Head of Trade Marketing

Organization

Grolsch is one of the most iconic breweries in the Netherlands, with a heritage dating back to 1615. Founded in Groenloby Willem Neerfeldt, the brewery has grown from a regional operation into a brand renowned for its craftsmanship and distinctive identity. The introduction of the swing-top bottle in 1897 has become a defining element of the brand, symbolizing Grolsch’s commitment to quality and differentiation. Over the centuries, Grolsch has evolved into a modern organization with international reach. Strategic mergers, acquisitions, and the development of a state-of-the-art brewery in Enschede have strengthened its position within a dynamic and competitive market. Innovation remains a core value: from brewing with two hop varieties to achieve a balanced flavor, to continuous product development in its trial brewery and investment in advanced technologies that help the brand stay relevant as consumer demands shift. The company culture is grounded in craftsmanship, authenticity, and accountability. Employees are encouraged to bring forward their ideas, take initiative, and contribute to ongoing improvements in quality and performance. The culture promotes dedication, attention to detail, and a human-centered approach to working together. Grolsch also values social responsibility: through its Time for Each Other program, employees are offered the opportunity to volunteer during working hours and support community initiatives. As part of Japan’s Asahi Group, Grolsch operates within a global network, benefiting from broader expertise, resources, and market access. At the same time, the brewery remains true to its origins: brewing with the finest ingredients, maintaining a strong product identity, and prioritizing sustainability, innovation, and quality. This combination of heritage and forward-looking ambition has enabled Grolsch to maintain a distinctive position in both the Dutch and international beer markets for more than 400 years.

Following a recent organizational restructuring, Grolsch has streamlined its commercial and support functions to improve efficiency, sharpen market focus and strengthen long-term competitiveness. As part of this transformation, the marketing organization has been redesigned to be more focused, data-driven and closely aligned with commercial priorities, strengthening brand management, trade marketing, consumer insight and activation while reducing complexity. Within this context, the role of Head of Trade Marketing has been introduced to create clear ownership of channel strategy and in-market execution. The role’s objective is to translate brand and portfolio strategy into effective trade plans, optimize promotional ROI and strengthen alignment between marketing, sales and key customers, driving sustainable volume and value growth in a highly competitive beer market.

About the position

The Head of Trade Marketing operates within a dynamic FMCG environment marked by a diverse brand portfolio, multiple sales channels (on-trade and off-trade), and an ongoing commercial transformation. The role forms the essential bridge between marketing strategy and flawless execution in the market, directly driving commercial growth and brand visibility. As part of the Asahi Europe & International cluster, commercial excellence and data-driven decision-making are key pillars.

Role Objectives

• Establish and embed trade marketing as a mature, strategic discipline within Grolsch and the France Cluster.
• Lead and coach the organization through the ongoing commercial excellence transformation, with a strong focus in the first 1–2 years on implementing new ways of working and developing the capabilities required to embed these practices into the business.
• Translate brand and portfolio strategies into impactful customer-and channel-specific execution.
• Drive commercial growth through effective channel strategy, revenue management, and shopper marketing.
• Strengthen commercial excellence through data-driven insights and seamless collaboration with sales, finance, brand marketing, and insights teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the Trade Marketing team, building organizational capability.
• Develop and implement channel, category, and commercial strategies across both on-trade and off-trade.
• Own the end-to-end translation of marketing strategy into execution, including activations, POSM development, merchandising guidelines, and cycle planning.
• Manage net revenue management, pricing & promo strategy, and commercial intelligence.
• Equip the sales organization with data-driven insights, tools, and assets to maximize impact in the market.
• Deliver annual commercial plans, monitor KPIs, and ensure operational excellence across all channels.
• Safeguard execution quality in hospitality, retail, and e-commerce, ensuring scalable and effective activations.

Job requirements

We expect the ideal Head of Trade Marketing to bring the following background and experience:

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree.
• 8–10 years commercial experience, incl. 5+ years in trade marketing, category management or shopper activation.
• Strong FMCG experience with proven success in on-trade and off-trade trade marketing.
• Solid understanding of category & channel dynamics, pricing, promotions and shopper behavior.
• Experience developing activation calendars, JBP, POSM, retail media and evaluating trade spend effectiveness.
• Comfortable operating in a matrix environment, collaborating with sales, marketing and revenue management.
• Strong analytical ability; confident using market-, category-and customer data to drive decisions.
• Skilled in managing agencies and external partners.
• Experience in building structure in evolving commercial teams and driving a new way of working.
• Strong on-trade & off-trade activation alignment across annual plans.

Package

• Grolsch offers an attractive package with salary based on background and experience, bonus 15-20% and a company car.
• You have the unique situation of joining Grolsch in a brand new position and making a difference while shaping the new organization.
• More details will be shared throughout the process.

Interested?

• Please apply through LinkedIn or contact Pieter Bas Jansen (Executive Search Consultant) for additional questions at +31 6 191 88 161 or [email protected],