Investment Performance & Optimisation Manager

About the Role

The Investment Performance & Optimisation Manager plays a crucial role in ensuring that Customer Marketing investments are strategically focused, commercially sound, and constantly refined to maximize business value. The position collaborates across Customer Marketing, Digital, Finance, and Commercial teams, offering financial, analytical, and commercial insights necessary for guiding investment decisions, prioritization, and improving overall performance across a large global marketing portfolio.

This role extends beyond conventional budget oversight by serving as a strategic advisor to senior leaders on the link between investments, activities, and business results. It identifies areas to boost effectiveness and ensures decisions are data-driven and guided by commercial acumen. Working within the Trade Planning & Operations team, this manager integrates financial planning with operational priorities and ongoing transformation to enhance agility and commercial focus in the Customer function.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the yearly investment planning for Customer Marketing, aligning expenditures with global marketing strategy and commercial objectives.
• Convert marketing and business plans into clear investment needs, pinpointing opportunities, compromises, and priority areas.
• Collaborate with senior leaders across Customer, Digital, Brand, Commercial, and Finance to steer investments toward highest value creation.
• Manage forecasting and reforecasting, maintaining transparency about commitments, risks, and required investments.
• Develop and implement solid methods for prioritizing investments across various activities, channels, markets, and business goals.
• Critically assess budget proposals and investment requests to ensure clear commercial justification and anticipated results.
• Establish a comprehensive understanding of marketing investment outcomes, linking spend to customer and business performance metrics.
• Translate detailed financial data into actionable insights for senior decision-makers.
• Work with Finance and marketing teams to deepen the grasp of marketing ROI and effectiveness.
• Conduct routine investment and performance evaluations, ensuring findings lead to tangible improvements.
• Constantly review and challenge Customer Marketing investment deployment to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and value generation.
• Align investment decisions with trade planning and operational capacities.
• Incorporate lessons learned from performance analyses into future strategies and workflows.
• Ensure strict financial governance across investment portfolios, maintaining controls, accountability, and transparency.
• Coordinate with Finance to guarantee accurate reporting, forecasting, and adherence to financial policies.
• Monitor budget performance and risks, escalating concerns and suggesting corrective actions promptly.
• Oversee procurement processes including purchase orders and supplier management to comply with policies.
• Drive improvements in how investment, performance, and financial data are collected, analyzed, and utilized to enhance decision-making.
• Champion automation and data utilization advancements to improve forecasting and reporting accuracy.
• Set consistent global standards and best practices for investment management while recognizing market-specific needs.
• Serve as a trusted financial and commercial partner to senior Customer Marketing and Digital leadership.
• Develop strong cross-functional relationships with Finance, Commercial, Digital, Brand, Ecommerce, and Procurement teams.
• Challenge senior stakeholders constructively, providing objective financial perspectives for decision support.
• Lead and grow the Investment, Performance & Optimisation team, fostering a culture of accountability, insight, and continuous development.
• Work collaboratively with Trade Planning & Operations for integrated planning and delivery approaches.

Qualifications & Experience

• Over 10 years managing significant marketing budgets in global retail or a comparable environment.
• Proven financial expertise and commercial judgement linking investments to overall business performance.
• Experience in fast-paced, complex organizations such as retail, FMCG, or consumer-centric sectors.
• Ability to transition between strategic vision and practical application, converting insights into measurable results.
• Confidence in influencing senior stakeholders based on data-driven commercial reasoning.
• Knowledge of marketing or customer experience is beneficial but not mandatory.
• Experience managing a cost team including direct reports, preferably based in Dublin.
• Proficient in financial management, commercial planning, investment handling, and performance evaluation within global organizations.
• Strong skills in investment prioritization, forecasting, financial modeling, and performance oversight.
• Strategic mindset comfortable with ambiguity and solution-oriented thinking beyond procedural management.
• Collaborative approach working with various departments to manage sizable multi-currency budgets.
• Demonstrated ability managing and influencing budgets across multiple markets and currencies.

Additional Information

This role emphasizes a people-first culture, offering a supportive work environment that encourages personal development. Benefits include healthcare, pension schemes, potential bonuses, 27 days leave plus bank holidays with the option to purchase up to 5 additional days, Tax Saver Tickets, access to fitness facilities, and a subsidized cafeteria. The company values diversity and inclusion, making reasonable accommodations during recruitment where necessary.

Employment is contingent upon standard background checks including work eligibility, references, education verification, and where applicable, criminal and financial background checks.

Company Overview

The employer is a global retail organization with a £9bn+ turnover, over 80,000 employees, and more than 440 stores in 17 countries, founded in Dublin in 1969. The company culture centers on care, dynamism, and collaboration.