Channel Lead Retail at The Heineken Company

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

• Develops channel segmentation and tiering parameters.
• Sets the portfolio strategy in a channel.
• Provides the salesforce with insights, activation programs & materials to win market share and grow brand power in the specific channels of responsibility.  
• Translates the brands ‘Must Win Battles’ into specific channel strategies.  
• Develops channel targets including output KPIs (e.g. Market Share, Channel profitability) and input KPIs (e.g. PICOS).  
• Builds channel insights (customer, shopper, consumer), monitors performance and builds relationships with key accounts.  
• Supports brand, account and regional planning. 

KEY RESULT AREAS:

Key Performance Areas would include, but are not limited to: 

Category, Portfolio and Brand understanding

• Ensures team understanding of category, portfolio and brand strategies and plans. 
• Develops channel plans incorporating category, portfolio and brand strategies and plans. 
• Optimises portfolio and brand profitability in a sustainable way, incorporating Rev Man guidelines into TM plans.

Shopper and Off- Premise Consumer understanding

• Applies learnings from research, time in market and multiple data sources to create strategic insights that anticipate shopper/consumer behaviour. 
• Creates shopper/consumer profiles that identify prioritised value drivers at point of purchase and consumption.
• Ensures all channel plans reflect shopper/consumer understanding and opportunities, leveraging data and insights. 

RTM, Channel and Customer understanding

• Demonstrates an understanding of priority channels, value drivers and activation pillars by channel as well as OpCo trade terms and investment guidelines.
• Develops channel plans that consider key customer strategies, needs and execution capabilities across direct, in-direct and digital RTM.
• Anticipates future opportunities based on channel and customer needs and trends.
• Understands key competitor strategies and execution capabilities to identify commercial opportunities. 
• Considers OpCo sales organisation capacity and needs when building plan.

Channel strategy development

• Develop winning channel strategies and plans with SMART objectives.
• Prioritize channels and tier customers for investment. 
• Ensures that channel strategies support delivery of 3 year OpCo plan.
• Translates category, consumer and customer value drivers into relevant channel strategy.
• Coaches team in strategy development, project briefing and management.

Annual Planning

• Builds segment plan by channel that reflects the 3 year channel strategy, leveraging value drivers via outlet execution standards.
• Translates top-down channel objectives into objective-driven activities, allocating budgets in line with Rev Man principles.
• Manage the channel budget cross functionally.
• Develops PICOS for all channels, utilising category management and Rev Man insights.
• Develop the cold strategy for the channels.
• Drive category management principles and plans for channels, key accounts, new launches.
• Ensures development of practical, implementable plans, materials and promotions that make for ease of execution. 
• Leads and coaches the team creation of the channel plan.

Excellence in execution

• Ensures execution is in line with strategy, brand plans, calendar and budget.
• Ensures cross-functional alignment and commitment to execution of the channel plans.
• Delivers sales tools and information to support delivery of the channel plans.
• Drives delivery of channel plan using execution reporting data.
• Continuously evaluates execution performance by weekly market visits and demonstrates agility in adapting plans based on sales and customer feedback. 
• Champions EoE purpose and process within the team.

Channel, outlet and consumer segmentation

• Ensures trade census data is up to date, valid and fit for purpose.
• Uses shopper/consumer, channel and customer information to prioritise value drivers.
• Leverages database to enable matching of priority value drivers by channel with brand activation selection. 
• Enables targeted equity building in Gold /Silver/Bronze outlets for OpCo brand priorities.
• Ensures that quantified segmentation is reflected in channel plans.
• Ensures segment plans link to prioritised channel opportunities and investment allocation.

Commercial Acumen

• Demonstrates understanding of profitability and drivers by channel to optimise investment.
• Recommends investment choices by channel/customer/brand based on commercial jobs to be done and ability to execute.
• Evaluates the segment plan against channel strategy and financial objectives.
• Performs pre & post activity ROI analysis, generating recommendations for improvement.
• Monitors and responds to competitor activity across the value chain.

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

• Relevant tertiary qualification, preferably Bachelors Degree or Honours in Commerce.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• 7+ years experience in the FMCG environment.
• Sales experience.
• Strong marketing, key accounts, channel and merchandising capability.
• Exhibit strong leadership, problem solving, and time management capabilities.
• Experienced managing multiple sales channels.
• Strategic and commercial acumen