Director, Marketing - Grieg Seafood BC Ltd.

Director, Marketing
GRIEG SEAFOOD BC LTD.

Organizational Overview

General

With perfect salmon farming temperature conditions (between 7-15 degrees Celsius) in the waters off Vancouver Island and close proximity to the American market, Grieg Seafood ASA saw that establishing a unit based in this area was crucial and therefore the Canadian operations of Grieg Seafood, known as Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. and located in Campbell River, became part of the company in 2001. Campbell River, known as the “Salmon Capital of the World”, is a popular tourist destination for marine enthusiasts and outdoor recreationists. Encircled by mountains and water, this peaceful community hosts several marine and wilderness parks, five golf courses, historic sites, various forms of wildlife, numerous marinas, boat launches and anchorages, and of course unlimited fishing locales.

The company’s activities have expanded over the years with farm sites now located in Nootka Sound and on the East Coast of Vancouver Island. In January 2007, Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. purchased 8 farm sites in Sechelt, a small coastal community located North West of Vancouver. Grieg BC holds 21 farm licences, has its own hatchery located in Gold River, and owns a small processing plant on BC’s Sunshine Coast, in Egmont. The Canadian operations have grown significantly over the last ten years, from an initial harvest of just 600MT in 2000 to a current sustainable production capacity of approximately 16,000MT. Turnover is in excess of $90M per annum with sales to the North American market, predominantly in the USA market.

British Columbians are passionate about the environment and Grieg Seafood BC Ltd. shares their communities’ commitment to sustainability. The company has established best management practices and industry standards that exceed government requirements through a program of continuous improvement to reduce the impact on the environment and its inhabitants.

Grieg Seafood BC is one of three salmon production regions for Grieg Seafood ASA. It is one of the world’s leading fish farming companies, specializing in salmon and trout with a total annual production capacity of approximately 80 000 tonnes. Headquartered in Bergen, Norway with units also in Shetland (UK), Grieg Seafood was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in June 2007 and employs approximately 410 people worldwide. The company was established to develop the huge potential of the cold northern oceans for farmed seafood. Grieg Seafood commands all aspects of salmon farming, from production of brood stock and eggs to the preparation of gutted and filleted fresh and frozen fish, packed and shipped directly to customers.

Grieg Seafood’s vision of being a leading aquaculture company is based on profitable growth, the sustainable use of nature and being a preferred supplier to selected customers. Grieg Seafood strives to meet their customers’ needs by efficiently and effectively delivering the highest quality products available to their clients around the world.

Grieg’s quality and customer service focuses on:

• Customer requirements, reliability and continuous year-round supply.
• Fresh and healthy products with optimal nutritional values.
• Full traceability and focus on food safety of products and raw materials.
• Strict quality control and sustainability of raw materials.
• Animal welfare and environmental impacts.

For more information about Grieg Seafood, please visit
http://www.griegseafood.com

Director, Marketing
GRIEG SEAFOOD BC LTD.

Position Responsibilities

General

Reporting to the Managing Director, Canada, the Director, Marketing is responsible for ensuring that Grieg BC has an effective marketing and communications strategy to achieve both long term strategic objectives and short term sales and profit goals, and for maximizing the value of the Grieg Seafood BC Ltd brand. The Director, Marketing will also develop and deliver value-for-money initiatives and campaigns that will drive the development of premium product lines and ensure that Grieg BC’s marketing strategy optimizes direct channels to the hospitality sector.

Specific Responsibilities

Strategy

• Leads the development/refinement of the company’s marketing and communications strategy to maximize both brand value and sales

• Leads the transition of Grieg BC from a production-driven to a Marketing/Sales-driven organization

• As a key member of the Grieg BC management team, contributes to the development of the overall business strategy and drive the future growth of the company

• Part of a dynamic team that develops strategies, determines negotiation tactics and provides creative problem solving in a wide range of negotiation circumstances

Budget

• Overall management of the company’s marketing budget

• Effectively manages project budgets and ensures that all financial plans are consistent with overall department and corporate guidelines and initiatives

Growth

• Sets the course and development of North American market growth and sales

• Identifies and develops partner relationships that enhance brand value and growth opportunities specifically within boutique target groups to elevate the brand to a premium level

• Develops and directs the implementation of metrics to measure the success of integrated campaigns

• Monitors internal and external brand and communication trends to ensure emerging opportunities are capitalized upon

Marketing Operations

• Leads the overall marketing and product management function and is responsible for efficiency of operations, creativity of solutions and market driven strategies to drive growth

• Leads all facets of marketing, including: corporate communications, full cycle product development, marketing research, competitive analysis and brand strategy, website and online initiatives, and product promotion/merchandising initiatives

• Acts as brand champion to ensure all Grieg BC products are consistent with the company’s branding strategy

• Drives the development of new product lines which support and enhance the Grieg BC brand

• Ensures that Grieg BC’s online marketing optimizes the success of the company’s brand

• Develop strong relationships with and achieves high performance from, external advertising resources including advertising agencies and media agencies

• Adopts a leadership role in the development of strategic partnerships to broaden product offerings and/or increase market penetration

• Partners with, and adds value to, the Sales team as appropriate

Leadership

• Builds a successful professional team able to adapt to changing company strategy and the demands of the marketplace/growth

• Ensures the delivery of value-for-money initiatives and campaigns through the active leadership of a highly-skilled, dedicated marketing department

• Identifies future leaders; mentors and develops the leadership capabilities of staff

Reporting Relationships

Reports To:

• Managing Director

Relates To:

• General Manager, Corporate Services

• General Manager, Production

• Director, Sustainability & Growth

• DDB Canada

Director, Marketing
GRIEG SEAFOOD BC LTD.

Candidate Requirements

General

The ideal candidate is a highly respected, creative, marketing professional with a proven background as a senior marketing leader with extensive experience in expanding brand awareness and developing new products and marketing initiatives that have contributed to the continued growth and success of their present organization. In addition, you bring a solid understanding of the latest consumer marketing strategies, including leveraging strategic partners to further enhance the high quality of the brand.

Education & Experience

• A university degree in Marketing or Business

• 10+ years professional marketing experience with 5 years at senior management level

• An innovative, strategic thinker with a thorough understanding of marketing and its integration within various business strategies

• A demonstrable track record of success in the development, execution and financial management of short, medium and long-range marketing initiatives

• Significant Brand Management experience, ideally with direct experience of developing a successful, quality brand for the North American B2B or B2C market

• Expertise in internet marketing operations plus a track record of developing and launching new product lines

Knowledge

• Direct marketing knowledge of the consumer goods and retail industries

• A good understanding of B2B and B2C marketing operations

• Knowledge of North American and international marketing strategies, trends and best practices

• Broad-based business knowledge including financial management, sales and operations

Skills

• Strong relationship management skills that build effective networks of internal and external business contacts

• Excellent communication, presentation, facilitation, negotiation, conflict resolution and interpersonal skills

• Demonstrated diplomacy with the ability to establish a high level of rapport and communicate effectively with people in a variety of positions, at all levels

• Highly developed analytical and decision-making skills

Abilities

• Ability to think strategically within a broad conceptual framework

• Ability to develop policies, strategies and tools to support the business needs around marketing, communications and digital media

• Ability to obtain buy-in for new ideas, leading and managing subsequent change

• Ability to build and maintain productive relationships with key stakeholders

• Ability to thrive in a rapidly changing business environment

• Ability to adopt a flexible and proactive approach to problem resolution, pre-empting problems and capitalizing on opportunities

Leadership Skills

• Strong leadership skills, with demonstrated experience leading a management team

• Capable of leading change within a corporate environment

• Understands and respects the value of diversity within a team

• Helps teams to “connect the dots” and work as a cohesive unit, drawing on the strengths of all team members

• A strong mentor and developer of others who leads by example

• Approachable. Believes in an open-door management style. Welcomes input from colleagues

Personal Characteristics

• Strong team player capable of building productive relationships with all members of a management team and key stakeholders

• Highly collaborative. Reaches out to other business units to achieve common goals

• Challenges the status quo and is able to think “outside the box.” Takes an innovative approach to problem solving

• Comfortable making difficult decisions and able to confidently support their own decisions and those of the company

• Resourceful

• Is able to use persuasive influence to move the organization forward

• Strong customer focus – delivers results

• Mature, self-sufficient and self-motivated. Takes ownership of projects and tasks

• An innovative and creative thinker who presents ideas effectively

• Exhibits sound judgment when making complex decisions

• Sets realistic goals and objectives for him/herself

• Honest and trustworthy. Leads by example

• Respected for his/her credibility and professionalism

• Confident, decisive and persuasive

• Flexible, adaptable and politically astute