Investment Performance & Optimisation Manager

Key responsibilities Investment Strategy & Planning - Lead the annual investment planning process for the Customer Marketing portfolio, ensuring investment is aligned to strategic, commercial and customer priorities set by the Global Marketing strategy - Translate business and marketing plans into clear investment requirements, identifying opportunities, trade-offs and areas requiring greater focus. - Partner with senior Customer, Digital, Brand, Commercial and Finance stakeholders to shape investment decisions and ensure investment is placed where they can create the greatest value. - Own the investment forecasting and reforecasting cycle, providing clear visibility of future commitments, risks, opportunities and investment requirements. - Establish robust approaches to investment prioritisation across activities, markets, channels and business priorities. - Challenge budget assumptions and investment requests, ensuring they are supported by a clear commercial rationale and expected outcome. Performance & Commercial Insight - Develop a clear view of marketing investment performance, connecting spend and resources to customer, commercial and operational outcomes. - Translate complex financial and performance data into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders. - Partner with Finance and marketing teams to strengthen understanding of marketing effectiveness and return on investment. - Lead regular investment and performance reviews with key stakeholders, ensuring insight translates into action. Optimisation & Value Creation - Continuously challenge how Customer Marketing investment is deployed, identifying opportunities to improve effectiveness, efficiency and value. - Partner with the Trade Planning and Marketing Operations teams to ensure investment decisions are connected to planning, capacity and delivery requirements. - Ensure learnings from investment and performance analysis are embedded into future planning and ways of working. Financial Governance & Control - Maintain strong financial governance across the Customer Marketing investment portfolio, ensuring appropriate controls, accountability and visibility. - Partner closely with Finance to ensure accurate reporting, forecasting and compliance with financial policies and processes. - Provide oversight of budget performance, commitments and financial risks, escalating issues early and recommending appropriate action. - Ensure investment decisions are supported by accurate and timely financial information. - Working with stakeholders to discuss spend, forecasts, reporting and ensure all PO’s are raised as required and supplier set ups managed Transformation & Continuous Improvement - Identify opportunities to improve the way investment, performance and financial information is captured, analysed and used across the Customer function. - Drive greater automation and use of data to improve forecasting, reporting and decision-making. - Establish consistent approaches and best practice across global teams while allowing flexibility where market or business requirements differ. Leadership & Stakeholder Partnership - Act as a trusted commercial and financial partner to senior Customer Marketing and Digital leaders. - Build strong relationships across Finance, Commercial, Digital, Brand, Ecommerce, Procurement and other relevant functions. - Constructively challenge senior stakeholders, bringing an objective financial and commercial perspective to decision-making. - Lead and develop the Investment, Performance & Optimisation capability, creating a culture of accountability, insight and continuous improvement. - Work closely with the wider Trade Planning & Operations team to create an integrated approach to planning, investment, performance and delivery. - 10+ years experience managing significant budget amounts in a global retailer or similar. - Demonstrate strong commercial judgement and financial expertise, with the ability to connect investment decisions to wider business performance. - Have experience operating in a complex, fast-paced organisation, preferably within retail, FMCG or another consumer-focused environment. - Be able to move comfortably between strategic thinking and practical execution, turning insight into measurable action. - Be confident challenging senior stakeholders and influencing decisions through evidence and commercial rationale. - Have marketing or customer experience knowledge as an advantage, but deep marketing expertise is not essential. - Manage the cost team, which includes a direct report in Dublin. - Significant experience in financial management, commercial planning, investment management, business performance or a related discipline within a complex global organisation. - Strong understanding of investment prioritisation, forecasting, financial modelling and performance management. - Strategic thinker who is comfortable operating with ambiguity and shaping solutions rather than simply managing established processes. - Collaborate with various stakeholders within Finance, Customer & Brand & Digital Marketing, to manage a sizeable budget across multiple currencies. - Proven experience managing and influencing significant budgets and investment portfolios across multiple markets or currencies.