Commercial Manager – McConnell’s Irish Whisky

Belfast Distillery Company is recruiting for an experienced and exceptional Commercial Manager to grow our brand in local and global markets, securing our place as a highly successful company within the Irish Whiskey industry. The position will be based in Belfast, (with international travel) located at the McConnell’s Distillery.

Background:

Belfast Distillery Company re-launched McConnell’s Irish Whisky in 2020 and has had great success in the high performing Irish Whisky category. Both our 5 year and Sherry Finish are in over 40 markets across the globe, from USA, Canada to all corners of Europe, to Asia and Australian markets and recently gaining momentum in Africa.

Meanwhile back in Belfast and across Northern Ireland, the home of our brand, sales are soaring as the brand is available throughout On Trade, Independent Off Trade stores and Chain Stores. Our distribution footprint is very strong, and McConnell’s is a brand that is ready to make its mark again.

McConnell’s is a brand for everyone, a brand with strong industrial origins. The McConnell’s portfolio of whisky was born in Belfast in 1776 - made for all and enjoyed by all. The city that created McConnell’s was an industrial powerhouse of engineering, manufacturing, and distilling. That’s where our whisky was enjoyed day in and day out and now, we are restoring that legend to where it belongs.

That’s exactly why we have opened our state-of-the-art McConnell’s Distillery and Visitor Experience in 2024 – playing our part in Bringing Distilling back to Belfast

Reporting to the CEO, you will further develop distributor networks, drive sales volume and value, in order to grow market share and deliver a positive P&L performance. In addition, you will be an integral member of the team that is “Bringing Distilling Back to Belfast”.

The Role:

• Build, maintain and improve Route to Market for Belfast Distillery Company, partnering with customers and distributors around the globe.
• Maximise the opportunity which exists for the McConnell’s brand within the growing Irish Whiskey category. Manage a commercial P&L delivering objectives across all key lines to deliver the annual plan/budget.
• Work with customers and distributors to plan, develop, execute, and evaluate BTL marketing programmes to drive rate of sale and win market share.
• Provide input to brand marketing within the organisation to continually improve our brand building capabilities.
• Build and maintain strong relations with colleagues within Belfast Distillery Company to support a great working culture within the team.
• Develop the commercial organisation of the future and lead the recruitment / training of new staff to the team.
• Develop great external relations with industry stakeholders, influencers, customers and distributors.
• Work with Finance Team to continuously improve key metrics such as Gross Margin and CAAP.

The Ideal Candidate:

• Degree level education
• Proven track record of at least 5 years in a sales leadership role (ideally international)
• Proven experience with diverse types of brand building activities
• Team player with people management experience
• Strong track record in budget management and evaluation of spend
• Comfortable in a hands-on role, process driven with high attention to detail
• Strong negotiation skills, excellent in pricing/margin calculations
• Effective communicator who is passionate about brand building
• Self-starter, with the resilience and the ability to work independently
• Ability to inspire and influence colleagues, customers and distributors
• Ability to manage multi priorities and complex projects at one time
• Naturally inquisitive, self-motivated and results orientated
• Ability to challenge conventional thinking and propose creative solutions
• Willingness to travel frequently