Welcome to the Internal Recruitment Program

Starbucks Heritage 

The Starbucks journey in the Middle East started with Alshaya with the first store opening in Kuwait, early in 1999. Today, we operate more than 2000 Starbucks stores across 13 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Türkiye, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

We could not do this without the dedication of our 21000 green apron partners (employees) across the regions, who serve our carefully handcrafted beverages to millions of Starbucks customers each day.

To build more meaningful connections over coffee, we continue to provide the Starbucks Experience that we know our customers expect from us and meet them where and how they want us to be.

Role Profile:

We are looking for a seasoned and ‘high energy’ marketeer, who has a passion for building brands and customer experience and thrives at storytelling that’s amplified efficiently. The Head of Integrated Marketing will oversee and manage Starbucks Marketing Communication, from conception to budgeting through to execution, across all digital and offline channels, at regional and market level.

The incumbent will lead on the marketing programs and activities to support the brand positioning aligned with the expansion and to acquire and activate customers on all growth platforms including CSR and sustainability (CRM is excluded).

The incumbent will also play a key role in the digital transformation journey of Starbucks MENA, therefore will develop the integrated marketing team (with special regards to the digital channels) and the key marketing partnership with the ambition to turn Starbucks marketing in the MENA region into a high performing and best practice delivering within the Starbucks world.  S/he will ensure demonstrable return of the marketing spend using appropriate KPIs.

Key Responsibilities

Marketing Strategy & Execution:

• Contribute to the development of Starbucks’ overall marketing strategy for the MENA region.
• Refine integrated marketing communication strategies, translating them into actionable plans and budgets within the scope of responsibility.
• Oversee the design and execution of integrated marketing campaigns.
• Monitor and evaluate campaign effectiveness, ensuring alignment with established targets and KPIs.
• Continuously challenge and test the marketing channel mix to identify optimal strategies.

Customer Insight & Data-Driven Decision Making:

• Ensure marketing communication designs are rooted in relevant customer insights.
• Coach the team to transform data into actionable insights and set clear marketing goals.

Brand Consistency & Partnership Development:

• Maintain brand integrity by ensuring all marketing communications align with Starbucks’ global standards.
• Manage interactions with the EMEA Starbucks team regarding marketing communications, fostering collaboration and addressing challenges as needed.
• Oversee public relations and internal communications efforts to maintain a positive brand image and ensure consistent messaging.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with partners, such as delivery integrators and co-branding entities (e.g., major banks).
• Contribute to growth opportunities through co-marketing initiatives and optimize the online customer journey, particularly for Starbucks delivery services.

Channel Management:

• Lead the strategy, execution, and performance evaluation of all customer touchpoints aimed at awareness, acquisition, and engagement.
• Oversee channels including social media, in-store promotions, out-of-home advertising, media placements, website, SEM, and SEO.
• Drive UX improvements across websites and digital platforms by setting clear objectives and ensuring measurable performance outcomes.

 Agency Collaboration:

• Develop and manage relationships with marketing agencies, ensuring an integrated approach to collaboration.
• Provide guidance and coaching to agency partners to align with Starbucks’ marketing objectives

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Manage and nurture relationships with category managers and operations managers to ensure alignment of marketing strategies with business objectives.
• Engage with the Starbucks management team on integrated marketing initiatives.
• Share achievements and address challenges to foster transparency and collaborative problem-solving.

Requirements

• Experience leading integrated marketing functions for large, customer-facing brands, with a background in fast-paced omnichannel retail environments. Agency-side experience is a plus.
• Demonstrated success in developing and executing omnichannel customer journeys and marketing communications for prominent brands, focusing on both marketing communication and retail commerce perspectives.
• Strong track record in launching products, services, or digital products (e.g., apps) effectively.
• Proven expertise in building, upskilling, and managing high-performing marketing teams.
• Experience working within large regional and matrix organizations is advantageous.
• Arabic speaker is a strong preference.

Skills

• Integrated Marketing Strategy: Expertise in developing and implementing cohesive marketing strategies that align with business objectives and resonate across multiple channels.
• Media Planning: Proficiency in strategizing and executing effective media plans to optimize reach and engagement with target audiences.
• Digital and Social Channel Expertise: In-depth knowledge of digital marketing tools and social media platforms to drive brand awareness and customer engagement.
• Promotional Marketing: Ability to design and execute promotional campaigns that effectively boost sales and enhance brand visibility.
• Budget Management: Skill in managing marketing budgets efficiently, ensuring optimal allocation of resources to maximize return on investment.
• Marketing Performance Analysis: Competence in monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on marketing performance metrics to inform strategic decisions.
• Omnichannel Customer Experience Design: Thorough understanding of designing and optimizing seamless customer experiences across various channels
• E-commerce Acumen: Solid grasp of online trading principles and e-commerce operations to drive online sales and growth.
• Agency and Partnership Management: Experience in managing relationships with agencies and partners to ensure cohesive and effective marketing efforts.
• Stakeholder Management: Adept at building and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders to align marketing strategies with organizational goals.
• Leadership and Team Development: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing marketing teams.
• Project Management: Proficient in planning, executing, and overseeing marketing projects to successful completion within set timelines and budgets
• Effective Communication and Presentation: Excellent communication and presentation skills to convey ideas clearly and persuasively to various audiences.