Customer Operations Lead at Unilever

CATEGORY/FUNCTION INTRODUCTION

Customer Operations is a new function inside Unilever Business Operations that aims to deliver superior customer experience to all Unilever's customers and establish Unilever as Supplier no. 1 in the industry! The function manages the Plan to Deliver to Cash cycle and delivers exceptional stock availability, optimised inventory, optimised distribution costs and exceptional cash collection.  

JOB PURPOSE

Find your purpose at Unilever. You will lead innovations, big and small, that will make our business win and grow. You will learn from brilliant business leaders and colleagues in a truly global and diverse culture to ultimately become a better you. 

• The CO lead focusses on operational responsibility for primary sales customer collaboration through efficient planning, logistics and order to cash which delivers superior customer experience
• Leads the program to get Unilever to be the #1 Supplier for our customers in Kenya as well as driving improved service to neighbouring countries (Tanzania, Uganda etc.)
• Single point of accountability for Customer Operations in the market. The CO transformation will re-engineer the organisation, processes and technology to deliver improved customer experience, tech and processes needed to grow the business.
• Business partners CD and Manufacturing in the market
• Ensures rigour and controls are in place in the S&OP Process to improve FA, FB and VVD
• Delivers primary sales result monthly within the guardrails of revenue recognition, customer inventory targets and TTS targets as set by CSP

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

• Owns the E2E demand plan and demand fulfilment of the market - from Plan to Cash  and tracks performance outcomes with the market.
• Accountable for Customer experience. Interacts with customers from trade promotion management, multiyear customer collaboration program for #1 Supplier, primary sales order taking to cash collection
• Accountable for customer operations and trade promotion management within guardrails
• Identifies operational risks which impact growth and cost and provide insights that can be turned into workable solutions
• Accountable with logistics to deliver OTIF to customers, joint work on Cost to Serve, ensuring collaboration of Customer Service and logistics to drive service, value unlocks and the carbon neutral agenda for logistics with partners and customers
• Accountable for master data management; implements policies and delivers required financial controls
• Adheres to defined guardrails and executes the cost to serve strategy

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED

Experiences & Qualifications

• Relevant Degree
• 5 years+ management experience
• Senior WL2C level with relevant experience
• Experience SC ideally in Plan and / or Deliver; Experience in CD ideally CD Operations or CBD
• Experience in leading large teams
• Experience in being a Change Leader – leading diverse teams in landing transformational program
• Outcome-driven with proven track record in driving results across the ecosystem 
• High business acumen - Good understanding of end-to-end process and key cycles with the local business
• Track record in ‘Operations’; and creating value with Partners
• Strategic thinker – Should be able to think "bigger picture" in how we address business challenges.
• Highly Influential with a key strength in storytelling and proven business acumen who can engage well at all levels and steer the LT and other decision makers to drive value for the business.
• Viewed as top talent

Skills

• S&OP
• Customer business planning
• Basic financial understanding

Leadership

• You are an inclusive motivator of people. Your team deliver with real passion, growing and learning from each other whilst delivering quick wins.
• You are still responsible for your own results and as a manager, you also need to motivate others to deliver with passion, creating an inclusive and engaging climate around you. You can balance challenge with support and coaching. You understand the wider business context and you are emotionally intelligent enough to motivate people to deliver what is needed.

Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors

• PERSONAL MASTERY: Sets high standards for themselves. Has emotional intelligence to take feedback, manage mood and motivations, and build empathy for others.
• PASSION FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE: Generates intensity and focus to motivate people to deliver results at speed. Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results.
• TALENT CATALYST: Invests in people – coaches individuals and teams to realize their full potential. Creates an inclusive climate, empowering everyone to be at their best.
• PURPOSE & SERVICE: Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside Unilever.
• CONSUMER LOVE: Invests time inside and outside to understand the needs of consumers.
• BUSINESS ACUMEN: Creates sustainable growth with purpose, engaging different partners across the system for change.