelicopter perspective on regional in-year performance to identify cross-market trends and escalate critical insights to senior regional leadership forums.
3. Capability Development Organisational Transformation
- Commercial Transformation: Shape and co-lead commercial transformation projects (such as integrated sales and marketing initiatives) to optimize regional efficiency.
- State-of-the-Art Marketing Capabilities: Act as a role model and driver for modern marketing capability transformations across the regional community.
- Talent Development: Coach, mentor, and grow direct reports, ensuring they have high-quality, stretch development plans and clear career pathways.
What can you expect from Mars?
- Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
- Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
- A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
- An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.
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