Business Manager - Beverage Brand, Switzerland

About the role

The Advocate Group is recruiting, on behalf of a high-growth global beverage brand, a Business Manager to lead the business in Switzerland. It is described as a genuine business ownership role: you will own volume, profit, market share and distribution end to end, working through a bottling partner to turn regional strategy into results on the shelf. Reporting to the regional VP, you will have the autonomy to make the calls and the accountability to deliver them.

Key responsibilities

• Own the Swiss P&L and annual business plan, with monthly and quarterly reviews to track performance and course correct.
• Build senior relationships with the bottling partner's leadership and hold them to agreed KPIs, priorities and execution standards.
• Drive distribution, SKU penetration, cooler placement, POS and in-store visibility across modern trade, convenience, HoReCa, petrol, wholesale and vending.
• Define customer and channel plans with the bottler and join priority customer negotiations where you add value.
• Manage trade investment with discipline, challenging spend and backing what delivers the biggest return.
• Carry out store checks, field visits and business reviews alongside the bottler's sales teams.
• Turn sell-in, sell-out and competitor data into clear insights and actions.

Required profile

• 5 to 7 years' commercial experience in FMCG, ideally across sales, key account, country or market management.
• Experience managing or influencing a bottler, distributor or route-to-market partner is a big plus.
• A proven track record of building business plans and converting them into measurable results.
• Fluent German and English; French and/or Italian would be an advantage.
• Full driving licence and willingness to travel regularly across Switzerland.

Required skills

• Strong understanding of customer economics, pricing, promotions, trade investment and P&L.
• Confidence influencing senior stakeholders without relying on formal authority.
• Hands-on and execution-focused, with a clear strategic perspective.

Applications are made through the advert; the Advocate Group acts as an employment agency for this vacancy.