Marketing and Communications Specialist

Job description

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there’s more to being in business than just making a profit. That’s the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet.  What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it’s never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It’s about how you can grab everything that’s within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It’s about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we’ll all be a little better off. It’s that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, operates six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital, CESAR®, SHEBA®, DREAMIES® and NUTRO®; Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA® and WISDOM PANEL®.

Purpose of Role: This role has primary responsibility for executing and implementing the communications strategies for THE COCOA EXCHANGE at Mars Chocolate North America.

The primary emphasis of this job is to support the annual sales and recruiting goals by providing internal and external communication regarding the business opportunity, Curator recognition, chocolate tasting parties and products. In addition, this role has a responsibility to deliver news and stories within the existing brand's strategy, keeping the business vital and contemporary. Given the start-up nature of this business, this role requires the ability to work cross-functionally and “roll-up the sleeves” as needed.

 

Principal Accountabilities

This role plays a critical role in communicating with Consumers through a variety of media and in a way that will drive and support specific behaviors. Specifically, the individual in this position will:
• Create an annual communications plan that is aligned with corporate strategic objectives.
• Create an annual social media plan that is aligned with corporate strategic objectives.
• Insure that communications priorities are front and center in event planning and execution
• Compile, edit, & write Cocoa Notes (weekly Curator publication), Chocolate Dish (quarterly Curator publication), and the Chocolate Drizzle (Monthly Customer publication)
• Consistently update and maintain the Curator Connection, TCE’s “back office” for active Curators, so that the site is current, engaging and informative.
• Identify Curator success stories and promote them internally and externally through traditional and digital media.
• Identify and manage social media opportunities.
• DSA Code Administrator
• Serve as consultant to staff on communications issues, and assist management team with articulating key messages
• Partner with PR and media agencies and act as primary point of contact for media
• Act as community manager for consumer-facing social media

 

 

Key Functional Skills/Knowledge
• Solid grasp of the TCE business, the features and benefits of our offers (chocolate and opportunity), and a command of the direct selling model.
• Enthusiasm for the business and commitment to using talents to impact business performance.
• Strategic thinking and the ability to anticipate communications opportunities and needs
• Strong investigative and interviewing skills
• Exceptional written and oral communications skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and collaborative abilities
• Strong Social Media skill and project management skills as it relates to social media
• Capable of creating a variety of communications messages, including informative, promotional, and educational, in language and style that is accessible to a diverse adult audience
• Comfortable pitching stories to local and national media
• Understanding of various media, traditional and digital, and how to maximize the impact of the message using different media.
• Solid computer skills, and the ability to adapt to new technology quickly.

Key Experiences
• A minimum of 1-3 years professional experience in a communications role, preferably at least 1 years working on external facing projects.
• Involvement in the creation of new communications tools and collateral.
• Involvement in the development of an annual communications strategy for internal and external audiences.
• Proven examples of completed communications initiatives that produced desired outcomes or action
• Proven results in creating communications programs that deliver measurable results.

 

Education
Bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism or Communication and passionate commitment to lifelong learning.

 

 

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.