On-Trade Channel Marketing Lead

What makes this a great opportunity?

As On-Trade Channel Marketing Lead Premium & Prestige Brands, you will lead strategic and operational marketing for Suntory's premium and luxury portfolio in Germany, including Laphroaig and the House of Suntory brands.

You will have direct responsibility for ordering wholesalers and lead the whiskey-store, department-store and indirect gastronomy channels. You will develop and execute channel strategies, drive excellence across the Suntory 6P Framework and oversee activations that combine creative programming with precise commercial execution.

The role offers ownership of high-profile premium and prestige activations, the On-Trade Brand Investment budget and a team of two managers, with broad influence across Sales, Marketing and other commercial functions.

Role Responsibilities

1. Strategic Brand & Channel Leadership

• Act as commercial brand guardian for House of Suntory and the premium portfolio, particularly Laphroaig, ensuring global brand alignment and local relevance.
• Own national commercialization of innovations, relaunches and limited-time offers, with agile and timely execution.
• Identify channel-specific growth gaps and develop cross-functional proposals, sell-in strategies and rotation models.
• Develop and ensure execution of tailored activation plans for Premium Halo and Prestige Halo accounts, including luxury hotels, fine-dining restaurants and high-end bars.

2. Customer Lead for On-Trade Wholesale, Whiskey and Department Stores

• Lead the commercial roadmap for direct wholesalers and indirect On-Trade customers, from growth identification through activation planning, governance and execution.
• Develop customer activation plans aligned with customer priorities and Suntory brand standards.
• Lead preparation of annual negotiations, workshops and sales conferences, turning complex data into actionable sales tools.
• Serve as the On-Trade channel storyteller at national sales conferences and cycle deployment presentations.

3. Operational Excellence & 6P Orchestration

• Champion the Suntory 6P Framework, with particular focus on Promotion, People and POSM.
• Deliver the Picture of Success and best-in-class brand execution across channels, venues and points of consumption.
• Coordinate On-Trade POSM development and execution in line with brand initiatives and budgets.
• Conduct training and support onboarding with the Capability Manager.
• Explore innovative routes to market, including the KEG machine project, to drive growth and consumer engagement.

4. Financial Stewardship & ROI

• Own the On-Trade Brand Investment budget and apply a strong P&L mindset to every investment.
• Manage activation budgets efficiently, deliver high-impact consumer activations and use post-activation analysis to measure effectiveness and maximize ROI.

5. Collaboration & Communication

• Act as the primary contact for Sales, Marketing, external partners and other commercial teams to ensure seamless activation execution.
• Build strong Gemba relationships with key On-Trade influencers to increase advocacy and brand engagement.
• Scale best practices, support transparent cross-functional learning and represent the On-Trade channel on Viva Engage.
• Proactively identify and own organizational issues and opportunities as the link between Sales, Marketing and commercial functions.

6. Leadership & Development

• Lead and inspire two managers, fostering the Yatte Minahare spirit, excellence and innovation.
• Build team capability to deliver brand building, high-impact activations and events across the On-Trade channel.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Distribution, visibility, menu placement and activation across Premium and Prestige outlets.
• 6P compliance, outlet-specific execution and growth in bartender advocacy and training reach.
• Rate of sale, activation quality, consumer engagement, ROI and budget discipline.
• Analysis and adaptation of relevant competitor best practices and market successes.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration or a related field.
• Experience: 6+ years in On-Trade Channel Marketing, Trade Marketing or Key Account Management within spirits or luxury FMCG.
• Expertise: Proven experience developing and executing channel strategies, POSM and customer activations.
• Leadership: Experience managing teams and collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Language Skills: Native-level German and business-fluent English.
• Mindset: Proactive, entrepreneurial and hands-on, with a strong focus on execution and continuous improvement.

Additional Information

• Work Model: Hybrid, with a 60:40 office-based arrangement in Frankfurt am Main.
• Travel: Regular travel to Gemba locations and key accounts is required.