Job Vacancies at Unilever

Job Purpose

• As the FET Lead Finance Manager, you will play a pivotal role in driving business performance, strategic planning, and financial management. You will work with innovations across the organization, working with global leaders and colleagues in a diverse culture. Key responsibilities include overseeing corporate management accounting systems, budgeting, planning, reporting & insights, and performance management.

Key Responsibilities
Business Performance & Leadership

• Drive and shape business performance through analysis and interventions to achieve financial targets.
• Provide leadership and decision-making support on strategic planning, target setting, and resource allocation.
• Influence senior stakeholders and lead teams to deliver results.
• Manage monthly, quarterly, and year-end close processes, ensuring accurate reporting for local and global requirements.
• Operate financial controls in line with the Global Financial Controls Framework (GFCF).
• Prepare variance analysis, board materials, and executive presentations.
• Consolidate CEO updates and maintain integrity of historical data.
• Develop robust business planning and performance monitoring processes for enhanced analysis, modelling, and forecasting.
• Maintain alignment across reporting systems (SAP, BW, GCUT, Ifinance).
• Build and maintain effective relationships with business partners globally and within Southern Africa.
• Update financials for income statement commentary and variance analysis.

Business Planning & Forecasting

• Lead engagement with divisions and global teams on targets, Annual Operating Plan, and financial forecasts.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly forecasts, supporting analysis, and participate in reviews with leadership teams.

Performance Management

• Drive growth and gross margin improvement.
• Lead project Symphony and optimize returns from marketing investment.
• Implement pricing strategies using NRM/NRR.
• Deliver 5S targets and identify risks and opportunities for target achievement.
• Develop corrective actions to close gaps and make significant adjustments to forecasts as needed.
• Enhance resource allocation and budget setting decisions.
• Partner with divisions on active portfolio reviews to delivery the long term business strategy.
• Own and manage the end-to-end budget process, and driving performance improvements.

Talent & Team Leadership

• Provide leadership and development for team members.
• Interface with and influence leads.
• Champion diversity and inclusion, integrating these values into recruitment and development.

Information & Analytics (I&A)

• Lead simplification and automation initiatives to advance the Finance Digital Agenda.
• Collaborate with I&A, offshore teams, and partners to accelerate digital, RPA, and cognitive capabilities.
• Deliver monthly insights to business leaders, providing accurate and timely performance and forecast packs.

Reporting

• Ensure accurate submissions of actuals and forecasts to local and Global teams, maintaining high reporting standards.
• Oversee timely and accurate delivery of board materials, including performance commentary.
• Provide GMVA reporting and commentary variance analysis.

Ad Hoc Responsibilities

• Conduct customer-level CD reporting and manage year-end restatements.
• Resolve reporting system issues (BW, GCUT, Ifinance).
• Provide information for decision support and prepare P&L reports for auditors.

Overheads Management

• Prepare and submit annual overhead forecasts for Southern Africa.
• Increase visibility and accountability for overheads, promoting efficient spending in line with Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB).
• Align processes with Global Overheads FET Team objectives
• Prepare and communicate phased overhead forecasts and performance updates.
• Maintain standard operating procedures for Finance
• Drive continuous improvement, simplification, and standardization in overhead management.
• Ensure monthly accruals and provisions,
• Benchmark for efficiency improvements and perform ad-hoc analyses.
• Coordinate data cleansing and SAP IO maintenance.

Experience, Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree plus a professional finance qualification (CA, CIMA, or equivalent).
• 12-15 years’ experience in various finance roles with strong business partnering credentials.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and teams not directly reporting to you.
• Solid understanding of finance disciplines, including controllership.
• Active networking and relationship-building capabilities.
• Confident leadership and immediate stakeholder impact.
• Proven project and process management skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment with flexibility.
• Strong organizational and prioritization abilities.
• Experience working with multi-geographical and multicultural teams is desirable.
• Head office and factory finance experience is advantageous.
• Strong influencing and leadership skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience with SAP; proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Proven effectiveness in complex environments and driving business performance.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Objectivity, integrity, resilience, and courage under challenge.
• Ability to manage multiple senior stakeholders and drive change management initiatives.
• Skill in presenting complex information simply and explaining finance concepts to non-finance stakeholders.
• Direct responsibility for budgeting, forecasting, and quarterly reporting.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to communicate findings both verbally and in writing.
• Initiative and the ability to work independently and under pressure, especially during month-end reporting.
• Experience with SAP, GCUT, and finance systems.

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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.