Senior Brand Manager, Axe Innovation

With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance.

About the role

Axe is an iconic legacy brand that plays an important role in the US Antiperspirant & Deodorant and Skin Cleansing categories. This brand has always been known for breakthrough innovation and boundary-pushing campaigns. As the Innovation lead in the US, the Senior Brand Manager is responsible for developing, leading, and delivering innovation projects across Deodorants and Skin Cleansing that align to the brand’s ongoing three-year strategic roadmap. The role reports to the Head of Axe NA and will be based in the United States, supporting across product, communications, and strategy. The US is a highly strategic market for Unilever, making this a high-visibility role with significant scope for independent brand and team stewardship, agency and cross-functional leadership, and creativity.

Responsibilities

• Innovation Strategy & Growth Roadmap: Shape and execute the strategic vision and growth roadmap for Axe in the US. Develop, lead, and deliver innovation plans for the Deodorants and Skin Cleansing categories while ensuring alignment with the brand’s long-term growth ambition and cultural relevance agenda.
• Cross-Functional Innovation Leadership: Serve as a key point of contact for the cross-functional team, liaising with Global Axe counterparts to identify leverage opportunities. Partner with CMI, R&D, Supply Chain, Claims and Legal, Artwork Excellence, Fragrance, Finance, Packaging, and Creative Services to build a robust innovation funnel and meet innovation needs.
• Unmissable Brand Superiority: Drive Unmissable Brand Superiority for Axe by collaborating across teams: Technical Project Leadership (superior technology), CMI (maximizing consumer impact), Supply Chain (expediting capabilities and efficiency), Claims and Legal (developing superiority claims), and Finance (building profitable business cases). Influence and inspire teams—often virtually—to ensure on-time and in-full delivery.
• Agency, Performance, and Team Leadership: Collaborate with agency partners to craft winning design and communications, including best-in-class digital and content for launch. Analyze Axe’s US performance, challenges, and opportunities to tailor strategies for success while maximizing synergies. Proactively identify issues and opportunities that drive decisions or feed into innovation planning. Partner closely with the broader brand team to foster an inclusive and high-performing environment.

Requirements

• 6-8 years of relevant branding/marketing innovation experience.
• Expertise in the US male fragrance category.
• A creative eye for design.
• Demonstrated alignment with Unilever Power Behaviors:
  • Care Deeply: Shows genuine care for consumers, customers, teams, communities, and the planet; builds trust by listening, acting with empathy, and creating an inclusive environment where people can do their best work.
  • Focus on What Matters: Cuts through complexity to prioritize work that creates the biggest impact; makes clear choices, stays focused on outcomes, and channels energy toward the few things that matter most.
  • Stay Three Steps Ahead: Anticipates future trends, risks, and opportunities; thinks proactively, connects the dots, and plans ahead to keep the brand and business ahead of the market.
  • Deliver with Excellence: Executes with discipline, pace, and accountability; follows through on commitments, raises the bar on quality, and delivers strong results through others.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $119,400 to $179,000. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.

This position is bonus eligible and Long-Term Incentive (LTI) eligible.

Benefits

Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan, which includes:

• Health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage).
• Retirement savings benefits.
• Life insurance and disability benefits.
• Parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation, and holidays.
• Access to numerous voluntary benefits.

Coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.