Key Account Manager, Personal Care & Beauty - Foodstuffs SI

Who we are?

On any given day, 2.5 billion people globally use Unilever products to feel good, look good and get more out of life. Many of our brands are well-known, household staples and old-time favourites including Dove, Rexona, Lynx, Vaseline, OMO/Persil, Surf, TRESemmé, and Continental. 

We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. It goes back to the days of our founder William Lever, who launched the world’s first purposeful brand, Sunlight Soap more than 100 years ago, and it’s at the heart of how we run our company today. In 2022 Unilever Australia & New Zealand became a Certified B Corporation™ (B Corp), joining a growing network of organisations committed to galvanising a stronger, more inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy for all.  

A job at Unilever is a career made by you, with development opportunities, benefits and a working culture that embraces diversity and is pioneering flexibility. There’s no better time to join our team! 

Job Description Overview

Externally facing, this role manages Foodstuffs South Island (FSSI) by building strong relationships with key customer contacts and leading the FSSI agenda internally within Unilever.

The Customer Manager/Key Account Manager is accountable for delivering the full P&L for Personal Care & Beauty categories — including turnover, profitability, market share and effective trade investment — while driving data led decision making, flawless execution, and category growth.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Commercial Performance & P&L Delivery

• Deliver turnover, profitability, market share and total trade spend KPIs for Personal Care & Beauty

• Apply strong commercial judgement to optimise NRM levers and maximise ROI across trade investment

• Use scan, loyalty and internal data to identify trends, pinpoint risks, and unlock growth opportunities

• Support forecasting, variance analysis and performance tracking to hit sales and profit targets

2. Relationship Management & Influence

• Build strong working relationships with FSSI Category Managers

• Act as the primary day‑to‑day interface between Unilever Personal Care & Beauty and FSSI

• Influence and inspire cross‑functional teams to deliver against customer priorities and commercial targets

• Maintain a customer‑centric mindset and ensure the FSSI agenda is clearly communicated internally

3. Data‑Led Insight & Category Delivery

• Leverage multiple data sources to create compelling category insights and action-oriented recommendations

• Conduct category and performance reviews, assessing baseline trends, promotional effectiveness, pricing, distribution and competitive dynamics

• Translate insights into in‑store and online plans that enhance shopper experience and category performance

• Support annual planning rhythms and continuous improvement of category strategies

4. Portfolio, Promotion & Execution Excellence

• Manage day‑to‑day portfolio activities including promotional evaluation, compliance tracking, distribution gaps and SKU performance

• Partner with internal Category Teams and Supply Chain to ensure accurate forecasting and aligned execution

• Resolve operational, service-level and availability issues through effective collaboration with Customer Service

• Support NPD launches and activations to ensure strong commercial impact and visibility

5. Internal Leadership & Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Champion the FSSI agenda across the Unilever business.

• Communicate customer insights, risks and opportunities to drive informed decision‑making.

• Lead delivery of category initiatives, brand activation and execution plans tailored for FSSI

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

• FMCG account management or commercial experience preferred

• Strong commercial and financial acumen with high analytical capability

• Demonstrated relationship‑building skills with both customers and internal stakeholders

• Strong communication, presentation and influencing skills

• Ability to operate with pace and agility in a dynamic retail environment

STANDARDS OF LEADERSHIP

This role models Unilever’s four Standards of Leadership:

• Focus on What Counts:
  Prioritising the biggest commercial levers, simplifying complexity, and directing effort where it matters most.

• Deliver with Excellence:
  Taking full accountability, driving executional rigour, and ensuring delivery in full and on time.

• Care Deeply:
  Building trusted customer and cross‑functional relationships, fostering collaboration, trust and balanced performance.

• Stay Three Steps Ahead:
  Anticipating risks, customer needs and market shifts; shaping forward‑thinking plans anchored in insight, foresight and continuous improvement.

What awaits you at Unilever?

The core of Unilever’s culture is captured as Human, Purposeful, Accountable. You will be joining a dynamic, flexible, and inspiring work environment that truly cares about your wellbeing, values what you do and celebrates your success.

This is your opportunity to be part of a purpose-led business and a global community where you can progress your career both locally and internationally. You will also benefit from amazing discounts on external company products, attractive employee referral reward program amongst other benefits.

This is a great opportunity to work within an iconic and global organization. We have gained our reputation as one of the world's most admired employers by providing an environment where individuals can achieve their goals, both professionally and personally.

Make no mistake we expect a lot from our people as they do of us. So, if you can rise to the challenge, don't waste any time - apply now!

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life! This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity.

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment journey. Should you require additional information or reasonable adjustments to allow you to present your best self during this process, please contact anz.talent@unilever.com.

Unilever is an organization committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities.

This means we encourage people with all backgrounds to apply, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Māori and Pacific Peoples, and people with disabilities.

At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! We encourage you to advise us at the time of your application if you require any reasonable adjustment so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.