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Vice President, Head of CPG Center of Excellence

About Harmelin Media:

Harmelin Media is a full-service media planning and buying agency headquartered in Bala Cynwyd, PA (Philadelphia).  Harmelin also operates account service offices in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Chicago. Over the past thirty-nine years, we have grown into one of the largest independent media agencies in the country with billings well in excess of half a billion dollars. In addition to digital and traditional media planning and placement, Harmelin operates specialties in eCommerce, influencer marketing, SEO, content marketing, data and analytics and other emerging marketing channels.

 

Our growth has been driven by our commitment to our clients, our employees and our community. We pride ourselves on customizing strategy to each client and evolving roles to fit each employee’s strengths. The proof is in the unparalleled tenure of both our clients and our staff and in our being named one of Ad Age’s Best Places to Work in 2021 (#2 among media agencies).

 

If you are looking for a career that offers opportunities to forge a strategic vision, nurture key client relationships in the advertising industry and provide thought leadership in the consumer packaged goods vertical, Harmelin is interested in learning more about you!

 

Position Overview:

Harmelin Media has a position available for a Vice President and Head of our CPG Center of Excellence. This opening is due to the planned retirement of our current practice lead in late 2022 (we are allowing for significant overlap to ensure a smooth transition). The preferred candidate would be based either in Philadelphia, Chicago or California, but qualified candidates from anywhere in the U.S. will be considered.

 

The Vice President will provide strategic leadership for one of the largest vertical specialties within the agency.  As the head of the CPG Center of Excellence, the candidate must apply groundbreaking media strategy to advance the ATL and BTL executions on behalf of our clients and infuse innovation across Harmelin’s CPG clients with an eye toward sales and market share growth across all relevant channels. The Vice President will also support Harmelin’s New Business Team in courting and acquiring new CPG clients for the agency.

 

In this role, you will provide direct account leadership for the Blue Diamond Growers client. Blue Diamond (maker of snack nuts, Almond Breeze Almond Milk, Nut Thins and other products) is headquartered in Sacramento, CA; the primary client contact is based in Chicago; the Harmelin account service team is based in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. You will also provide consultative leadership for Harmelin’s other CPG accounts as well.

 

The role will involve interacting with senior leadership at each client, participation in client meetings, leading development of strategic ATL/BTL plans, analyzing sales results, IRI/Nielsen and MMM data, and providing thought leadership and education to both clients and Harmelin’s AEs, planners and buyers. For the Blue Diamond account, additional responsibilities will include addressing daily account service needs, managing the account team’s activities, participation in status meetings, providing frequent POVs on new opportunities and ensuring overall client satisfaction.

 

VP, Head of CPG Center of Excellence Responsibilities:

This role will be fast-paced and will incorporate the following areas:

    • Relationship Building & Nurturing – You will serve as the senior client contact for Blue Diamond. You will proactively maintain client relationships, anticipate needs, and be reactive and responsive. You will cultivate strong relationships with the most senior staff at Blue Diamond and Harmelin’s other CPG clients with an eye toward earning client loyalty and, as possible the expansion of Harmelin’s services. You will actively engage with key personnel at Blue Diamond’s other marketing agencies to ensure collaborative services delivery and strategy. You will manage relationships with each CPG account team at Harmelin – employees who may or may not be official direct reports.
    • Strategic Media Planning – You will play a lead role in ongoing media strategy for Blue Diamond, both during formal planning periods as well as ad hoc strategic optimizations based upon business results and changing market conditions. You will introduce leading edge, “new to the client” executions of paid media to ensure that each media plan is relevant to changing consumer patterns. You will utilize and interpret in-house, online and client data to inform overall media strategy, including but not limited to deep target audience analysis, budget recommendations, media channel optimizations, and media flighting and weighting. For other Harmelin CPG clients you will work with day-to-day account teams to infuse innovation into every media plan and provide guidance and leadership as required for each client.
    • Education – You will keep yourself informed of the latest developments in the consumer packaged goods landscape, through both online resources and Harmelin’s deep consumer insights tools. You will actively work to keep both Harmelin’s CPG clients and our internal staff up to date on industry trends and be the primary agency resource for knowledge within the vertical.

 

Other Responsibilities:

    • Depending upon the candidate and location, this position may or may not have direct employee supervisory duties. The candidate is expected to maintain ‘dotted-line’ supervision over the Blue Diamond account team and account executives for other CPG clients.
    • If not based in Philadelphia, maintain contact with management at Philadelphia headquarters, including a minimum of four in-person visits to Philadelphia annually (post-Covid).
    • Work with Harmelin’s New Business Team to aid prospecting of new CPG clients, including conducting primary research, building capabilities and strategic presentations, and serving as a member of a pitch team.
    • Participation in monthly executive team meetings with Harmelin’s senior staff and in annual company executive meeting each November.

 

Keys to Success:

You should have a strong commitment to client satisfaction with the following qualifications:

    • 15+ years’ experience in consumer packaged goods media and strategic planning, either with media and advertising agencies, client-direct, industry vendors or other direct media experience
    • Must be a digitally-forward media thinker with integrated planning experience. Familiarity with national TV upfront /scatter marketplace desired including connected TV, AVOD, etc.
    • Excellent presentation, communication and interpersonal skills
    • Ability to collaborate and build relationships with clients, partner agencies, vendors and co-workers
    • Must be a self-starter with initiative and have a positive, proactive attitude
    • Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple complex client relationships simultaneously
    • Effective prioritization skills, excellent organizational skills
    • Excellent computer skills including Microsoft Office (esp. Excel and PowerPoint)

 

Benefits:

    • Salary negotiable based on experience
    • Healthcare coverage
    • Life Insurance
    • Long Term Disability
    • 401K
    • Generous paid time off and holidays
    • AFLAC and Flex Spending Accounts
    • EOY medical reimbursement
    • Health Advocate healthcare assistance program
    • Fitness club reimbursement
    • Professional and personal development allowance
    • Legal services and identity theft protection

 

Harmelin Media is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

 

Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter to opportunities@harmelin.com.