Market, Strategy and Commercial Planning Executive

We have been producing great tasting food for over 185 years, since William Symington founded the company in 1827 and shortly after applied for the patent to produce soup from Pea Flour. Our history travels via the Crimean war, via Gracie Fields advertising onto our present state.

Today we are a leading branded convenience food business that strongly believes convenience doesn’t mean compromise on taste. Excitingly, we are also now part of a growing Italian food business having recently joined Newlat Food SPA, who are committed to increased investment and rapid growth in the UK.

We strive through our brands to innovate and grow every market we operate in.

• We have exciting brands bought by millions of people every day.
• We are also at the forefront of on-trend high growth categories and product areas.
• Our Naked brand continues to grow, delivering authentic Asian flavour in convenient formats
• The Mug Shot, Hungry Elephant, Oatburst and Chicken Tonight brands complete a fantastic portfolio of grocery brands all set for innovation and growth in the coming years

Our product development team is always busy cooking up new ideas, so there’ll be many more exciting & flavoursome products to come!

So, what’s it really like to work for us? 

Here at Symington’s, we’re invested in what we do. Every decision we make is guided by our company Values which embody everything we stand for. That’s why we’re proud to share them with you:

• We are Passionate Foodies- We want to be famous for making food that tastes amazing. We live and breathe food – it’s in our DNA. We strive to be the most innovative food business that we can be. We are proud of our food heritage.

• We earn People’s Trust- We trust in the abilities of our talented teams, and nurture their potential. We are one team we support, trust and constructively challenge each other. We are our authentic selves integrity is at our core. We are honest and transparent in everything we do

• We do The Right Thing- We do the right thing for our people, for our business, for our community and for the environment.

• We act like Owners- We have an entrepreneurial spirit. We find solutions. We are all accountable. We are not afraid to get things wrong.

Luckily there is now an opportunity to join us and be part of the Team, as we’re seeking to recruit a Market, Strategy and Commercial Planning Executive to support us in our continued growth.

The Role

Reporting to Head of MS&P, the core purpose of the MS&P Executive is to support the with the implementation of the Commercial Strategy within the business, through:

• Supporting with planning and execution of the commercial strategy across Branded business and new categories.
• Track and analyse business performance against Budget, producing clear insights and identifying risk and opportunities.
• To provide clear centralised reporting against key business KPIs to help inform wider business workstreams.

Key Responsibilities

• A key member of the Commercial function, the MS&P Executive will need good communication to work across Category, Sales, Marketing and Commercial Finance.
• Support the MS&P Manager with workstreams across all Commercial projects such as New business, Pricing and promotional recommendations and Channel Strategies.
• Working across the total commercial team to ensure plans are executed to achieve the business objective. Including business planning and execution requirements to enter new categories.
• Key interactions will be with the Sales, Marketing, Category and Commercial Finance teams to produce clear insightful monthly reporting against key strategic targets; including Promotion Plan tracking and innovation execution.
• The ability to analyse data and develop insights to support the commercial team achieve the business targets.
• An ability to present clear insight across the business from Sales, Category and Marketing teams.
• Monitor Competitor activity and provide appropriate recommendations to course correct our activity.

Self-Development & Business Behaviours

• Self-starter with a pro-active approach
• Can do attitude with a strong work ethic
• Able to operate as part of a team
• Ability to communicate and operate across functions
• Good presenting skills
• Solid data analytical skills and experience of turning data into actionable insight.
• Creativity and innovation - Creates new and imaginative approaches to work-related issues. Identifies fresh approaches and shows a willingness to question traditional assumptions.
• Personal motivation - Self-starter, commits self to work hard towards goals. Shows enthusiasm and career commitment.

Candidate Requirements

The ideal candidate will have already gained some level of experience in Sales, Category or Commercial Planning. However, given that we believe in innate Potential and the power of a positive attitude, we can be more open about where your experience might have come from.

We welcome candidates from any of the following areas:

• FMCG- Supply or Retail Side
• Commercial Planning, Category, Commercial Finance or Even Supply Chain
• Potentially different Industries- as long as you have exceptional Analytical ability

Rest assured, if you’ve got the potential, we’ll unlock it!

Please Note: We have chosen to Partner with PT Executive, therefore we kindly ask that other recruiters respect our decision and do not contact us in relation to this role. Thank You.