Director, Maker's Mark Advocacy & Private Select

What makes this a great opportunity?

The Director Maker’s Mark Advocacy and Private Selection, is responsible for our Maker’s Mark Diplomat’s Advocacy Program as well as the Private Selection planning and execution.  This includes overseeing our Heritage Managers, Maker’s Mark Diplomats, and Private Selection process and launch needed to grow brand’s developing programming and ultimately, creating demand and driving market share growth of Beam Suntory’s business through key accounts in partnership with the commercial sales team.

• This role is a leadership role within the Advocacy and Trade engagement organization with a customer/agency, BSI sales & brand marketing-facing and will require active communication, collaboration, and leadership in a matrix environment.
• This role reports into the Senior Director, Commercial Excellence Deployment & Advocacy with a functional dotted line into the North America Brand team to ensure proper and consistent messaging through team and organization.

Role Responsibilities

Lead the ongoing development of our Advocacy and Trade Engagement, which is fundamental to driving our 2023 ambitions. It's an opportunity to be a part of driving the premiumization agenda with high exposure in the Beam Suntory organization and balance strategic thinking, creativity, and commercially grounded activities with one of our most important brands.

• This role will manage 4 Heritage Managers who are responsible for leading 19 Maker's Mark Diplomats located in priority markets. They will be responsible for developing and executing best-in-class hiring, onboarding, and training practices needed for an industry leading advocacy team.

• Lead and inspire team to be champions for Maker's Mark with both internal and external stakeholders by providing category and brand expertise that will elevate Maker's Mark in the eyes of trade and consumers. 

• This position will partner directly with the Loretto Distillery in Kentucky on the strategic path of Maker's Mark Heritage and Diplomacy.

• Will optimize how ambassadors spend their time to balance between Maker's Mark Private Select (MMPS) barrel process and being in market to drive education and excitement around Maker's Mark. 

• The Director will also work to synergize the implementation of the Maker's Mark Private Selection Barrel program with marketing, On and Off Chains and the Distillery.

• Work with Heritage Managers and the Distillery on US MMPS allocations; working through production abilities, planning around innovation calendar restraints, and ensuring the program is developed in a sustainable manner.

• Partner with Advocacy team leaders that oversee Highballers, Brand Ambassadors and Trade Advocacy to develop ways of working, best practices and tools to help drive consistency and clarity on the role that advocacy and the individual teams play towards achieving company's strategic priorities. 

• Develop and retain our Diplomat community's connection to the Maker's Mark Brand DNA and Founder's vision. 

• You'll gather and share insights through your connectivity to the markets and our community inspiring insights into action across our cross-functional team.

• Work with North American Brand Manager on brand planning calendar and cadence to customize program metrics based on demographics, category, and geography.

• Create brand champions through visionary storytelling, compelling education, and enriched relationships, bringing stories to life and people together with focus towards engaging trade.

• Lead the charge towards driving engagement with multicultural trade members in multicultural communitites.

• Able to think broadly about Maker's Mark in the context of overall Beam Suntory business and make necessary adjustments to improve team results. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience

• 8+ years of experience in sales or marketing leadership

• Has previous experience managing large teams of 10 people or more

• Demonstrated ability to navigate and evolve team through matrixed organization

• Ability to skillfully manage multiple projects at once

• Demonstrated ability to proactively communicate plans and collaborate across sales and brand marketing teams

• Demonstrated ability to take complicated ideas and simplify towards seamless execution

• Demonstrated success of reaching new consumers/trades with brands via sales or marketing strategy