Strategic Transformation Lead

FrieslandCampina’s Consumer Dairy business is in the middle of a global marketing and sales transformation program, designed to improve focus, increase execution speed and effectiveness, and generate impact in terms of overall performance and revenue growth. The strategic team behind this transformation is looking to hire two additional team leads – high performing strategic thinkers who understand sales and/or marketing and, more importantly, are energized by the impressive amount of responsibility and the steep learning curve that come with the position.

ACE: Strategic Transformation in Marketing and Sales

FrieslandCampina is a global market leader in the dairy industry. For their FMCG Consumer Business, called Consumer Dairy, FrieslandCampina is engaged in a large-scale marketing and sales transformation program over 18 countries, called ACE: Agile Commercial Execution. The aim is to make smarter, more data driven marketing and sales decisions across the Consumer Dairy Products portfolio – thereby increasing focus and flexibility when it comes to marketing and the portfolio itself, and improving execution in all 18 countries when it comes to sales. This program requires marketing and sales teams across these countries to work together in ensuring the FrieslandCampina brand, products, and execution are optimized in relation to the local market, consumer behavior, and retailer culture.

FrieslandCampina has been driving this program together with a strategy consultancy firm, and has built its own model from these initial pilots. To facilitate a successful transition and ensure the program reaches its full potential impact within the designated two years, FrieslandCampina is looking for two Strategic Transformation Leads to complement the team.

Vacancy: Strategic Transformation Lead

The Strategic Transformation Leads (STL) will join the current team of selected high-performers who drive ACE. They will operate in a very flat program team that reports directly into the Business Group president. Formally they will report into the Acceleration Team Director. Both will each manage a junior team member. The program follows a clear methodology to roll out the transformation country by country, which the Strategic Transformation Leads and their analysts will be a part of as soon as they are on board the team. To get started, extensive support will be given to onboard the new joiners on the methodology, learnings and within the team. As per this methodology, the team will first conduct a number of data analyses for a given country, for which the STL will drive the storyline of their respective area and work with the other STL and the case lead on the total story. The team then travels to the country to perform a deep dive on the existing analyses pack and fine tune the insights while getting to know the local marketing and sales teams and executives. Together with these local teams, the ACE team then works to design and roll out an effective implementation strategy, including insights sharing workshops and capability building sessions together with the local team. Afterwards, the majority of the team will move on to one of the other countries, while the Program Lead and one or two team members may stay on longer for embedding purposes and support.

Because of the nature of the program, a high willingness to travel is required. For a former strategy or management consultant with marketing, sales or commercial FMCG experience this position offers incredible learning and networking opportunities and guarantees to keep top candidates challenged and energized. The nature of the program ensures a high degree of purpose and day to day variation. And the level of responsibility as well as senior buy-in and exposure ensure that this position is not just a job: it is the start of a thriving new career chapter.

 ‘The program is designated to end within two years. But for a high performer who has driven transformation in our core business, locally across 18 countries and in close cooperation with our head office, on a level that is both strategic and tactical, do you think the company will want to let that person leave after the program ends? FrieslandCampina hires for careers, and if this opportunity intrigues you, it is guaranteed to propel yours.’ – Oliver Trier, Program Director, Fighting Unit Acceleration

Candidate profile

• >8 years’ experience in strategy / management consulting, with experience in managerial position
• Ideally experience includes FMCG projects within the field of either marketing or sales
• International experience (outside developed markets) is a pre
• High willingness to travel (50% within a month or period of 6-8 weeks ‘on the road’)
• Ability and flexibility to deal with different cultures
• Strong stakeholder management skills, allowing to quickly get to know teams and individuals, and comfortably engage with them in different settings
• Strong strategic and analytical skills

The team is encouraging diversity and is especially interested in non-Dutch or non-European candidates.

FrieslandCampina works with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
For more information contact Martine Francken via martine.francken@topofminds.com.