🔹 Job Title: Brand Manager
🔹 Company: Diageo
🔹 Location: Milan
🔹 Job Type: Full-Time
🔹 Category: Marketing
🔹 Date Posted: July 10, 2025
🚀 Job Overview
Key aspects of this role include:
- Leading cross-agency teams to develop the brand’s communication approach and execution in an omnichannel environment.
- Shaping the brand to thrive in a digital environment and owning the shadow P&L for the brands across the market.
- Collaborating with global brand teams, multiple agencies, cross-functional teams, and partners to deliver on salience and brand love objectives.
- Building strong relationships with commercial teams on the ground to deliver above and beyond the annual operating plan (AOP).
- Driving recruitment and re-recruitment from both customer and consumer perspectives.
- Owning the shadow P&L for the brands across the market, understanding and responding to the drivers of brand performance, and delivering the annual operating plan.
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a strong understanding of the Italian market, consumer behavior, and customer preferences. The ideal candidate will have experience working with cross-functional teams and agencies, and be comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously.
📋 Key Responsibilities
✅ Brand Strategy & Planning:
- Lead cross-agency teams to develop the brand’s communication approach and execution in an omnichannel environment.
- Shape the brand to thrive in a digital environment and own the shadow P&L for the brands across the market.
- Collaborate with global brand teams, multiple agencies, cross-functional teams, and partners to deliver on salience and brand love objectives.
- Build strong relationships with commercial teams on the ground to deliver above and beyond the AOP.
- Drive recruitment and re-recruitment from both customer and consumer perspectives.
✅ Brand Building & Management:
- Own the shadow P&L for the brands across the market, understanding and responding to the drivers of brand performance, and delivering the annual operating plan.
- Translate strategies into thoughtfully implemented plans that consistently beat the competition and gain share.
- Understand and handle pricing and promo strategy, margin mix, and volume drivers.
- Find, own, and build the role the brand plays in culture, working collaboratively with members of the Culture & Entertainment function.
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education:
- Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, or a related field.
Experience:
- 5+ years of relevant marketing experience with a good understanding of the Italian market (Consumer, media, culture).
Required Skills:
- Proven ability to build meaningful relationships based on mutual trust and respect.
- Successful management of senior partners, resulting in strong and positive outcomes.
- Holistic skills across various marketing growth drivers and a reputation of delivering ground-breaking business results.
- Comfort with dealing with ambiguity, complexity, and working within a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and matrixed environment.
- Demonstrated brilliant execution to high standards across various pillars of brand building.
- Deep personal accountability for outstanding performance.
- Strong commercial and numerical foresight with attention to detail.
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: €60,000 - €80,000 per year (Based on industry standards for a Brand Manager role in Milan with 5-10 years of experience)
Benefits:
- Competitive salary with bonus and many benefits that suit your lifestyle.
- Industry-leading parental leave policy.
Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week)
📌 Applicant Insights
Company Context:
- Industry: Beverage Manufacturing
- Company Size: 10,001+ employees
- Founded: 1826 (as Guinness; Diageo was founded in 1997 through the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan)
- Company Description: Diageo is a global leader in premium drinks, with a portfolio of over 200 brands sold in 180 countries. They are committed to celebrating life, every day, everywhere, and to creating a new marketing team with the ambition of becoming a strong marketing powerhouse to drive the next phase of growth across Italy.
- Company Specialties: Premium Drinks, Marketing, Innovation, Supply Chain, HR, Sales, Brand management, Premium Wines and Spirits Supplier, Luxury, Super premium, Beer, Consumer goods, E-commerce, beverages, spirits, FMCG, and brand owners.
Role Analysis:
- Career Level: Mid-level to senior
- Reporting Structure: This role reports directly to the Marketing Director for Italy.
- Work Arrangement: On-site (with flexibility for remote work)
- Growth Opportunities: This role offers opportunities to grow within the marketing team and potentially take on leadership positions as the team expands.
Location & Work Environment:
- Office Type: Modern, collaborative office space in Milan.
- Office Location(s): Milan, with potential travel to other Italian cities and Diageo's global offices.
- Geographic Context: Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and a major economic, cultural, and fashion hub. It offers a vibrant work environment with numerous networking opportunities.
- Work Schedule: Full-time, with flexible hours and the possibility of working from home occasionally.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
- Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Marketing automation tools (e.g., Marketo, HubSpot)
- Social media management platforms (e.g., Hootsuite, Buffer)
- Analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Tableau)
- Project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello)
- CRM software (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot CRM)
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
- Company Values: Celebrate life, every day, everywhere; be bold; be curious; be inclusive; be entrepreneurial; be responsible.
- Work Style: Diageo values a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and matrixed environment. Employees should be comfortable with dealing with ambiguity and complexity.
- Self-Assessment Questions:
- How do you align with Diageo's company values, specifically 'be inclusive' and 'be entrepreneurial'?
- How do you handle working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and matrixed environment?
- Can you provide an example of a time when you demonstrated personal accountability for outstanding performance?
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- Challenge 1: The role requires a strong understanding of the Italian market, consumer behavior, and customer preferences. Candidates may face a learning curve if they are not familiar with the Italian market.
- Challenge 2: The role involves managing multiple projects simultaneously and collaborating with various teams and agencies. Candidates should be comfortable with multitasking and working in a matrixed environment.
- Challenge 3: The role requires strong commercial and numerical foresight. Candidates should be comfortable working with data and making data-driven decisions.
- Challenge 4: The role involves working with global brand teams and partners. Candidates should be comfortable working in a global context and collaborating with remote teams.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
- Comparison Point 1: This role is similar to a Brand Manager role in a consumer goods company, but with a stronger focus on digital strategy and social media plans.
- Comparison Point 2: This role requires a deeper understanding of the Italian market and consumer behavior compared to similar roles in other countries.
- Comparison Point 3: This role offers more opportunities for growth and career progression within the marketing team compared to similar roles in smaller companies.
📝 Sample Projects
- Project Example 1: Developing a digital strategy for a premium spirits brand, including long-term digital growth plans and social media content calendars.
- Project Example 2: Conducting consumer research to understand brand perception and identify opportunities for improvement in the Italian market.
- Project Example 3: Collaborating with the global brand team to create a global brand campaign that resonates with Italian consumers.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
- Question 1: Can you describe a time when you successfully managed a cross-functional team to deliver a brand campaign that exceeded expectations?
- Question 2: How do you approach understanding and responding to the drivers of brand performance, and delivering the annual operating plan?
- Question 3: Can you provide an example of a time when you demonstrated strong commercial and numerical foresight to drive business results?
- Question 4: How do you handle working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and matrixed environment, and how do you prioritize your workload?
- Question 5: How do you ensure that your brand's communication approach and execution are consistent across all touchpoints in an omnichannel environment?
📝 Next Steps for Applicants
To apply for this position:
- Submit your application through [this link](https://diageo.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Diageo_Careers/job/Milan/Brand-Manager_JR1115223).
- Customize your resume to highlight relevant marketing experience, skills, and achievements.
- Write a cover letter explaining your interest in the role and how your skills and experience make you a strong fit.
- Prepare examples of your work, such as brand campaigns, marketing plans, or digital strategies, to showcase your skills and accomplishments.
- Follow up with the hiring manager one week after submitting your application to express your interest and reiterate your qualifications.
- Be prepared to provide references and complete a background check if required.
⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.
