Brand & Communications Manager at Lafarge Cement

Lafarge CementLagos, Nigeria Digital Marketing

Full Time

Lafarge Africa Plc is a leading Sub-Saharan Africa building solutions Company and member of the LafargeHolcim group. The vision of Lafarge Africa Plc is to be the most trusted and preferred partner of African construction professionals and home builders by delivering cement, concrete, aggregates and other building solutions that are best in quality, environmentally sustainable and nationwide available at affordable cost. Making urbanization a success is one of the challenges of this century and at LafargeHolcim, our ambition is to contribute to Building Better Cities. As a world leader in building materials, LafargeHolcim supports the metamorphosis of cities with innovative solutions that provide cities with more housing, making them more compact, more durable, more beautiful and better connected. For many years, Lafarge Africa Plc has been committed to a deliberate strategy of sustainable development that combines industrial know-how with performance, value creation, respect for employees and local cultures, environmental protection and the conservation of natural resources and energy. We put certain values at the forefront of the way we do business viz: health and safety, environmental protection, corporate governance (Ethics) and social responsibility (in the areas of education, health, youth empowerment, and shelter). We develop a highly competent workforce to operate our plants and businesses, through intensive training and exchange programmes. The company is committed to progress and attentive to the ever- changing needs of local communities. This is demonstrated by contributing to the improvement of their quality of lives in a sustainable manner through setting up local development programmes in key areas that have direct impacts on socio-economic well being of the people and their environment. More importantly, Lafarge Africa Plc endeavors to create more value for our customers, providing them with innovative and high quality products and solutions. Our well-known brands - Ashaka Portland Limestone Cement, Elephant Cement, Powermax Cement, Supaset Cement, UniCem Cement as well as Readymix Concrete and Aggregates - all stand for quality, consistency and long term strength which help deliver solutions that contribute to more housing for people, more compact buildings, better connected communities, more beautiful structures and more durable construction. For our concrete operations, we leverage on the Group's 50 years of experience in innovative concrete solutions and this puts us in the position to provide quality solutions that are designed to meet the specific needs of today's builders. Today, Lafarge Readymix operations have a production capacity of 3.5 cubic million metric tonnes in Nigeria. Building solutions Lafarge works with all actors in the building industry of Nigeria, from do-it-yourself builders to large construction companies, architects and local artisans. Whether supplying high-quality cement to a craftsman or helping leading architects explore and deliver creative possibilities, Lafarge Africa Plc is committed to providing solutions that fit the needs of all its clients. Lafarge Africa Plc's clients benefit from the technical expertise and product innovation that are the hallmark of LafargeHolcim, an international leader in building materials with a global presence in 90 countries and decades of experience. In Nigeria, LafargeHolcim offers a range of innovative and high-performance products.

JOB SUMMARY

A key contributor to the success of any company strategic plan is an effective Brand & Communication Manager that will demonstrate industry knowledge by translating all company activities and Brand Strategic Plans into excellent plans that will position the company very strongly in the market place and to win at the point of purchase.

The Brand & Communications Manager is accountable for the development and implementation of all Marketing Communications activities, both internally and externally. Directs and coordinates the efforts of the Marketing Communication Team for the purpose of achieving the defined business growth objectives across all brands.

Works closely with the Commercial Team and external Agencies to develop and implement the Marketing Communications Strategies and activities for the Organization.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Brand Building Activities: To create and sustain a robust equity for assigned sub Portfolio that will continue to attract strong consumer loyalty.

Contribute to sub-Portfolio Brand Strategy definition.
Initiate annual Brand marketing review and plans for the Brand with detailed information on Brand marketing objectives in accordance with overall Brand strategy.
Define Brand Communication Strategy in accordance to Plan and Brand Position, selecting the most efficient media mix in alignment with the Portfolio Manager.
To prepare Agency briefs and subsequent evaluation and assessment of subsequent Agency creative proposals.
Creation and exploitation of brand sponsorship platform where applicable, to enhance selected brand health indicators.
Identification of and association with relevant external events/initiatives that will add value to brand equity.
Monitoring related platforms especially those in use by competition
Lead development of advertising materials/creative proposals in each stage before final approval by the Marketing Director.
Propose and test any changes in advertising strategy.
Work collaboratively with Trade Marketing Team to ensure effective Sales Driver deployment of the Brand in all categories of outlets, driving ultimately Equity.
Monitor competitive strategies, advertising and positioning platforms with a view to constantly ensuring continued alignment to Brand positioning.
Report periodically, giving information on all activities undertaken by the Brand and competitive brands.

Drive Market Share and Grow Volume for the Brand: To achieve and retain a strong share position in the market place.

Ensure that all marketing considerations are taken into account in making volume projections for the Brand.
Propose and execute promotions plans and schemes, in alignment with Trade Marketing Team, after approval by the Marketing Director.
Monitor the effectiveness of all promotional activities, propose relevant modifications and prepare post-promotion reports with appropriate proposals and recommendations.
Constantly monitor changes within the market, analyze the likely impact on the Brand and propose strategies and plans to deliver the volume objectives.
Monitor competitive activities and initiate and execute appropriate action for pre-empting such activities or counteracting their impact.
Work in conjunction with the field sales management and Logistics to ensure regular availability of the Brand in all categories of outlets.
To embark quarterly visits (at least) to the Sales Areas to obtain firsthand information on activities related to the Brand and developments in the market in general.
To initiate and manage new projects and new product developments that are designed to deliver the Brand’s objectives.

Ensure Sustainable Profitability for the Brand: To guarantee a significant contribution to the overall business objective of delivering outstanding value to all stake-holders

Constantly monitor the industry and advise the Business on a competitive pricing structure for the Brand.
Keep the Brand’s profitability under constant review and to draw early attention to any deviations from estimated profits as a result of sales variations or changes in costs.

Other Accountabilities (Planning, Control and Coordination)

Prepare an annual advertising budget for the Brands in the sub-Portfolio for the approval of the Marketing Director.
Monitor advertising budget ensuring adherence in line with approved plans.
Carry out regular budget-control monitoring exercises to avert over-expenditure.
Prepare a yearly Media Brief for the Agency giving guidance regarding advertising budget appropriation by media.
Ensure that all outdoor hoardings and posters for the Brand are in good condition and that hoardings strategically located.
Monitor and analyze official and unofficial trade margins of competing brands, make appropriate proposals and execute accordingly.
Originate and test any changes in packaging design.
Liaise with Quality Control (Technical) in quality monitoring of products released into the market with a view to ensuring consistency across all factories.
Monitor quality of all packaging materials in consultation with appropriate Controller
Recommend and manage market research requirements for the Brand.
Agree research proposals in conjunction with the Marketing Director, and evaluate the results as they affect overall marketing policy for the Brand.
Check all bills from Agency and suppliers against approved budget and schedules and verify them for payment.
Work with Agency in obtaining approval for new advertising materials and for Brand consumer promotions i.e. NAFDAC, SON etc.

JOB DIMENSION

Working with a team comprises of Digital/media, Sponsorship & Promotions, Research & PR and Marketing Services Staff, the Brand & Communication Manager coordinates at strategic and tactical levels with other functions of the Company, external agencies and consultants.

Key Interfaces, Stakeholders & Relationship:

Work closely with the sales team (trade) in order to understand environmental dynamics and to improve sales and brand visibility.
Internal interfaces with; Sales team, A&C unit heads, Logistics, Customer Service, Segment leads, Leadership Team, Communications and Procurement
Medium level of Internal interfaces : HR & Finance ,
Selected key external interfaces: research agencies, suppliers of point of purchase material, trade partners, Advertising / Strategy Development Agencies; Regulatory bodies – LASAA, OGSAA, OAAN etc

Success Enablers:

Ability to pull wide support quickly from Commercial team, Finance, Corporate, Procurement functions and external Agencies.
Ability to plan strategically
High level of personal integrity and trust.
Ability to properly identify risks, and plan mitigation steps

PROFILE REQUIRED

Education / Qualifications Required:

Graduate caliber essential
Minimum 3 - 5 years Brand or Marketing experience.
Brand Image management experience in FCMG or Telco is a plus.
Business orientated professional or post-graduate qualifications an added advantage.

Specific Work Experience:

Demonstrated skills, knowledge and experience in the design and execution of Brand Strategy.
Strong track record in Marketing at management level, with practical experience in brand imagery management.
Depth of experience on how to drive a Marketing organization effectiveness and efficiency.
Previous exposure to strategy development is valuable.
Strong project management skills, Commercial and financial capability are important.
Strong cross-functional stakeholder management skills; previous experience in working with other functions, particularly Sales, Trade Marketing, Procurement, Supply, Finance, and external partners such as ATL and PR Agencies is valuable.

Technical / Functional Skills:

Uses well developed interpersonal skills to build credible relationships
Strong cross-functional stakeholder management skills
Excellent understanding of Brand Management.
Strong oral and written communications skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects at a time.
Strong creative, strategic, analytical, organizational, sales data and trends analysis skills.
Creative thinker with ability to share brand vision with major stakeholder
Credible with key internal and external partners
Good IT skills
Good interpersonal communication skills

Behavioral Competencies: