CD & Trade Lead

Unilever is currently hiring for: CD & Trade Lead

Location - Durban or Johannesburg

ABOUT UNILEVER
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. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.
At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

UFS
Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) is the €2.5bn+ foodservice division of Unilever, across 22 Multi Country Organizations (MCOs) in 72 countries. It leads the dynamic food service market across its categories and has ambitious growth objectives. We service operators via providing solutions for restaurants, hotels, contract and independent caterers and Deli’s.

UFS is accelerating its digital transformation to fuel growth through data driven and technology enabled go-to-market capabilities.

JOB PURPOSE

The CD & Trade Lead manages the delivery of sales plans which will grow ahead of the food service industry and competitor suppliers within TTS budgets across the different Trade, Territory, & Channels in Southern Africa & rest of Africa. The role ensures that different account plans complement each other to ensure the total UFS business objectives are achieved annually. The focus of the role is to strategically align territory, trade and channel to maximize growth in trade. This requires maintaining current business to grow steadily, as well as unlocking new avenues of growth both within Southern Africa and the rest of Africa. Strategic planning for the year as well as a road map focused on channel & customer shifts which will help UFS grow ahead of the industry

On a day-to-day basis the CD & Trade Lead manages investment levels between customers to ensure that TTS is invested to get a return on investment and that individual account risks are mitigated by new profitable opportunities deployed in other accounts.

Externally, the CD & Trade Lead ensures that promotional activities are optimized across accounts and provides an extra level of escalation after the account leads in times of conflict. Internally, the CD & Trade Lead can build arguments with the cross functional team to address trade risks or opportunities and looks to global best practice for opportunities to drive sustainable & profitable growth.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE (But not limited to):

Accountable for delivering business targets for CD, this includes but is not limited to: 

Turnover, volume, Top 10, USG, reach, penetration, and innovation.

• Developing & executing Trade, Channel & Territory strategy in line with business objectives
• Drive and lead change management within CD as ways of working change to drive high performance
• The CD voice providing insight from trade and driving business initiatives with CD as part of the Business Team (BT)
• Works with the cross functional (Marketing, Culinary, Supply Chain, BEX, & Finance) team to ensure plans are built & aligned strategically, executed flawlessly, and tracked pre and post execution
• Allocates resources between accounts (Trade, Territory & Channel) to achieve the total business strategy with regards to OKR’s
• Ensures that individual account plans are aligned to the business strategy and are aligned to annual IBP plans annually
• Make trade-offs between customers to ensure that monthly targets are achieved
• Drive ROI on TTS invested in all accounts by using OPSO evaluations 
• Builds NAM capability in core areas of Commercial Selling, Negotiations, Customer Business Planning, Execution
• Work with Field Sales agent & internal team to drive instore execution in line with Perfect Store standards aligned to business expectations
• Lead key negotiations externally with key customers (with Account Leads)
• Land JBPs and lead top to tops with Account leads and senior management with key customers
• Trading Term strategy to implement fair and equitable terms which maximize UFS business building spend with customer, signed timeously annually
• Lead data agreements via the RTM team with trade partners/C&C’s for SSD offline/online sales out as per agreed UFS road map
• Ensure data is used effectively, i.e. insights into action plans to increase turnover, volume, reach & penetration
• Land digital selling in the team by ensuring team works closely with trade partners to generate demand creation towards either UFS.com or trade partners platform.
• Manage TTs discipline and controls with regards to accruals, planning, and payment of fixed and ad hoc spend with customers
• Responsible for accurate CD team forecasting based on planned sales in/out activity. 

• Ensure activities & corresponding spend are collated and verified as part of the S&OP process
• Manage team engagement for trade partners as per defined contact strategy for the assigned territory i.e., Performing F2F calls (and virtual when needed) via local CRM tool.

• Ensure team follows timely submission & settlement of distributor claims (with appropriate supporting documents) from trade partners.
• Create efficiencies in GTM costs
• Conduct ongoing trade visits and in field coaching.
• Develop the strategic plan for future CD and RTM(Trade)

Experiences & Qualifications

Minimum

o Relevant Sales Qualification.
o Post graduate Qualification (advantageous).
o 5-10 years of working experience in similar function in FMCG.
o Proven track record in sales, preferably in the Foodservice Industry. 
o 5 years proven leadership experience.

Preferred

o Industry knowledge for trade customers (Customers, Operators, & channels).
o Account management.

Skills

• Strategic Selling skills
• Impactful Customer Engagement
o Full understanding of all Customers & UFS solutions (research & pre-call planning)
o Business Insights to Activation Solution Selling
o Sound understanding of all Offline & Online Touchpoints
o Familiarity of UFS CD Cycle which includes Planning of call Cycles
o Customer Business Planning
• Analysis & processing of large amounts of information and come up with solutions.
• Critical thinking, ability to look at numbers, trends, data and to come to new 
conclusions & solutions based on findings.
• Knowing the Business: The ability to demonstrate awareness of the food industry, its markets.
• Strong leadership and coaching skills via in field coaching 
• Collaborator - Ability to work cross-functionally to deliver on customer needs.
• Commercial Skills
• Strong Business Acumen
• Advanced Negotiation skills
• Exceptional Planning and organisational skills 
• Strategic influencing and stakeholder management to drive desired outcome.
• Agility – Ability to adapt & drive the change and flexibility to pivot self & others towards business requirements.
• Strong communication skills and presentation skills. Ability to use all company digital tools for external & internal comms.

Leadership

• You are energized by delivering fantastic results. You are an example to others – both your results and your resilience. You are constantly on the lookout for innovative ways to do things, engaging and collaborating with key cross functional teams.
• As an individual you are the one responsible for your own wellbeing and delivering high standards of work. You are the voice of the customer internally and the voice of UFS externally, looking around to interpret evidence and data smartly, spot issues and opportunities to make things better. You need to balance what’s best for the UFS business externally, whilst finding solutions for customers internally.

•Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors (Minimum vs Preference)

PASSION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE: Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results. Has an owner’s mindset, using data and insight to make decisions.
PERSONAL MASTERY: Sets high standards for themselves. Actively builds own wellbeing and resilience.
CONSUMER LOVE: Whatever their role, always looks for better ways to serve consumers. Invests time inside and outside to understand the needs of consumers.
PURPOSE & SERVICE: Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside Unilever.
AGILITY: Explores the world around them, continually learning and developing their skills.
BUSINESS ACUMEN: Creates sustainable growth with purpose, engaging different partners across the system for change.

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. 

Are you interested? 
Please apply via this portal as e-mail applications will not be processed. By applying to this role, you are confirming that you have informed your Line Manager and that you are at a point in your career with Unilever where it is appropriate for you to be applying for other positions.  

Unilever is an organisation 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. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.