Help bring Korea’s hottest global food brand, the creator of Buldak to Europe!
About Samyang Foods Europe
Samyang Europe B.V. is the creator of Buldak, one of the world’s fastest growing food brands. Consumers can’t get enough of the bold, unapologetic flavour of Buldak (“fire chicken”) which has redefined spice since its launch in 2012. Right now, Samyang is exploding globally, with a viral momentum driven by TikTok and Google Trends - Buldak is flying off supermarket shelves worldwide and becoming a household staple for those who crave intense, unforgettable spice.
We are a fast-moving, entrepreneurial team bringing Samyang’s legendary heat to consumers across Europe. We are looking for a Trade Marketing lead who is excited about scaling our growing business, accelerating our sales and brand footprint, and establishing winning trade marketing practices in Europe. If you share our values of trust, integrity, collaboration and a deep passion for the brand, we look forward to hearing from you.
This is our starting point – and we are building something truly special.
Job Overview
The Trade Marketing Lead plays a key role in translating brand strategy into best-in-class customer activation, working closely with the sales and marketing teams and responsible to plan, execute, and evaluate customer marketing activities across Europe.
The role focuses on building strong trade marketing strategy and strong collaborations with key customers — particularly in the mainstream retail channel — to effectively activate Samyang brand at the point of sale, drive conversion, and ultimately contribute to joint business planning with priority retail partners. This position requires strong trade marketing experience, operational excellence, and the ability to navigate a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
Key Responsibilities
1. Customer Marketing Strategy & Execution
- Build the customer marketing strategy & annual plan in line with sales & marketing goals and priorities.
- Support the Trade Marketing team in executing the annual Customer Marketing Plan across priority markets and accounts.
- Localize global marketing plans into actionable customer-specific activation calendars.
- Ensure alignment with brand strategy, sales priorities, and customers/retailers expectations.
- Identify opportunities for category growth and visibility improvement within each retailer.
2. Customer Activation & Execution
- Implement in-store and online customer activations, including POS materials, sampling programs, thematic displays, and seasonal campaigns.
- Work with the Marketing team to create and deliver customer-specific toolkits and sell-in materials.
- Ensure consistent execution of promotions, new product introductions, and display programs.
3. Creating Perfect Store
- Develop Samyang Europe’s standards for the perfect store in collaboration with internal stakeholders (marketing & sales) and HQ.
- The perfect store includes a strategy for Assortment, Merchandising, Pricing, Promotions and Shelf.
- Implement the new perfect store standards across countries and key accounts: visibility guidelines, planograms, shelf presence, and brand compliance.
4. Trade Marketing Excellence (Mainstream Channel Focus)
- Develop activation solutions tailored for Mainstream retail across key EU markets (e.g., Carrefour, Edeka, Auchan, Rewe, Albert Heijn).
- Manage promotional plans: mechanics, performance tracking, compliance, and ROI analysis.
- Partner with sales teams to strengthen customer relationships through impactful trade programs.
- Identify opportunities to improve category share, pricing execution, and store-level impact.
5. Collaboration & Cross-Functional Alignment
- Work closely with Sales, Brand Marketing, Supply Chain, and external agencies and necessary vendors to ensure seamless campaign execution.
- Develop supporting tools, processes and ways of working enabling higher level of collaboration across different stakeholders.
- Collaborate with HQ Channel Trade Marketing Team to get needed support for CMP execution while providing continuous visibility on regional activities
- Act as a key link between HQ (Korea) and European teams to adapt assets and guidelines for local customers.
6. Reporting, Tracking & ROI
- Monitor promotion performance and shopper behaviour through customer and market data.
- Conduct post-activity evaluations and share insights to improve future activations.
- Develop and consolidate performance reports across specific KPI and pull out best practices for next round of planification
- Maintain an updated database of customer marketing performance across accounts.
7. Team leadership
- Manage, lead and develop the trade marketing team to assure high employee engagement, efficient working methods and exceptional outcomes.
Key Requirements
Professional Experience
- 10 years of experience in Customer Marketing/Trade Marketing, Shopper Marketing, or Category Development in FMCG.
- Strong track record in working with Mainstream retail channels in Europe (mandatory).
- Experience executing POS activation, promotional planning, and perfect-store programmes.
- Familiarity with customer data sources (Nielsen, IRI, retailer portals).
- Experience in multicultural environments and/or working with Asian brands is an advantage.
Skills & Competencies
- Strong project management and executional discipline.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building with both internal and external stakeholders.
- Analytical mindset with experience tracking promotional and in-store KPI’s.
- Ability to translate brand strategy into customer-level activation.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and high-growth environment.
- Proactive, solutions-oriented, and highly collaborative.
What We Offer
- The chance to work with one of the world fastest growing and most viral FMCG brands.
- Opportunity to join a dynamic, high-growth brand shaping the future of Korean food culture in Europe.
- A multicultural environment with close collaboration between the European team (marketing, sales, SCM), Customers and Korean HQ.
- Room for career development in customer marketing, account management, or brand strategy.
- Competitive salary package with performance bonus.
- Real ownership, autonomy and the ability to make a visual impact.
Why Samyang Europe?
Joining Samyang Europe means contributing to a brand known for its innovation and high-quality standards. Be part of a dynamic, multicultural team that is going to build the Samyang brand in the different European markets.
Apply Today
If you are an ambitious young professional based in The Netherlands, thrive in an entrepreneurial environment and are excited by the idea of growing an iconic global brand across Europe, we invite you to share your CV in English with hveling@roundsquare.ai
Apply now and help us scale the heat of Buldak in Europe!
