Job Title
Assistant Product Manager
Name:
Laura Stephen
Company:
Northern Foods – Eden Vale
Professional Qualification(s):
10 GCSE’s 1 Higher 3 A levels BA (Hons) Geography
Degree studied at University of Nottingham
Brief job description
I manage the Munch Bunch brand – £40 million plus brand, with day to day management of brand and budget. I am also responsible for longer term brand planning and strategy in conjunction with Children’s Marketing Manager.
My career so far…
Joined Eden Vale as a Northern Foods Graduate 22 months ago. First position in Sales working on Sainsbury’s and Asda. Moved to Marketing after 5 months to work on Mars desserts portfolio and then more recently moved to work on brand leading Munch Bunch range.
What does your job involve in a typical day?
There is no typical day – everyone is different, some days I am in the office, other days I am in the factory, visiting agencies, presenting to Accounts etc. Lots of firefighting! Reacting to latest issues be they manufacturing, financial, commercial or external factors. Running current projects eg. promotional PR campaigns, packaging changes, NPD projects, pricing initiatives etc. Lots of phone calls, emails and meetings with internal departments and external agencies to ensure projects are carried out effectively. Monitoring brand performance in terms of sales, market share and competitor activity and performance. Reporting back on brands overall performance. Managing the marketing budget and deciding what activity to carry out.
What do you like most about your job?
It is constantly changing and very fast moving, everyday is different and brings new challenges. Marketing is the hub of an organization and I get to work with almost every other department which is great experience and fun.
What skills are required in your job?
Excellent communication skills, team working and team leading. Sound commercial thinking and decision making. Good planning and time management. Being flexible and able to cope with constant change.
How many people work for you?
I don’t have any direct reports and work on multi functional teams across the site to deliver marketing projects.
What is your advice to people looking for a career in the food and grocery industry?
I think placements are an ideal way to see if you like working in the industry and provide a great opening to careers in the industry. Keep abreast of current tends, read the Grocer and go into stores to see what is happening.