Global Commercial Manager Barista Station

The Global Commercial Manager will be responsible for defining and implementing the strategic rollout of JDE Professional’s Barista Stations across the company’s various markets, consolidating its place at the forefront of the premium coffee market and growing this part of the business. This is a unique opportunity for a commercially minded marketer.

FROM MODEST STOREFRONT TO GLOBAL LEADER

When Egbert Douwes and his wife opened a store in Joure in 1753 he couldn’t have possibly foreseen the global reach that the company would ultimately have.

Now, 265 years later, and responsible for many of the household names in coffee and tea globally, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) is a world leader in the production of tea and coffee goods and their products are available in over 140 countries around the world, and since 2013 they are part of the German private equity company, JAB Holdings.

JDE Professional is the B2B arm of the company and is tasked with bringing the company vision of ‘a coffee for every cup’ to life. The numbers speak for themselves: today they drive almost €1bn in over 35 markets.

VACANCY: Global Commerical Manager – Barista Station.

At the heart of their success is their commitment to innovation – something which is evident in both their product development and their personnel.

Case in point is the Barista Station, which is an exciting development in the company’s premium coffee division. These unmanned bean-to-cup coffee stations have been designed to provide consumers with the kind of superlative coffee products they love, wherever they happen to be.

“We are passionate about meeting customer needs – which is something our Barista Stations tap right into. We have moved beyond offering simply machines or products, and have focused on bringing an experience, which delights both our customers and their customers. In doing so, we broaden our reach and preimmunize our coffee offer into new channels. It’s a win-win, and it’s a great challenge.” – Maren, Hiring Manager

From the university student needing a caffeine break between study sessions in the library, to those visiting new parents in maternity wards or the motorist making a pit stop at a petrol station during a long journey, JDE have realised that there’s huge potential in bringing premium coffee to consumers in locations not previously served by actual baristas. From a marketing point of view, there are compelling stories to be told here.

In Sweden, JDE Professional has partnered with leading specialty coffee shop Espresso House to ensure that this concept has the brand recognition to become a game changer, and as they start to work with other global leaders, they are looking for a manager to ensure that the concept is rolled out in the most professional, consistent and optimal way.

In this increasingly caffeinated culture, the market can be a crowded one, and it’s creative thinking, married with a strength of commercial savviness that will help these Barista Stations to reach their full potential.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Global Commerical Manager will be focused on refining and executing the Barista Station commercial strategy and rollout plans. They will report into the Global Category Manager for Premium Coffee and be in contact with a broad range of other relevant stakeholders from across the organization, from senior managers and sales directors, right through the operations team.

The new Global Commercial Manager will be able to apply their experience in the marketing sector to create targeted campaigns across all markets, but this role goes beyond marketing: it’s down to this individual to consolidate the whole commercial strategy and management which will see Barista Stations reach its rightful place as a game changer to the category.

As for the immediate future, the GCM has the challenge of completing a playbook to professionalize the rollout, open 100 new ventures in the Nordics and set up the next wave in the Netherlands and the UK.

This is a role suited to a strong commercial marketer: entrepreneurial, creative thinkers with an international mindset. The team – and indeed the company at large – operates with a high degree of co-operation and a culture of trust, so flexibility and an ability to collaborate are essential.

This candidate will take a forward-looking and analytical view of the strategy while at the same time continuing to ensure that the rollout is executed with excellence. Part of this will involve creating a playbook to reflect on past success (and learning opportunities) so that breaking into new markets is something which can be done with confidence and consistency.

JDE: ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES

JDE is a dynamic environment and it’s fuelled by change: the company values creative thinkers with bold ambitions. It’s a place where those who can combine an entrepreneurial mindset with a data-driven approach thrive – and the balance of the two is essential. As they say at JDE Professional: “when we grow, you grow” – though it could just as easily be true the other way around. Given the huge potential within the Barista Station section, this is a role with room to grow for the right candidate.

Experience

• Minimum 8 years experience in marketing, ideally also familiar with account management
• Excellent communication and social skills
• Analytical
• International mindset
• Complex stakeholder management experience
• Ideally FMCG experience

JDE works with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
Contact Janko Klaeijsen at janko@topofminds.com for more information.