KAM Massmart & Independent Retail HC at Unilever

Job Purpose

• We’re looking for a Key Account Manager (KAM) to lead strategic customer relationships and drive profitable growth. You will collaborate with key customers, shape joint business plans, optimize assortment and pricing, and ensure flawless delivery of Unilever’s commercial strategy. This role requires someone who is both strategically strong and operationally excellent.

Key Responsibilities:

External Customer Management & Execution

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers.
• Lead commercial conversations and negotiations within agreed parameters.
• Develop and implement customer business plans aligned to category and channel strategies.
• Drive category growth through assortment optimization, pricing strategy, and promotional planning.
• Own the end-to-end sales process: pricing, orders, delivery, and all related administration.
• Partner with the Unilever Field Sales (UFS) team to ensure perfect execution in-store, including stock management, rotation, availability, and claims reduction.
• Deliver national category targets, KPIs, and commercial objectives.

Business Insights & Performance

• Monitor and analyse sales performance, identifying risks and opportunities.
• Use market, shopper, and category data to build insights-driven strategies.
• Provide clear, actionable recommendations to enhance customer performance.

Internal Partnering & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Category teams to deliver customer‑centric solutions.
• Align with the Customer Business Development Manager (CBDM) on turnover assumptions, budgets, and S&OP forecasting through a robust bottom‑up build.
• Participate in cross-functional meetings to find the best solutions for the business.
• Manage business tools and overheads effectively (vehicle, phone, travel, etc., where applicable).

Minimum Requirements

• A completed degree in a related field is.
• 2–3 years’ experience in Key Account Management or Category Management.
• Experience in Customer Marketing or Trade Category Management is beneficial.
• Strong understanding of customer Profit & Loss and category financials.
• Proven ability in customer strategy development and execution.

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
• Data-driven with the ability to translate insights into action.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder-management skills.
• Execution-focused with strong problem‑solving ability.