Position Title - Sr Brand Manager

Location - Bangalore

Job Purpose: The Brand Manager will be responsible for managing projects as innovations from Design of project to Commercialization. This would entail Consumer & Business chance identification, development of the mix, managing the Stage-gate process, adherence to consumer testing, ensuring a successful launch and post launch monitoring.

Responsibilities

- Opportunity Identification
- Identify growth opportunities based on trends, market intelligence and consumer opportunities – across consumer needs, occasions, product type and formats.
- Track global and local trends and collaborate with global/regional innovation teams to identify relevant insights and ideas.
- Translate business, category and consumer insights into strong, scalable ideas and consumer-ready concepts/solutions.
- Create early concepts using compelling narratives and prototypes; work with the consumer insights team to validate desirability.
- Process governance and capability building
- Manage the stage gate process for all NPI projects.
- Collaborate with the CMI teams to test the mix and track consumer traction and responses, post launch.
- Ensure adherence to the stage-gate process and overall NPI governance and ways of working.
- Align with the management team on key decisions and approvals throughout the NPI lifecycle.
- End to end innovation project delivery - meeting launch timelines
- Own and lead key innovation projects from ideation to in-market commercialization, ensuring projects are delivered on-time and in-line with agreed plans.
- Partner closely with cross-functional teams including R&D;, CMI, Packaging, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Legal/Corporate Affairs to deliver against project timelines.
- Collaboration with Global/Regional Teams to ensure timely launch,



with quality.
- Monitor post-launch performance, track key input and output KPIs, and course-correct where required to maximize success.
- Building capabilities and culture
- Embed Heineken Ways of Innovation across projects and teams.
- Train and enable cross-functional teams on the Heineken Ways of Innovation and innovation process to ensure consistent adoption, and execution across projects.
- Capture and share innovation learnings and best practices to continuously improve ways of working.

Qualifications

- 7+ years of experience related to a large consumer goods company (FMCG/Alcobev industry).
- Working with a large consumer good company.
- On-ground experience in Innovation stage gate/ funnel management, and commercial experience in Innovation Marketing.
- Experience in working with consumer insights, design and communication agencies.
- Experience in cross-functional stakeholder management – domestic and international.

Required Skills

- Able to interpret, synthesize and draw actionable recommendations from complex and different sources of insights and data, including trends, foresights.
- Critical to have knowledge about Innovation frameworks and Stage gate processes. Also, Marketing frameworks.
- Knowledge in managing cost cards and creating robust launch plans and brand toolkits.
- Comfortable with consumer testing and development, and monitoring post launch.
- Proven ability to work with and influence cross-functional teams, manage complex workstreams and ensure adherence to delivery timelines.
- Experience in stakeholder management – India and regional/global teams to manage projects, communicate seamlessly.
- Ability to manage workshops and facilitate group discussions.
- Proven examples of driving solutions and driving rigour in end-to-end processes.

📌 Brand Manager (Bengaluru)
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