Unilever International - Assistant Business Development Manager - Japan

JOB TITLE: Unilever International - Assistant Business Development Manager - Japan

SCOPE: Japan

UNILEVER INTERNATIONAL IS…

Unilever International is Unilever’s White Space Arm!

As the ninth global cluster, we work across the world to fill white spaces for Unilever.

We treat the business as our own.

As intrapreneurs, we introduce Unilever’s brands into white space geographies like Korea, Pacific Islands, Mongolia, and spearhead launches of iconic household brands like Dove, Lifebuoy, Sunlight, Fair & Lovely, TRESemme into big markets like U.S, China, Western Europe and SEAA.

As Unilever’s growth engine, we establish global white space businesses in key channels such as Health & Beauty, Discounters, E-Commerce and alternate channels such as travel retail, marketing to institutional partners like the United Nations, and seeding Unilever brands to overseas diaspora who crave for a taste of their familiar home brands.

Singapore is our global hub leading strategy, marketing thinking, seeding plans, and alignment with the global categories and supply chain. 

Game changing business

SPEED is the mantra for our resounding success. To serve the underserved, we embrace a founder’s mentality, explore unchartered territories, redesign end-to-end business models to establish successful businesses. We make a difference by working fast and smart, nurturing our tribe, winning together and living by five tenets:

1. We will be the fastest route-to-market globally;

2. We go where no (man, woman or distributor) has ever explored;

3. Impossible is an opinion, not a fact;

4. Speed is our currency;

5. When brands are built right, they can last a lifetime.

ABOUT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN UI

We build market positions in white spaces by identify new opportunities, developing, defining, negotiating and nurturing strong business relationships. We own the business’ P&L end-to-end, partner with customers, distributors and internal cross-functional teams to manage and grow existing businesses, to deliver growth through flawless execution of projects.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Key Accountability

1. Liaise with existing Retailers for the assigned brands in the geography

• Execution and monitor activities plans and overseeing their execution in country

• Be the eyes and ears on the ground to monitor competition activity and create and execute mitigation plans

• Ensure the Sales and Ops Management processes are followed by the distributor on time in full

2. Lead on the execution of the E2E Internal administrative UI processes including Marketing, SC, and Finance

DT Management: Team Lead

1. You’ll drive end-to-end management of seeding initiatives and manage existing business
2. You’ll coordinate across multi-functional teams to bring projects to life and drive business growth

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Prospecting

• Leading, mapping and developing business and seeding opportunities in Japan through data and insight activation

• Screening potential businesses through market analysis, deal requirements, potential and financial analysis

Establishing and Executing Business Plans

• Developing and managing business plans internally and externally, to craft end-to-end launch plans to drive route-to-market for new product development (NPD)

• Establishing supply chain networks and alignment with Category team on launches

• Retailer management

• Works closely with customers to implement the business plan. Works in close collaboration with the Category Team for the category input, and with customer marketing & brand teams for the specific banner/channel plan

• Develop and then implements the optimal integrated promo plan (incl. selling the plan to the customer) and manage promo investments

• Manages customer promo investment with the customer ensuring all MAP accruals input are completed in a timely manner.

• Provide clear objectives and deliverables for the Operational team (CDE’s Operations & field team)

• Deliver the agreed plan, follow-up achievement of counterparts set in the agreement

• Provides timely feedback on the plan to ensure adjustments can be made to implement the optimal plan

Tracking and Monitoring Performance

• Creating business cases (P&L) and activation spend for sales and marketing budgets (TTS & BMI)

• Tracking and managing of key business metrics and KPIs across marketing and trade activities

• Reporting in-market activities and competitor data

Stakeholder Management

• Leading and align cross functional teams to effectively manage projects

• Collaborating with local OpCo for synergies

Business Development Projects Management

• Lead the Operationalization of the agreed initiatives

• Ensure timely delivery as per project timeline

• Provide clear network update – on actual vs planned

• Lead coordination meetings of the Multi-Functional team for customer specific projects

• Organize project meetings, prepare minutes and follow up actions. Escalate if critical milestones are likely to be missed

Sales Operations Management

• Execute and Monitor Perfect Stores in Key sales channels - execute and monitor planograming

• Ensuring speed to market for New Product Distribution

• Ensure submission of Monthly Principal Report

• Sales Report – Weekly / Monthly

• Tracking of PO status – Casefill report / Backlog; ensure timely and prompt delivery

• Ensure timely accrual of all Trading Terms in the system and proper tracking of trading terms / promotion à budget vs actual

• In-Market Activities Report & Competitor Data

Manage Internal UI Processes

• Monitors implementation and adherence to UI Processes internally across functions and externally with the distributors

• Monitors the performance of business partners

• Communication: Shares actual performance of Business with the Internal Business Partners

WORK CLOSELY WITH

• SG OPCO, UI Finance, Marketing and Supply Chain teams

• Direct Key Retailers

KEY REQUIREMENTS:

• Be a strategic, highly adaptable and entrepreneurial person

• Embrace a high growth mindset with strong love for consumers, shoppers and customers

• Have strong financial acumen and analytical skills

• Have strong communication, negotiation and influencing skills with key stakeholders

• Have experience working and leading in cross-functional teams

• 7- 10 years’ experience in FMCG industry in Customer Development

• A bachelor’s degree in any discipline

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.