MiDCOM - Head - Sales & Distribution

Position Description

Position Title Head - Sales & Distribution (East Africa) Work Level DGM / GM

Business Unit Pearl Diary

Position Reports To Business Head / CEO Direct Reports ASM / Branch Managers

Interfaces Marketing Agencies, Distributors, Factory, Logistics companies Team Size 450 employees ( direct / indirect )

Location of Work Kenya Geographical Spread Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, DRC

Position Summary

To plan, develop and formalize a strong network in distribution and retail space. Ensure that profitability targets are met across geographies with strong creation of brand and brand recall. Strategize geographical expansion, Product Mix, Market engagement plans and annual operating plans.

Expected End Results Major Activities

Plan and Strategize for Top-line and Bottom-line results - Define, setup and activate channel and retail strategy

- Ensure robust ROI for best channel engagement

- Analyse and prepare product / region specific pricing strategy

- Advance planning, sales forecasting for sales efficiency and minimum wastage

- Provide Rolling Sales Forecast by product line on a monthly basis.

- Maximizing turnover and profitability (through increased sales, new markets / products, cost reduction and control in various areas of business)

- Formulate, implement, evaluate and refine the annual business plan

- Developing, implementing, reviewing and modifying policies, processes, systems in keeping with target markets.

Sales :

- Set and achieve sales targets, market share and collections.

- Develop and maintain relations with key distributors, top key accounts and other business relations. Recruit and evaluate new distributors and key accounts before committing business

- Evaluate distributors' performance and set the framework for negotiating targets, trade margins, improve efficiency

- Develop strong market relationships for maximizing the realization through institutional sales

- Study market dynamics and propose offering on product mix, marketing plan, production targets, product pricing, etc.

Brand & Product Management:

- Create and recommend a marketing strategy for achieving business unit goals and objective.

- Deliver input on marketing trends and customer requirements concerning the brand portfolio.

- Ensure engagement of marketing agencies for gathering market intelligence and ensuring recalibration of brand plans

- Ensuring brand visibility through effective coordination with marketing team for ATL/BTL promotions.

Cost Efficiency / Management :

- Define monitor and ensure that sales staff deliver numbers at each operating level

- Ensure that collections are in line with the sales, with optimum cash flows

- Optimise NWC days for business efficiency

- Cost of storage and handling perishable category.

- Ensure effective management of inventory in-order to avoid old/dead stock and related damages.

- Cost effective efficient and reliable logistics mgmt. services.

- Product mix with focus on lean months

People Development:

- Plan an efficient and scale-able organization with aggressive productivity norms

- Integrate training into day to day sales operations by frequent touch points at each channel and points

- Hire and train the best talent by offering challenging role, paying for performance and cross functional engagement.

- Conduct regular coaching and counselling with Sales and Distribution team to build motivation and selling skills.

- Ensure that all Sales & Distribution teams follows the beat plan and market contact calendar.

Credit Management & Account Receivable:

- Analyze outstanding, monitor credit to customers/ dealers.

- Review AR situation, pull resource to maximize collection efforts, formulate and implement action plans to achieve collection targets.

- Improve DSO (daily sales outstanding) and reduced bad debts.

- Advice frequent changes in the business plan / sales strategy based on market scan, fluctuation of international process of milk and the available stock in warehouse.

- Review the stocks in market and plan for reverse logistics. Work with production team to minimize loss.

- Close scan on market, international study on milk process to align the production plan for factory.

Process Orientation:

- Ensure there is strong focus on processes and enough checks and balances to ensure adherence

- Keep close watch on geography wise change in regulations to modify business plans.

Minimum Qualification and Skills

Academic and Professional Qualification

- MBA in Sales and Marketing / Engineering background

Attributes

- Financial acumen.

- Should have handled a team in mid/large size operations

- Exposure to multi product environment

- Articulate and effective communication skills

Experience

- Minimum of 15+ years- experience in Sales and Distribution in FMCG/Food. Experience in Dairy industry would be added advantage.

- At-least 5 yrs in a leadership position.

- Extensive experience in all aspects of Distribution and Retail in large geographies.

- Channel engagement and fast retail rollout along with productivity management.

- Exposure to Logistics and SCM function.

- Working knowledge of ERP (SAP)