Job Description

We go beyond the obvious, using intelligence, passion and creativity to inspire new thinking and shape the world we live in.To start a career that is out of the ordinary, please apply...Job DetailsJOHANNESBURG OR DURBAN BASED ROLEOur Brand Domain team is looking for a passionate Account Manager to join us in delivering excellence to our clients. We ultimately aim to grow our clients businesses, through developing a deep understanding of their brands, unpacking the impact of their marketing activities against their strategies and identifying potential growth opportunities for their brands. In this role you will be responsible for the research design, planning and execution of projects within agreed timelines, scope and budgets. Leadership responsibility would be line management, team and cross-team responsibility.The role entails managing a portfolio of large national and international clients (e.g. Coke/Nestle/Unilever/Clover/Edward Snell amongst others), and a small team of researchers. Inspiring confidence and motivating your team to excel, along with developing quality research skills would be key focus areas. You will suit this role if you are passionate about marketing, brands, and research in general, manage your time well, have strong attention-to-detail, are passionate, confident and able to grasp new concepts quickly.Key OutcomesManagement of studies and resources using research principles and Kantar systems:Client Management and Growth:

• Build strong partnerships and deliver business impact for clients
• Takes accountability for client satisfaction on overall project delivery
• Service clients and interact independently with clients on an on-going basis. This includes regular communication regarding current projects, as well as relationship building to promote client retention, enhancement and growth
• Create and drive execution of business plan
• Manage and build relationships with lead client stakeholders
• Take accountability for client satisfaction on overall project delivery
• Handle more complex client enquiries regarding research inputs and outputs
• Have a deep understanding of the client business, industry, strategy and business issues
• Deliver thought leadership to client, drawing on expertise across Kantar to deliver client impact
• Deliver insights in a storytelling way, through strong analysis, presentation and workshopping skills
• Is recognised by clients as an expert in an area of delivery
• Demonstrate research & marketing expertise to inspire clients and team

Team and Project Management:

• Mentor, coach and train team (on the job and formal)
• Build cooperative relationships within team and across functional teams
• Performance management, through objective setting and ongoing performance evaluation
• Identifying development areas and assist and support to ensure team members flourish
• Manage team capacity and resourcing
• Recruit, develop, and retain high quality people through succession planning and performance management
• Manage and supervise research projects. This includes delivering to agreed timelines, completing all the necessary administrative procedures and liaising with service departments to ensure process is effectively executed
• Take responsibility for the data and research quality and quality delivery of a project including all documents such as questionnaires and instructions
• Accountable for final questionnaire design, flow and wording
• Oversee supplier relationships ICs, external charting) to ensure quality of deliverables

Commercial Management: Contributing to financial performance and business profitability

• Accountable for team financial targets
• Accountable for client revenue targets
• New business development within existing clients
• Client proposals and costings
• A major contribution to and responsibility for the growth and profitability of clients
• Provide solutions to company barriers that are holding back profitability and growth
• Employs own knowledge of to initiate suitable process improvements that enhance overall service
• Applies understanding of commercial and financial principles to costing recommendations on more complex projects

Leadership:

• Apply research knowledge to ensure the best (most cost and time effective and efficient) delivery of research
• Be involved in complex / high profile studies to support managers towards the best (most effective and efficient) possible delivery
• Demonstrate excellence in technical research and marketing expertise to inspire both clients and team members
• Actively transfer learning to others
• Provide energy and drive to identify and exploit opportunities for new and innovative ways to answer clients needs
• Proactively responsible for own learning and development
• Promote team spirit
• Maintain personal well-being and balance
• Lead by example and live the companys values

Brand interest and expertise:

• Brand domain knowledge (Brand guidance, brand strategy, equity model, key brand concepts, philosophies and point of views)
• Constant curiosity and self-learning to know more about brand and keep abreast of trends, philosophies and POVs
• Ability to recognise opportunities for brand domain applications and solutions in client conversations

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Relevant tertiary education (B.Com /Business Admin, B Bus Sc Marketing B. Bus Sci Marketing, Project Management / relevant degree pref)
• Good marketing (research) knowledge - at least 3-5 years experience
• Proven ability as a team manager
• Confident sales/ negotiation/ persuasion skills
• High level of business/client understanding and insight
• Must have a very good working and practical knowledge of the research process and marketing research
• Excellent client relationship development skills
• Nurture/develop team members through coaching and performance management

Location Johannesburg, BryanstonSouth AfricaKantar Rewards StatementAt Kantar we have an integrated way of rewarding our people based around a simple, clear and consistent set of principles. Our approach helps to ensure we are market competitive and also to support a pay for performance culture, where your reward and career progression opportunities are linked to what you deliver.We go beyond the obvious, using intelligence, passion and creativity to inspire new thinking and shape the world we live in. Apply for a career thats out of the ordinary and join us.We want to create an equality of opportunity in a fair and supportive working environment where people feel included, accepted and are allowed to flourish in a space where their mental health and well being is taken into consideration.We want to create a more diverse community to expand our talent pool, be locally representative, drive diversity of thinking and better commercial outcomes.Kantar is the worlds leading data, insights and consulting company. We understand more about how people think, feel, shop, share, vote and view than anyone else. Combining our expertise in human understanding with advanced technologies, Kantars 30,000 people help the worlds leading organisations succeed and grow.

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