Area Sales Manager, Lagos

Unilever is currently hiring for Area Sales Manager – Lagos

Reports to: Regional Sales Manager

Direct Reports: Territory Managers / Field Sales Executives

Scope: Local

Location: Nigeria

Terms & Conditions: Full time

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.

JOB PURPOSE

Unilever is the place where you can bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world.  If you are passionate about creating value for customers and consumers, and leading a team to grow, then this role is just for you!

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE

Drive secondary sales and (primary sales) through proper funds management of distributors to ensure Unilever’s products are available and visible to the consumers of the assigned Area. Improve Capability of Territory managers, distributors and distributor’s sales force through coaching and accompaniment to ensure optimal implementation outcomes of company’s trade activities and merchandising plans across all relevant channels.

4 Key Focus Areas:

Availability

• Right assortment
• Through optimum coverage
• Efficient use of Resources
• Drive core of the core, NPD and promotions

Visibility

• Planogram implementation
• Win hotspots
• Use of Merchandising material -Point-of-sale-marketing (POSM Deployment)
• Share of shelf

Profitability

• Ensure return on working capital, investments model and ensure communication of value proposition to the customers

EDGE – Every Day Great Execution

• Regular reviews of area execution KPIs
• Ensure accuracy of outlet universe records
• Look for opportunities to reach through Route-to-Market
• Oversee Trade Activations in assigned area
• Focus on growth patterns of major categories & channels & customers
• Supervise activities of the FSEs/TMs, KDs and oversee third-party contractors in assigned area.

RESPONSIBLITIES

Right Stores

• Effectively translating country/regional Customer Development plan into actionable territory plan to deliver secondary sales target.
• Effectively and efficiently use of resources allocation and using them to ensure Key Distributors (KD) profitability within the assigned areas while delivering quality of sales through 100% Field Capability Scores achievement.
• Evaluating Areas’ performance against action plan

Better Stores

• Setting up and optimising the sales infrastructure-Territory-Distributor and Channel Outlet
• Understanding the Channel Plans and develop implementation plans
• Driving visibility and channel plans – develop key metrics to monitor implementation and final desired outputs
• Understanding competitive context and activity and give market feed-back to the Marketing team.

Better Served

• Actively supporting marketing in effectively landing activities on the field.
• Ensuring orders by stores with the area are fulfilled in full on time
• Improve suggested sell in quantity and right assortment for expansion in store
• Providing the right frequency of service and category level or common DSR to book orders

Target Achievement

• Drives 100% achievement of all KPIs within the assigned area and all relevant channels
• Optimization of TTS(Trade Term Spend)

Building distribution network by leveraging brands

• Driving core of the core/distribution drives/new launches/promotion packs/depth targets for key promoted SKUs

Launch/Re-launch

• Delivering width, depth, Visibility
• Drive numeric and weighted distribution (More stores, On shelf availability and Share of Shelf)
• Driving success of channel programs with relevant stores and ensuring desired objectives are achieved.
• Propose relevant territory-specific channel activities to regional and channel managers.

Channel program

• Driving width of acceptance of the channel program as well as width of achievement of parties enrolled in the program

Instore execution

• Execution of perfect stores programmes to win at point of sales

Business environment

Distributor Management

• Distributor appointment
• Regular stock taking & system reconciliation
• JBP Execution
• DSR training/development
• DT Controls
• Performance assessment
• Customer service
• LeverEdge Hygiene and compliance
• Trade Servicing: DTs in the area is the face of Unilever in a market to the retailers. All key issues and grievances are to be handled sensitively and in timely manner.
• Route optimization and PJP hygiene
• Driving assortments across all stores
• Addition of new stores that may open in the market
• Satisfactory levels of secondary CCFOT
• Resolution of claims settlements
• Ensuring quality of products on shelf and at KDs
• Identifying whitespaces/opportunities and ensuring coverage
• Competition Intelligence

Territory manager is the eyes and ears on the battlefield and hence must always be on the look out for competitive intelligence like:

• Price changes
• Consumer promotions
• New distribution strategies
• New channel programs
• Sampling activities by competitors
• Wholesale trends
• New launches

          Any activity observed should be reported to the line manager at the earliest.

Measures of Success

• Secondary sales
• (Primary sales)
• Effective coverage
• LPPC achievement
• Bill Productivity
• Numeric & Weighted Distribution
• Assortment growth
• Cash collection
• KD profitability (Total Area)
• Talent Catalyst (Team Capability Development)

Key Stakeholders

Team Purpose

CD Finance

CD Operations

CSP team

3rd party (CMIH)

SC Team (CFS)

HR

KD profitability

Order to cash

Channel/Category insights

In store execution

On time and in full delivery of stocks

TM and DSR capability insights

ASM/ RSM

KD / Wholesalers/ Sub-Ds KDSR

Delivering Sales

Experiences & Qualifications

Minimum of 5 years experience in Sales or Channel Management

Required Skills

• Strong leadership skills – ability to coach and empower.
• Strong interpersonal skills and builds relationship across Route-to-Market value chain
• Great insights about the business in territories including what are the key challenges and opportunities for Unilever.
• High integrity in doing business
• A problem solver and approachable leader
• Produces consistent results
• Ability to take critical initiative
• Strong Business Acumen
• Highly creative and entrepreneurial

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 better ways to do things, engaging and collaborating with others along the way.
• As an individual you are the one responsible for your own wellbeing and delivering high standards of work. You must also focus on the Consumer and what they need. You are humble and have your head up, looking around to interpret evidence and data smartly, spot issues and opportunities to make things better.

• Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors
  • 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.

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. 

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.

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