Benelux Franchise Operations Director

Key franchise operations leader for assigned country; develops short and long range objectives consistent with organization guidelines; manages the overall P&L; drives the Companys strategic vision; recommends plans and budgets; develops relationships with key constituencies incl. bottlers, government etc.; contributes to the creation of a marketing strategy to maximize business opportunities; implements effective marketing programs aligned to demographics, consumption drivers etc. Manages within a nominated sub-function or related sub-functions; typically a highly experienced manager who is accountable for budget and policy recommendations and medium-term planning; decisions tend to be more tactical and operational at the country level.

The core job responsibility is to:

• Play a leadership role within the Benelux leadership team of Coca-Cola.
• Bring the voice of the consumer to all commercial conversations.
• Manage customer relationships where appropriate.
• Drive system alignment.

Reports to Benelux Country Director & works closely with:

• Benelux Brand Management teams;
• Western Europe Commercial team;
• Public Affairs & Communications department;
• Externally - the local Coca-Cola customers;
• Externally - Coca-Cola European Partners leadership team & Commercial teams

Main responsibilities are to:

• Drive Occasion & Brand activation strategies in the marketplace (owning the Opportunity & Brand on our OBPPC architecture).
• Partner with Western Europe Central Commercial function to develop plans which can be executed in market to drive growth.
• Bring the consumer to all commercial conversations with our system partners, CCEP including equipment, portfolio prioritization, channel & customer work.
• Specifically champion the expansion of our portfolio into new segments, ensuring that appropriate resources & focus is attached to initiatives with longer or more uncertain paybacks.
• Lead KO interactions with customers.
• Representing the brands at customer events (eg KO lab sessions).
• McDonalds + other Global foodservice accounts as necessary.
• Lead efforts to build further system alignment in Benelux through effective creation and leadership of system routines.
• Lead Portfolio Expansion strategies as part of the local growth stories, including an end-to-end view on system capabilities.

Key skills & experience required:

• Level of experience & maturity to influence the system at a senior level.
• Minimum12 years of cross system experience or have experience in working in a non-franchise, integrated manufacturer (preferably in FMCG industry).
• In addition, a background involving time in sales and marketing would be a distinct advantage.
• Significant commercial background, ideally in both home and cold channels, with a strong understanding of modern trade.
• Good understanding of brands and brand drivers to be able to translate this into excellent commercial plans.