National Advocacy Manager

Job Title:
National Advocacy Manager About The Function Our Sales team thrives on building trusted partnerships and connecting with customers to sell our premium brands in vibrant markets where they can flourish. Every year, they help bring our iconic brands to life in over 180 countries.

We operate across diverse markets, channels, and areas of expertise. With your curiosity and passion, you’ll employ consumer insights and digital platforms to reach new customers, unlock new markets, and elevate celebrations, driving our growth potential. With a strong emphasis on learning and development, we empower our people to reach their full potential and help shape the future of celebrations.

About The Team Uganda Breweries Limited, part of East African Breweries, is the market leader in the Total Beverage Alcohol category. We’re proud custodians of iconic global brands like Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray, Singleton, and Guinness, and local Favorites like Bell Lager and Uganda Waragi.

Through our Premiumization agenda, our goal is to position premium spirits as the most aspirational and versatile category unlocking cultural relevance and partnerships through commercial excellence.

Role Overview As National Advocacy Manager, you will lead the execution of advocacy strategy across Uganda, embedding our premium and Reserve spirits portfolio at the heart of culture and influencing how brands are served, experienced, and recommended. Working through a high-performing Brand Ambassador team, you will drive menu penetration, elevate bartender capability, and shape trends within the country’s most influential bars, restaurants, and nightlife spaces.

You will act as the liaison between brand strategy and in-market execution—turning plans into impactful consumer experiences, strong trade relationships, and measurable commercial growth.

About The Role

Shape premium drinking culture by influencing bartenders, trade partners, and consumers
Build advocacy through capability, community, and elite training programmes
Drive brand visibility and relevance through menus, serves, and cultural activations
Deliver commercial impact by improving rate of sale, premium mix, and brand recommendation
Role Responsibilities

Advocacy Strategy Execution
Translate advocacy strategy into clear monthly and quarterly execution plans
Drive best-in-class execution across brand homes (flagship outlets), Trend Leading Accounts (TLAs), Regional Leading Accounts (RLAs), Gold, Silver, and mainstream outlets
Align activity with Commercial, Marketing, and Distributor priorities
Ensure consistent delivery of 365 execution standards
Menu & Serve Excellence
Lead menu penetration and visibility across all outlet tiers
Drive implementation of tailored and standardized menus, Serve strategies (Highball, Classic, Luxury, Low/No ABV)
Partner with outlets and commercial teams to scale menu adoption
Influence menu pricing, cocktail listings, and premium brand mix
Capability Building & Training Leadership
Own capability building for spirits across the market (internal & external)
Lead delivery of World Class programs, Business of Bars / Community Days, Bartender and outlet-level trainings
Upskill Brand Ambassadors, Sales and distributor teams (On & Off Trade)
Ensure capability translates into improved serve quality, Stronger advocacy and recommendations & Increased rate of sale
Brand Ambassador Team Leadership
Recruit, manage, and coach Brand Ambassadors
Set clear key performance indicators and ensure delivery through journey planning, weekly performance reviews, coaching and development sessions
Build a high-performing, credible, industry-leading advocacy team
Act as the company’s leading authority in spirits and mixology
Customer & Industry Influence
Act as a trusted consultant to the drinks industry
Build strong relationships with bartenders and bar owners, trade partners and distributors, media and influencers in food, drink, and lifestyle
Leverage deep category expertise to influence customers and consumers
Identify trends and translate insights into commercial opportunities
Culture, Events & PR Amplification
Implement “Acts in Culture” to embed brands in local scenes
Lead and support delivery of trade and consumer events, brand launches and activations, partnerships and collaborations
Partner with Marketing/Digital to amplify PR and content
Ensure all activations deliver premium consumer experiences
Brand Homes & Flagship Execution
Support Brand Curator in managing Brand Homes
Ensure best-in-class execution standards including menu and serve consistency, training hub activation, and content creation platforms
Use flagship outlets as benchmarks for the market
Commercial Impact Delivery
Drive premiumisation in key accounts
Influence Rate of Sale (ROS), menu pricing and cocktail mix, and premium vs mainstream balance
Partner with Commercial teams to unlock growth opportunities
Ensure advocacy activity delivers measurable business results
Governance & Operational Excellence
Manage budgets (PACE and IOs), oversee OTR approvals, and ensure effective asset and stock control.
Ensure timely, high-quality reporting, full compliance across all events and activities, and strong planning and execution discipline.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

Menu & Visibility (30%)
Menu implementation vs target
Outlet penetration across tiers
Cocktail listings and QR adoption
Capability & Community (20%)
Number of people trained (trade & internal)
Community engagement and programme delivery
Improvement in advocacy behaviours
Commercial Impact (15%)
Premium spirits growth in key accounts
ROS uplift in advocacy-led outlets
Premium mix improvement
Culture & PR Impact (10%)
Cultural activations delivered
Contribution to PR and content performance
Consumer engagement
Team Performance (20%)
Brand Ambassador critical metric delivery
Journey plan compliance
Coaching and development completion
Governance & Excellence (5%)
Budget adherence
OTR compliance
Reporting quality and timeliness
Experience / Skills Required

Ensure timely, high-quality reporting, full compliance across all events and activities, and strong planning and execution rigor.
Strong experience in advocacy, brand ambassadorship, or commercial execution
Deep understanding of On-Trade and Off-Trade environments
Expert knowledge of spirits, mixology, and luxury drinks culture
Strong understanding of customer and consumer motivations

Capabilities

Proven track record to lead, coach, and inspire teams
Strong training and presentation skills
Ability to influence customers as a credible industry consultant
Commercially astute with a bias for action and execution
Skilled at identifying and translating trends into growth
Personal Attributes

Passion for premium/luxury brands and culture
Highly organized, driven by achieving goals, and resilience
Strong relationship builder with high credibility
Entrepreneurial mentality with strong ownership