Suntory Global Spirits is a world leader in premium spirits with beloved iconic brands, rooted in more than 200 years of heritage and craftsmanship. Our values are deep-rooted, and we aspire to live our purpose to ‘Inspire the Brilliance of Life’ in everything we do. Our ambition is to become the World’s Most Admired Premium Spirits Company. We want to be Most Admired not only for our incredible brands, but also for the brilliant experiences we foster, the ways in which we bring people together, the impactful marketing and innovation we deliver, and for the positive impact we have on the world around us. Known for its craftsmanship of premium whiskies, including Jim Beam®, Maker's Mark®, Basil Hayden® and Knob Creek® bourbons; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™; Laphroaig® and Bowmore®, Suntory Global Spirits also produces Roku Gin, Haku Vodka and -196 premix. When you’re on our team, you can build a career of personal and professional growth across functions, business units and geographies. Headquartered in New York City, Suntory Global Spirits is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings, which is world renowned for delivering quality and excellence across a range of products and categories. At Suntory Global Spirits, our employees work together to Unleash Their Spirit and realize their full potential each and every day.

This role will partner with The Group On Premise Manager to develop a long term vision for the ON PREMISE category and establish category growth platforms for the State Key Accounts.

For more information, on our brands and commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.suntoryglobalspirits.com and www.drinksmart.com.

WHAT MAKES THIS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY?

With an inspiring growth trajectory ahead, there has never been a better time to join the Suntory family. From July 2025, we will own local manufacturing, sales, and distribution for our full portfolio of alcohol and non-alcohol beverages. By harnessing the best of Suntory from across Australia and New Zealand, we will offer a unique portfolio of over 40 market-leading brands – powered by two local manufacturing sites, five distribution centres and more than 1500 Suntorians.

Mission of the Role

The Commercial team is responsible for identifying and building long-term category growth strategies along with managing the go-to-market category and shopper plan within the On Premise channel. We are responsible for being customer and category experts and bringing the voice of the customer into the organization. We achieve this by building plans that realize category growth through the creation and sharing of a common understanding of shopper behaviour and insights. Our aim is to deliver Suntory Oceania (including SGS) and our on premise partners a sustainable competitive advantage in-market by establishing our people, brands and business as an insight driven, growth-oriented category and brand partner.
The Activation Manager On-Premise is responsible for being the channel, customer & category expert and ensuring that our brand plans are centered around the shopper and the best way to attract and retain shoppers within the On-Premise channel.
The plans developed should be in line with the brand objectives and ensuring category growth can be realized through developing our plans which are derived through the understanding of shopper (On Premise consumer) behavior and channel insights within the On Premise universe for the On-Premise channel.
The Activation Manager On-Premise is an integral part of this team and is responsible for the development and execution of the Below the Line (BTL) activation plan for the On-Premise portfolio at Beam Suntory for our On-Premise customers Nationally. This role is designed to create the link between the Customer and the business to continuously identify opportunities throughout the year to realize growth for the portfolio. This is achieved through an intimate understanding of the spirits category; the On-Premise Channel, the customer landscape and how consumer behavior can be influenced in the Channel. Critical to the success of this role is the ability to partner effectively with key stakeholders such as Marketing, BTL agency, On-Premise strategy & field sales team and Suntory Global Spirits Insights team.

Role Responsibilities

STRATEGY INPUT

Lead the On-Premise shopper activation strategy for On-Premise customers and ensure channel, customer & shopper (consumer) insights are inputted into the Activation planning process

Share channel & shopper(consumer) insights, which include the motivations of the bartender, with the Marketing team, building understanding and influencing the development of Brand Plans annually

Translate the Demand Space strategy into engaging activation platforms for each brand

Collaborate with Sales and key account managers to formulate the annual On-Premise Channel Plan – which incorporates Brand Plans, Category & On-Premise segment understanding

DEVELOPING SHOPPER/CATEGORY INSIGHTS

In the absence of formal and regular shopper research, gather channel, customer & shopper(consumer) insights by spending time in trade with the field sales teams, including as part of the annual planning process.

KEY CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

Partner with/in customer presentations of key campaigns, representing the brand team and be able to bring together brand objectives as well as meeting customer needs.

SHOPPER ACTIVATION

Develop & execute the annual On-Premise activity calendar for On-Premise accounts across Australia

Develop effective activation toolkits which meet the needs of field sales teams in executing our core drink strategies

Identify opportunities for partnerships of key brand platforms with influential On-Premise customer

Create NPD activation plans which drive awareness of trial of innovation

LEADERSHIP

Be the project lead in the development and execution of key campaigns, ensuring best in class activations in On-Premise accounts across Australia

Externally focused, successfully bring the voice of the customer into the organization to educate key stakeholders on evolving customer requirements

STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Develop & nurture effective relationships, collaborating with sales teams, ensuring marketing activation process is on time and relevant inputs are received

Develop & build effective relationships with brand teams to ensure all activations are aligned to brand plans and activation briefs.

Demonstrate positive intent to problem solving issues, influencing stakeholders towards preferred solutions

Qualifications

Tertiary qualifications (Commerce/Business discipline preferred) required

FMCG trade and/or Shopper Marketing management expertise (min 2yrs+) required

Project management capability with the ability to work on multiple projects and work towards hard deadlines

Analytical skills (ACN/Aztec) preferred

Advanced Computer Literacy in Outlook, Word, Excel & PowerPoint

Ability to manage multiple budgets

Briefing and judging creative development in line with shopper & brand needs

Ability to influence and persuade constructively

Ability to work cross functionally and collaborate

Solid inter-personal skills and ability to work well within teams

Self-motivated, responsive, resilient, and tenacious