Sales Excellence Manager-Nairobi at Highlands Drinks Limited

Key duties and responsibilities

Distribution Management

• Drive numeric and weighted distribution to maximize product availability and market penetration across the assigned territory.
• Monitor product availability and inventory levels to minimise out-of-stock situations and improve on-shelf availability.
• Identify distribution gaps and implement corrective action plans to expand outlet coverage and improve service levels.
• Support the implementation and continuous improvement of Route-to-Market (RTM) strategies to enhance sales productivity and operational efficiency.
• Monitor route productivity, call frequency, outlet coverage and route compliance to ensure efficient territory execution.
• Analyse sales, distribution and market performance data to identify opportunities for growth, optimise territory performance and improve customer reach.
• Work closely with distributors and sales teams to ensure consistent product availability, effective territory management and achievement of distribution targets.

Market Execution

• Drive excellence in the execution of trade promotions, commercial initiatives and in-market activation programmes to maximise sales performance.
• Monitor and enforce compliance with the Company's visibility standards, merchandising guidelines and execution requirements across all outlets.
• Ensure the effective placement, utilisation and maintenance of Point of Sale Materials (POSM) to maximise brand visibility and shopper engagement.
• Monitor retail pricing compliance and promptly identify and address pricing deviations that may impact competitiveness and brand positioning.
• Conduct regular market audits to assess execution quality, promotional compliance, merchandising standards and overall customer experience.
• Monitor route compliance and field execution to ensure sales representatives adhere to approved route plans, outlet call cycles and service standards.
• Identify execution gaps, conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective action plans in collaboration with distributors and sales teams.
• Monitor competitor activities, trade initiatives and in-market execution to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and competitive advantage.

Distributor relationship management

• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with assigned distributors to drive sustainable business growth and operational excellence.
• Partner with distributors to improve sales execution, market coverage, product availability and overall commercial performance.
• Monitor distributor inventory levels, stock rotation and replenishment planning to ensure optimal stock availability and minimise stock-outs.
• Support effective credit management by monitoring collections, following up on overdue accounts and working with distributors to improve payment performance.
• Align distributor sales teams with the Company's commercial objectives, execution standards and performance expectations.
• Conduct regular distributor business reviews to evaluate sales performance, service levels, operational effectiveness and compliance with agreed performance targets.
• Identify capability gaps within distributor operations and implement initiatives to improve execution, productivity and customer service.
• Provide market insights and performance feedback to distributors to support continuous improvement and achievement of territory objectives.

Sales Performance & Territory Management

• Monitor territory sales performance against agreed targets and identify opportunities to drive sustainable sales growth.
• Analyse sales trends, market intelligence, competitor activities and customer insights to support informed commercial decision-making.
• Identify performance gaps and implement corrective action plans in collaboration with Regional Sales Managers, distributors and sales teams.
• Monitor and report on key sales execution KPIs, including distribution, product availability, route compliance, visibility, strike rate and sales productivity.
• Coach, support and develop distributor sales teams to improve execution capability, customer service and overall commercial performance.
• Conduct regular market visits to validate sales performance, identify business opportunities and strengthen customer and distributor relationships.
• Track the effectiveness of commercial initiatives and recommend improvements to maximise return on investment and sales performance.
• Prepare accurate and timely sales and execution reports to support business reviews and performance management.

Reporting Systems & Data Integrity

• Prepare accurate and timely weekly and monthly sales, distribution and execution performance reports to support business reviews and decision-making.
• Maintain accurate market intelligence, execution records and territory performance data to support commercial planning and continuous improvement.
• Monitor compliance with Company sales policies, Route-to-Market standards, trade execution guidelines and operational procedures.
• Identify, escalate and support the resolution of operational, commercial and execution risks that may impact sales performance or customer service.
• Monitor the implementation of agreed corrective actions and provide regular updates on execution performance and improvement initiatives.
• Ensure the accuracy, integrity and timely submission of sales and execution data in line with Company reporting requirements.

Knowledge, experience and qualifications required

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, Sales & Marketing, Commerce or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years' experience in FMCG sales, distribution or commercial execution.
• Experience managing distributors and Route-to-Market operations.
• Experience driving sales execution within a multi-distributor environment.
• Good understanding of trade promotions, merchandising and market execution.
• Experience analysing sales and execution data.
• Experience working with Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems will be an added advantage.

Competencies

Technical & Behavioral competencies

Technical Competencies

• Route-to-Market Management
• Distribution Management
• Sales Execution
• Trade Marketing Execution
• Territory Management
• Distributor Performance Management
• Sales Analytics
• Inventory Management
• Market Intelligence
• Sales Planning
• Microsoft Excel
• Sales Force Automation (SFA)

Behavioral Competencies

• Results Orientation
• Commercial Acumen
• Customer Focus
• Relationship Building
• Problem Solving
• Analytical Thinking
• Planning & Organizing
• Accountability
• Communication Skills
• Negotiation & Influencing

Responsibility for finances and physical assets

• The role is responsible for supporting the effective utilization of Company resources by monitoring sales execution, distributor performance, product availability and trade execution activities within the assigned territory.
• The job holder is accountable for safeguarding the accuracy, integrity and confidentiality of sales, distribution and market execution information, including sales reports, market intelligence, execution records and other commercial data used to support business decision-making.
• The role supports the effective management of trade investments by monitoring the execution of promotional activities, Point of Sale Materials (POSM) and other commercial initiatives to ensure compliance with approved Company standards.
• The job holder is responsible for the proper use, care and safekeeping of Company-issued equipment, sales tools, POSM assets and other operational resources assigned in the course of duty.
• The role does not have direct authority over Company budgets or expenditure approvals but is expected to identify opportunities to improve resource utilisation, minimise wastage and support cost-effective commercial execution.

Decision-making

• The job holder exercises judgment within established commercial policies, Route-to-Market (RTM) strategies, sales procedures, trade execution standards and Company operational guidelines. The role is responsible for making day-to-day operational decisions that improve market execution, distribution effectiveness and territory performance.
• Prioritising daily sales execution activities, market visits, distributor engagements and territory coverage to maximise commercial performance.
• Identifying distribution, execution and customer service gaps, implementing corrective actions and escalating significant commercial risks requiring management intervention.
• Monitoring product availability, route compliance, trade promotion execution and pricing compliance, and recommending actions to improve execution effectiveness.
• Supporting the implementation and consistent application of Company commercial policies, trade execution standards, Route-to-Market (RTM) strategies and distributor operating procedures.
• Providing recommendations to improve distributor performance, market coverage, outlet execution and overall territory productivity.
• Monitoring execution KPIs and recommending initiatives to improve sales productivity, customer service and commercial performance.

Information

• The role requires handling commercially sensitive and confidential information relating to sales performance, distributor operations, customer accounts, pricing, promotional activities, product availability, market intelligence and territory performance.
• The job holder is expected to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality, integrity and professionalism in the collection, analysis, storage and sharing of commercial information.
• The role is responsible for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of sales, distribution and execution data and for complying with Company reporting standards, commercial governance requirements, confidentiality obligations and applicable data protection legislation.

Working Conditions

• Working Environment: The role is field-based and requires frequent travel within the assigned territory to support sales execution, distributor management, customer engagement and market performance. Regular interaction is required with Commercial, Sales, Supply Chain, Finance and distributor teams, with periodic office-based planning and reporting activities.
• The job holder operates in a fast-paced FMCG environment and may be required to work outside normal business hours during promotional campaigns, product launches, month-end activities, customer requirements and other business priorities.
• The role requires frequent visits to distributors, retail outlets, wholesalers and trade partners to monitor market execution, product availability, merchandising standards, route compliance and customer service levels.
• The job holder will be required to travel extensively within the assigned territory and may occasionally travel outside the territory to attend meetings, training programmes and Company business activities.
• The role requires regular use of Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems, mobile technology and other reporting tools to monitor sales performance, capture market intelligence and support timely business decision-making.

Job Hazards

• The role involves frequent travel within the assigned territory and regular visits to distributor premises, retail outlets, warehouses, depots and other customer locations. The job holder may be exposed to road travel risks, varying weather conditions and other hazards associated with field-based commercial operations.
• The role requires prolonged periods of driving, standing, walking and movement between customer locations, which may result in physical fatigue during extensive market visits and sales execution activities.
• The job holder may occasionally visit warehouses, distribution centres and manufacturing facilities and is required to comply with all applicable Company health, safety, security and operational procedures, including the mandatory use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where applicable.
• The role operates within a fast-paced commercial environment and may involve work-related pressure associated with sales targets, promotional campaigns, distributor performance, customer demands and territory execution deadlines.