Group Director, Connections & Media

• Connections planning significant influence on NAOU ABP + LRP to maximize business results.
• The Group Director, Connections & Media will set the agenda for the Connections & Media team and provide critical thinking and thought leadership across the Category teams in Marketing. The role is responsible, in partnership with Category Teams, Creative Partners, Connected Commerce, Customer Teams, and Bottling Partners, for determining how to spend a brand’s direct marketing expenditures (DME) to build best in class connection plans across paid, earned, owned, and shared media.
• Lead business plan creation and multi-year development roadmap of full owned marketing platform development across portfolio of brands.
• Establish Connections unit disciplines, processes, and budget to advance collaborative efforts for greatest communications + business return.
• Optimize metric measurement system to advance consumer communications effectiveness
• Lead the Connections & Media team who will work on the most innovative, imaginative, and effective connections plans in the industry. As the connections & media landscape continues to change with the advent of new media owners, new technologies, new consumer behaviors and new content creators, the Group Director, Connections & Media will be responsible for constantly challenging the way we connect with consumers, customers, and other constituents.
• Operation and Productivity excellence – leadership both within team and outside the Company via industry and media partner via annual collaborating for value partner planning.
• Develop and coordinate the annual business communication planning process for the Connections cross brand portfolio, measuring key targets, ensuring that measurements/goals are attained, objectives outlined and in line with function objectives.
• Build world class capability at all levels in the Connections Planning and Investments team for today and future proof for tomorrow at the speed of consumer marketplace changes.
• Lead consumer-first connected consumer journey development across relevant owned, earned, shared, and paid connections points driving coherence of communications plan for maximum business results. Deliver holistic media strategy & investment cross full category + brands for NAOU - inclusive of national and local geographic extensions.
• Interact across marketing to ensure consistency in communicating leadership thinking and drive Function objectives and deliverables. Provide advice and counsel and apply knowledge in brand communication connections strategy development to all appropriate parties.
• Thought leadership participation with Global Category, cross-OU network, Platform Services teams and beyond.
• Support IMX lead and cross-marketing Category leads in managing overall team leadership and engagement with annual operating budget. Support any needs of CMO as relevant.

KEY SUCCESS PARAMETERS

Experience & Work Focus

• 15+ years’ experience with large global multinational and/or an organization known for its knowledge and experience in developing world-class business enabling Communications and/or Connections Planning and Investment solutions.
• Should be both flexible and adaptable and able to integrate, influence and thought-lead adeptly across organization with a keen desire and ability to build strong, trusting relationships with marketing leaders and cross-franchise team. A strong influencer in bringing about operational change in the present.
• Will have a proven record of accomplishment of implementing concepts and ideas with creativity and agility successfully across a global organization.
• Professional will need to bring a unique mix of instant professional credibility and personal power based on knowledge, expertise and existing reputation across Connections.
• Be a strong strategic thinker and will have led diverse team with broad communications and marketing background through complex organizational change with demonstrated success.

Communication Focus

• External connections thought leadership and collaborative partner planning leadership to continuously establish and unlock first mover advantage for our business cross-marketing external industry inclusive of media and agency partnerships.
• Responsible for team delivery and inspirational communication of holistic connections plan and investment recommendations to full franchise system ensuring national to local geographic consistency, system belief creation and speed to market executional excellence.
• Internal marketing thought leadership cross Categories, IMX for OU, Global and cross-OU networked organization.

What We Can Do For You

• Critical experiences: We work as a global network with a wide range of cross-functional partners to step-change the way we refresh the world and make an impact every day.
• Iconic & Innovative Brands: Our portfolio represents over 250 products with some of the most popular brands in the world and we are always innovating.
• Expansive & Diverse Customers: We focus on a diversified and extensive range of customers each day.