Marketing Manager

The Marketing Manager is a newly elevated, high-ownership role reporting directly to the CEO. It is not a support position — the successful candidate will set direction, lead execution, and build a department. A Creative Lead is already in place and has built the company's social media presence and website over the past 15 months. The Marketing Manager sits above this function and is responsible for the full scope of marketing: brand strategy, campaign planning and execution, trade marketing, digital growth, consumer insights, and team building. This role is explicitly designed as the foundation for a future Chief Marketing Officer. The right person will grow into that position as the company scales — and will have every opportunity to do so.

• Develop and own the annual marketing strategy aligned to the company's revenue and growth goals.
• Build quarterly plans with clear KPIs, defined budgets, and personal accountability for outcomes.
• Manage the marketing budget with strong discipline around return on investment.
• Act as the central coordinator across all marketing activity — digital, trade, and brand.
• Lead the modernisation and repositioning of the company's legacy brands, particularly its flagship brand.
• Build strong brand equity and emotional connection with consumers — especially Gen Z, young families, and the Kenyan middle class.
• Ensure brand consistency across all touchpoints: packaging, in-store, digital, and activations.
• Drive storytelling, brand voice development, and go-to-market frameworks for new product launches.
• Plan and execute integrated marketing campaigns across digital, out-of-home, in-store, and live activations.
• Develop strong go-to-market plans for new product and category launches.
• Work closely with the sales team to align campaigns with commercial targets and channel priorities.
• Manage agencies, production suppliers, and creative partners effectively and efficiently.
• Own and grow the digital and social media strategy across all relevant platforms — Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and beyond.
• Drive measurable improvement in reach, engagement, follower growth, and brand awareness online.
• Work collaboratively with the Creative Lead to ensure consistently high-quality content output.
• Lead influencer and brand partnership strategies that are relevant and credible in the Kenyan market.
• Develop the brand's presence on relevant e-commerce and delivery-app channels e.g. food/grocery delivery platforms.
• Assess and build the case for direct-to-consumer initiatives where relevant to category and brand.
• Develop trade marketing materials and programmes tailored to each channel.
• Drive shelf presence, point-of-sale visibility, and in-store activations in modern and general trade.
• Work with the sales team to build promotions that convert directly at the point of purchase.
• Ensure the company's brands are visually dominant and consistently presented across all outlets.
• Lead consumer research initiatives and translate insights into actionable marketing decisions.
• Monitor the competitive landscape and identify emerging opportunities in the Kenyan and East African FMCG market.
• Use data and analytics to continuously refine and improve campaign and brand performance.
• Maintain a strong understanding of evolving consumer behaviour, particularly among target demographics.
• Ensure marketing and packaging claims comply with KEBS standards and Kenyan advertising regulations.
• Apply particular care to marketing communications that may reach or target children, given the company's ice cream and confectionery range.
• Ensure any product certification claims e.g. quality, dietary, or origin claims used in marketing are accurate and substantiated.
• Incorporate sustainability and responsible-sourcing messa

• Bachelor's degree required; Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred.
• Postgraduate qualification or MBA is an advantage but not a requirement.
• 5–8 years of progressive marketing experience, with meaningful time managing multiple products or brands.
• Demonstrable experience in FMCG, QSR, or a fast-moving consumer brand environment — execution experience, not just agency management.
• Has built something: a campaign from scratch, a brand from zero, a team from the ground up — not simply inherited and maintained.
• Proven track record in brand building and campaign execution with measurable outcomes.
• Kenya or East African market experience is strongly preferred; deep understanding of local consumer behaviour is a significant advantage.
• Proficient in digital marketing platforms, social media management tools, and analytics dashboards.
• Comfortable with marketing budget management, ROI tracking, and reporting to leadership.
• Experience working with creative agencies, production vendors, and external partners.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.
• Driven and ambitious — hungry to make their mark, not looking to manage a steady state.
• High ownership mentality — takes full responsibility for outcomes and does not wait to be told what to do.
• Creative and commercially sharp — ideas come naturally, and understands how they connect to revenue.
• Executional — can take a campaign from concept to results without hand-holding at every step.
• Confident — comfortable presenting ideas to the CEO and challenging assumptions constructively.
• Entrepreneurial — thrives in a fast-paced, resource-conscious environment where priorities shift and agility matters.
• Collaborative — works closely across sales, operations, and leadership without creating silos.
• Low ego — measures success by brand and business results, not personal visibility.