Asahi UK is more than just a beer company. We are the leading super-premium beer business in the UK driven through a compelling brand proposition including PeroniNastroAzzurro, Asahi Super Dry, Meantime, PilsnerUrquell, our Belgian Abbey beer St. Stefanus and Polish brands such as Lech and Tyskie.

We are currently looking for a Head of Strategic Planning to sit within our vibrant and talented Marketing function based in our UK and European Headquarters in Woking. The Director of Strategic Planning will be responsible for shaping and influencing the strategic agenda of Asahi UK - where the business choses to play and how we will win. This is a 6-month Contract or FTC role (depending on your preference) which is highly likely to develop into a permanent position.

Your key responsibilities as Head of Strategic Planning will include;

• Ownership of the full Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process and delivery of the Asahi UK 3 year IBP on an annual basis including;
• Development of a compelling fact-base to identify issues and opportunities through the situation assessment to inform our participation strategy ("where to play")
• Identification of disruptive growth initiatives and ownership of the disruptive growth agenda
• Definition of how we will win in market through existing portfolio, innovation and our RTM and channel initiatives
• Ownership of the evolution of our corporate strategy and competitive advantage
• Ownership and management of the entire IBP process - briefing, milestone management, facilitation of senior level workshops, research and insights formulation, cross functional workstreams coordination, strategy synthesis and documentation, stakeholder management
• Ensuring our final strategy is embedded within the business by aligning brand and channel teams throughout the Integrated Activity Planning (IAP) process
• Holding the business to account for the successful delivery of the strategy through the Quarterly Management Review (QMR) process ensuring that any corrective actions or interventions are implemented to drive our business performance
• Ownership of strategic projects and initiatives
• Leadership of projects that explore disruptions in our contextual environment that present risks or opportunities to our strategy
• Management and coordination of initiatives that strategically respond

Your Background;

• Strong consumer and trade orientation
• Can think strategically and see the bigger picture
• Comfortable challenging norms and the status quo
• Extensive analytical ability with strong numeric interpretation
• Robust decision-facilitation skills
• Commercial aptitude with a willingness to contribute to marketing/strategic debate.
• Creative with your approach to business planning and to achieve desired results
• Will be an enthusiastic team player with a strong drive to create a positive work environment
• For us, the Culture fit is non-negotiable - you will have high energy and flexibility, fantastic communication skills and huge amounts of drive
• You will be comfortable with high volume workload and not be afraid to "roll up your sleeves"
• You will have a strong solutions focus and be comfortable working in an environment which demands strong deliverables. Ability to identify problems and drive appropriate solutions
• Strong internal and external customer service focus
• Ability to develop strong working relations and influence at all organisational levels
• Talent to manage multiple priorities simultaneously; orientated on results - while retaining all relevant information
• Bias for action, strong work ethic, and desire to achieve excellence
• Well-crafted interpersonal skills with the ability to present to the senior and executive stakeholders
• Leadership skills that are well developed with the ability to facilitate at an executive level