Marketing Manager - Homecare & Foods UI MYSG
📍 Job Overview
Job Title: Marketing Manager - Homecare & Foods UI MYSG
Company: Unilever
Location: Singapore, Singapore
Job Type: Full-Time
Category: Marketing & Brand Management
Date Posted: 2026-01-09
Experience Level: 10+ Years
Remote Status: On-site
🚀 Role Summary
- This role is pivotal in driving the growth strategy for Unilever International's Homecare and Foods categories within the MYSG (Malaysia, Singapore, and Greater China) region.
- The Marketing Manager will be responsible for developing and executing integrated business plans and marketing roadmaps, focusing on purposeful brand building and social-first demand generation.
- Key to success will be identifying and capitalizing on white-space opportunities through relevant innovation and optimized marketing investments.
- This position requires a strategic, entrepreneurial, and consumer-obsessed individual with a strong track record in FMCG brand building, particularly in digital and social-first marketing.
📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw job description focuses heavily on marketing functions, the context of "Unilever International" as Unilever's "White Space Arm" and its focus on "filling white spaces," "intrapreneurship," and "establishing global white space businesses in key channels" suggests a strong emphasis on market expansion, strategic planning, and business model innovation. This implies that operational rigor in market entry, supply chain coordination, and cross-functional alignment will be as critical as traditional marketing execution. The role's emphasis on P&L management and A&P investment optimization also points to a need for strong business operations acumen beyond pure marketing.
📈 Primary Responsibilities
- Lead the Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process and define the category strategy for Homecare and Foods, aligning global priorities with local market insights.
- Manage the Profit & Loss (P&L) for the assigned categories, ensuring ruthless prioritization of Advertising & Promotion (A&P) investments for sustainable growth.
- Drive a comprehensive portfolio strategy across Unilever's Homecare and Foods brands, identifying opportunities for expansion and optimization.
- Develop and deploy best-in-class digital marketing programs, including social media, search engine marketing, performance marketing, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) initiatives.
- Orchestrate ATL (Above-the-Line) and BTL (Below-the-Line) campaigns, ensuring integrated communication plans deliver maximum impact.
- Champion innovation by identifying white-space opportunities and influencing New Product Development (NPD) choices to meet unmet consumer needs.
- Collaborate closely with Business Unit Leads and cross-functional teams (Finance, Supply Chain, RA/QA, Social Hub) to scale brands and ensure executional excellence.
- Analyze campaign Return on Investment (ROI) and consumer metrics to continuously optimize performance and drive efficiency.
- Lead and manage relationships with media and activation agencies, ensuring timely and impactful product launches and marketing initiatives.
📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic brand building and operational execution. The mention of "ruthlessly prioritize A&P investments" and "Analyze campaign ROI and consumer metrics to optimize performance" highlights a need for strong analytical skills and a data-driven approach, crucial for operations roles. The requirement to "Partner BU Leads and cross-functional teams" underscores the importance of collaboration and process management within a complex organization like Unilever.
🎓 Skills & Qualifications
Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field is typically expected for a Managerial role of this scope within FMCG.
Experience: Over 10 years of experience in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, with a proven track record in building brands globally, especially leveraging digital marketing and social-first strategies.
Required Skills:
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop long-term category visions and translate them into actionable plans.
- Adaptability & Entrepreneurial Mindset: Willingness to explore unchartered territories and embrace a founder's mentality.
- Digital Marketing Expertise: Proficiency in social media, search, performance marketing, and DTC strategies.
- Business Acumen & Analytical Skills: Strong understanding of P&L management, ROI analysis, and consumer metric interpretation.
- Communication, Negotiation & Influencing Skills: Ability to effectively engage with senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Experience leading and working within diverse teams to achieve common goals.
- Consumer Obsession: Deep understanding and passion for consumers, shoppers, and customers.
- Execution Excellence: Strong attention to detail and a passion for delivering impactful results.
- Brand Building: Proven experience in developing and scaling brands.
- Campaign Management: Ability to plan, execute, and analyze integrated marketing campaigns.
Preferred Skills:
- Experience in "white space" market entry or establishing new businesses within a large organization.
- Familiarity with Unilever's specific brand portfolio and market dynamics.
- Strong network with customers and senior stakeholders within the Unilever business ecosystem.
- Experience in managing agency relationships for optimal performance and delivery.
📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+ years" requirement, coupled with the emphasis on "building brands globally," "digital marketing," and "social first," points to a senior role that requires not just tactical marketing skills but also strategic oversight and a deep understanding of market dynamics and consumer behavior on a global scale. The "maverick" and "don't take no for an answer" descriptors highlight the need for proactive problem-solving and resilience, essential for navigating complex operational challenges in new markets.
📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Demonstrate a portfolio showcasing successful global brand building initiatives, with a specific emphasis on digital and social-first strategies.
- Include case studies or examples of how you have identified and capitalized on "white-space" market opportunities.
- Provide evidence of managing P&L and optimizing A&P investments, illustrating measurable business impact and ROI.
- Showcase examples of driving innovation, from identifying unmet needs to influencing NPD choices and successful market launches.
- Illustrate experience in managing cross-functional teams and driving executional excellence for integrated marketing campaigns.
Process Documentation:
- Examples of developing and executing Integrated Business Plans (IBP) and category strategies.
- Documentation of campaign management processes, including ATL/BTL integration and agency collaboration.
- Case studies detailing the analysis of campaign ROI and consumer metrics for performance optimization.
- Evidence of adapting business models or strategies to serve underserved channels or consumer segments.
📝 Enhancement Note: For a role like this, a portfolio is crucial to demonstrate practical application of strategic marketing principles within a business context. The emphasis on "white space," "intrapreneurship," and "serving the underserved" means candidates should highlight projects that show initiative, market expansion, and creative problem-solving. Demonstrating experience with P&L management and ROI analysis is critical to showcase operational and financial acumen.
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Marketing Manager role with 10+ years of experience in Singapore, a competitive salary is expected. While specific figures are not provided, the range could typically fall between SGD 100,000 to SGD 160,000 annually, depending on the candidate's specific experience, track record, and negotiation.
Benefits:
- Comprehensive health insurance coverage.
- Retirement savings plans (e.g., CPF contributions in Singapore).
- Generous paid time off (vacation, sick leave, public holidays).
- Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.
- Employee discounts on Unilever products.
- Potential for performance-based bonuses.
- Access to Unilever's global network and resources.
Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are expected, typically around 40 hours per week. However, given the dynamic nature of the role and Unilever International's "SPEED" mantra, flexibility and a willingness to go the extra mile may be required, especially during critical launch periods or market expansion initiatives.
📝 Enhancement Note: Singapore's employment landscape often involves statutory contributions like CPF. For senior roles, performance-based bonuses are common. The "SPEED" mantra from Unilever International suggests that while standard hours are the baseline, the role might demand a higher level of commitment and agility, aligning with the "intrapreneurial" spirit.
🎯 Team & Company Context
🏢 Company Culture
Industry: Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), specifically focused on beauty, personal care, home care, and foods. Unilever is a global leader with a significant impact on daily consumer lives. Company Size: Unilever is a massive multinational corporation, employing over 127,000 people globally, with a significant presence in Singapore. This size offers vast resources, global reach, and diverse career opportunities. Founded: Unilever was founded in 1929 through the merger of Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie. Its long history provides stability and a deep understanding of consumer markets.
Team Structure:
- The role reports to the "Head of Marketing UI MYSG," indicating a clear reporting line within the Unilever International (UI) division for the Malaysia, Singapore, and Greater China region.
- The Marketing Manager will work closely with the UI Business Group Team, Global Brand Teams, Business Unit Teams, Channel Development Teams, Finance, Supply Chain, RA/QA, and the Social Hub Team.
- Collaboration is key, extending to external partners like Media and Activation Agencies. This structure emphasizes cross-functional integration and matrixed reporting.
Methodology:
- Unilever International operates with a "SPEED" mantra, emphasizing rapid market entry, agility, and an entrepreneurial approach to serving underserved markets and consumers.
- The company embraces "intrapreneurship," encouraging employees to act as internal entrepreneurs to identify and develop new business opportunities.
- A "founder's mentality" and a commitment to "serving the underserved" are core operational philosophies for UI.
- Data-driven decision-making is implied through the responsibility for P&L management and ROI analysis, alongside a focus on consumer insights.
Company Website: https://www.unilever.com/
📝 Enhancement Note: Unilever's culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on purpose-driven brands, sustainability, and innovation. Unilever International, in particular, fosters an entrepreneurial and fast-paced environment, distinct from traditional corporate structures, which is crucial for candidates to understand. The "intrapreneur" and "founder's mentality" aspects are key differentiators for UI.
📈 Career & Growth Analysis
Operations Career Level: This is a Senior Managerial role, falling under the "Marketing Manager" title with over 10 years of experience. It signifies a significant level of responsibility, strategic input, and leadership within the marketing and business development functions of Unilever International. Reporting Structure: The role reports directly to the "Head of Marketing UI MYSG," placing it at a critical juncture for category strategy and execution within a key regional division. This provides visibility to senior leadership and direct influence on business outcomes. Operations Impact: The Marketing Manager will directly shape the growth vision and strategy for two of UI's most strategic categories (Homecare and Foods) in a premium showcase market (Singapore). Success here will drive significant revenue growth, market share expansion, and contribute to Unilever International's overall mission of filling white spaces and serving the underserved, thereby impacting the company's global performance and growth trajectory.
Growth Opportunities:
- Regional/Global Leadership: Successful performance in this role can lead to opportunities for broader regional responsibilities or even global leadership roles within Unilever International or other Unilever divisions.
- Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific categories (Homecare/Foods) or channels (E-commerce, Discounters) within the UI framework.
- Cross-Functional Development: Gain exposure and experience in areas like supply chain, finance, and channel development through close collaboration.
- Entrepreneurial Ventures: The "intrapreneur" culture within UI provides avenues to lead new initiatives and potentially develop entirely new business models or brands.
📝 Enhancement Note: The role is positioned at a level where strategic impact is high. Growth is likely to be lateral into broader regional roles or vertical into more senior leadership positions, especially within the dynamic UI division. The emphasis on "white space" and "intrapreneurship" suggests that candidates who can demonstrate agility and innovation will be highly valued for future leadership opportunities.
🌐 Work Environment
Office Type: The role is based at the Unilever Campus in Singapore, which likely offers a modern, well-equipped corporate office environment. This typically includes collaborative workspaces, meeting rooms, and amenities designed to support productivity and employee well-being. Office Location(s): Unilever Campus, Singapore. Singapore is a global hub known for its business infrastructure, talent pool, and strategic location in Southeast Asia, offering excellent connectivity and a high quality of life.
Workspace Context:
- The environment is expected to be fast-paced and dynamic, reflecting Unilever International's "SPEED" mantra and entrepreneurial culture.
- Collaboration is a cornerstone, with significant interaction expected with diverse internal teams (Business Units, Global Brands, Finance, Supply Chain, Social Hub) and external agencies.
- Access to Unilever's extensive resources, data analytics tools, and global best practices will be available, supporting data-driven decision-making and execution.
Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is typical, the "intrapreneurial" and "speed is our currency" ethos suggests that flexibility and a commitment to meeting business objectives, especially during critical project phases, will be necessary. The role requires proactive engagement and responsiveness to market dynamics.
📝 Enhancement Note: The Singapore campus environment is likely designed to foster collaboration and innovation. Candidates should be prepared for a high-energy, results-oriented workplace that values agility and proactive problem-solving, aligning with the specific operational demands of Unilever International.
📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process
Interview Process:
- Initial Screening: A review of your CV and application to assess alignment with the core requirements, particularly the 10+ years of FMCG experience, digital marketing expertise, and entrepreneurial drive.
- Hiring Manager Interview: An in-depth discussion with the "Head of Marketing UI MYSG" to explore your strategic thinking, experience in brand building, P&L management, and ability to operate in a "white space" environment. Expect questions around past successes, challenges, and your approach to problem-solving.
- Case Study/Presentation: Candidates may be asked to prepare and present a case study on a relevant topic, such as a market expansion strategy, a digital marketing campaign plan, or an innovation proposal for a specific category. This assesses your strategic planning, analytical, and presentation skills.
- Cross-Functional/Panel Interview: Interviews with key stakeholders from other departments (e.g., Sales, Finance, Supply Chain) to evaluate your collaboration skills, business acumen, and ability to influence across functions.
- Final Interview: Potentially with a more senior leader within Unilever International to assess cultural fit and overall leadership potential.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Highlight "White Space" Successes: Showcase projects where you identified and exploited untapped market opportunities, demonstrating your entrepreneurial spirit and ability to build businesses from the ground up.
- Quantify Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the business objectives, your role, the strategies employed (especially digital/social), and the measurable outcomes (e.g., market share growth, revenue increase, ROI). Use specific metrics.
- Showcase P&L Management: Include examples where you managed budgets, optimized A&P spend, and demonstrated financial acumen leading to profitable growth.
- Demonstrate Innovation: Detail how you identified consumer needs, influenced NPD, and successfully launched new products or campaigns.
- Emphasize Collaboration: Provide examples of how you successfully partnered with cross-functional teams and external agencies to achieve complex goals.
- Tailor to UI: Frame your experiences within the context of Unilever International's mission – serving the underserved, speed, and an entrepreneurial approach.
Challenge Preparation:
- Be ready to discuss your approach to Integrated Business Planning (IBP) and how you prioritize investments for maximum impact.
- Prepare to articulate your understanding of digital marketing trends and how you deploy social-first strategies for demand generation.
- Anticipate questions about managing brand portfolios, driving innovation, and navigating complex stakeholder relationships.
- Practice presenting your achievements concisely and persuasively, focusing on the "so what" – the business impact.
📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a role like this at Unilever International will heavily scrutinize strategic thinking, execution capability, and cultural fit with the company's entrepreneurial ethos. A well-curated portfolio that demonstrates tangible results in market expansion, digital marketing, and P&L management will be critical for success.
🛠 Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Tools:
- CRM & Sales Platforms: While not explicitly mentioned, familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and sales enablement tools is beneficial for understanding customer engagement and channel performance.
- Project Management Software: Tools like Asana, Trello, or Microsoft Project may be used for managing campaign timelines, cross-functional projects, and NPD launches.
- Digital Marketing Platforms: Proficiency with Google Ads, Meta Ads Manager, social media management tools (e.g., Hootsuite, Sprout Social), and potentially SEO tools.
Analytics & Reporting:
- Data Analysis Tools: Experience with data analysis software such as Microsoft Excel (advanced functions), Google Analytics, and potentially business intelligence tools like Tableau or Power BI for performance tracking and reporting.
- Market Research Tools: Familiarity with syndicated data providers (e.g., Nielsen, Kantar) for market share, consumer insights, and competitive analysis.
- Internal Unilever Systems: Likely access to Unilever's proprietary market intelligence and sales reporting systems.
CRM & Automation:
- Marketing Automation: Experience with marketing automation platforms (e.g., HubSpot, Marketo) for campaign execution and lead nurturing, especially relevant for DTC initiatives.
- Business Intelligence Dashboards: Ability to interpret and leverage data from dashboards that track key performance indicators (KPIs) across sales, marketing, and finance.
📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools aren't listed, the responsibilities imply a need for strong analytical capabilities and familiarity with digital marketing platforms. Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they leverage data and technology to drive marketing strategy, optimize campaigns, and manage P&Ls. The "Social Hub Team" suggests an integrated approach to social media management and analytics.
👥 Team Culture & Values
Operations Values:
- Speed & Agility: A core tenet is "Speed is our currency," meaning rapid decision-making, execution, and adaptation are highly valued.
- Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship: A "founder's mentality" and the drive to act as an "intrapreneur" to explore new markets and business models.
- Consumer Obsession: A deep focus on understanding and serving consumer needs, especially those that are currently underserved.
- Collaboration & Winning Together: Emphasis on teamwork, cross-functional alignment, and achieving collective success.
- Purpose-Driven Impact: A commitment to making a difference, not just in business results but also in contributing positively through Unilever's brands and initiatives.
Collaboration Style:
- Cross-Functional Integration: Strong emphasis on working seamlessly with diverse teams (Business Units, Global Brands, Finance, Supply Chain) to ensure strategic alignment and executional excellence.
- Agency Partnership: Effective management and collaboration with external media and activation agencies to deliver impactful campaigns and launches.
- Stakeholder Management: Ability to influence and build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across the organization and with external partners.
- Feedback & Learning Culture: An environment that encourages continuous improvement through open communication, feedback exchange, and learning from both successes and failures.
📝 Enhancement Note: Unilever International's culture is distinct from traditional corporate environments. It's about being a "maverick," taking initiative, and driving fast growth in challenging markets. Candidates must demonstrate an alignment with these values, particularly the entrepreneurial drive and a bias for action.
⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Challenges:
- Navigating "White Spaces": Operating in underdeveloped or untapped markets requires a high degree of adaptability, market insight, and creative problem-solving to overcome logistical, cultural, and competitive hurdles.
- Balancing Global Strategy with Local Execution: Ensuring that global brand strategies are effectively localized and implemented in diverse and potentially nascent markets.
- Prioritizing Investments: Ruthlessly prioritizing A&P investments in a P&L-managed environment to ensure maximum ROI and sustainable growth.
- Driving Innovation in Underserved Segments: Identifying and developing relevant innovations for niche consumer groups or channels that may lack established routes to market.
- Managing Agency Performance: Ensuring external agency partners deliver high-quality, impactful work within tight timelines and budgets.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- Strategic Brand Building: Deepen expertise in developing and scaling brands in complex and evolving markets.
- Digital & Social Media Mastery: Enhance skills in cutting-edge digital marketing strategies and social-first demand generation.
- P&L Management & Financial Acumen: Develop robust capabilities in financial planning, investment optimization, and ROI analysis.
- Cross-Cultural Leadership: Gain experience leading diverse teams and collaborating with stakeholders across different cultural contexts.
- Intrapreneurial Skill Development: Hone skills in identifying new business opportunities, developing business cases, and driving new ventures within a large organization.
📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges in this role are directly tied to Unilever International's core mission of expanding into new territories and serving unmet needs. This presents significant opportunities for personal and professional growth in areas critical to modern business expansion and brand management.
💡 Interview Preparation
Strategy Questions:
- "Describe a time you identified and successfully entered a 'white space' market or launched a brand in an underserved segment. What was your approach, and what were the key challenges and outcomes?" (Assesses entrepreneurial drive, market analysis, and execution.)
- "How do you approach Integrated Business Planning (IBP) for a category? Walk me through your process for prioritizing A&P investments to maximize ROI." (Tests strategic planning, financial acumen, and prioritization skills.)
- "What are the most critical elements of a successful social-first demand generation strategy for FMCG brands in Southeast Asia? How would you measure its success?" (Evaluates digital marketing expertise and analytical approach.)
Company & Culture Questions:
- "What excites you most about Unilever International's mission and its 'SPEED' mantra? How does your personal work style align with this?" (Gauges cultural fit and understanding of UI's ethos.)
- "Describe a situation where you had to influence senior stakeholders or cross-functional teams to adopt a new marketing strategy or innovation. What was your approach, and what was the result?" (Assesses influencing and collaboration skills.)
- "How do you stay consumer-obsessed and ensure your marketing strategies truly meet unmet consumer needs, particularly in emerging markets?" (Probes consumer insight generation and application.)
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Structure: Organize your portfolio around key themes: Market Expansion/White Space, Digital/Social Strategy, P&L Management/ROI, Innovation, and Cross-Functional Leadership.
- Storytelling: For each case study, create a compelling narrative: the challenge, your strategic approach, the operational execution (tools, teams, processes), and the measurable business impact.
- Data Visualization: Use clear charts and graphs to present metrics, ROI, market share growth, and campaign performance. Keep it concise and impactful.
- UI Context: Explicitly link your experiences to Unilever International's goals – serving the underserved, speed, and entrepreneurship. Highlight how your skills can directly contribute to UI's success in MYSG.
- Conciseness: Be prepared to present your most impactful examples within a limited timeframe, focusing on the strategic rationale and business outcomes.
📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating a blend of strategic marketing acumen, strong operational execution capabilities, and a genuine alignment with Unilever International's unique entrepreneurial and "white space" culture. Candidates should be ready to back up claims with concrete examples and quantifiable results.
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this Marketing Manager position:
- Submit your application through the Unilever careers portal via the provided link.
- Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your 10+ years of FMCG experience, specifically emphasizing global brand building, digital marketing, social media strategy, P&L management, and any experience in "white space" markets or with underserved consumer segments. Use keywords from the job description.
- Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate a portfolio that showcases your most relevant achievements. Focus on case studies demonstrating market expansion, innovative digital campaigns, measurable ROI, and successful cross-functional collaboration. Quantify results wherever possible.
- Research Unilever International: Deeply understand Unilever International's mission, values, and operating model ("SPEED," "intrapreneurship," "serving the underserved"). Be prepared to articulate how your experience and mindset align with this unique business unit.
- Practice Interview Responses: Rehearse answers to common interview questions, focusing on the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions and preparing strategic responses for case study-style questions. Practice presenting your portfolio concisely.
⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.
Application Requirements
Candidates should have over 10 years of experience in FMCG, particularly in digital marketing and brand building. Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills are essential, along with a collaborative mindset.