Jobs at PepsiCo

Responsibilities

• We are seeking a dynamic and results-driven Sales Lead to take full accountability for sales performance across our Gauteng Bakeries Cluster, including Modern Trade (MT) and Traditional Trade (TT) channels. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing and executing robust sales strategies that drive revenue growth, enhance customer experience, and meet or exceed Annual Operating Plan (AOP) targets. This role also involves leading and developing a high-performing sales team and managing distributor relationships to ensure operational excellence and market competitiveness.

Key Responsibilities:

Sales Strategy & Planning

• Develop and implement actionable 90-day sales plans aligned with business priorities.
• Set and cascade clear sales goals and KPIs for the cluster, ensuring alignment with SASKO’s strategic objectives.
• Conduct comprehensive market analysis and historical data review to forecast future sales trends accurately.
• Identify untapped sales potential across all cluster areas and routes.

Market Intelligence & Execution

• Lead market research initiatives to track industry trends, customer needs, and competitor activity.
• Develop and execute customer-centric strategies to increase revenue and expand market share.
• Create and maintain an active trade calendar to ensure effective promotional execution.

Performance Management

• Monitor and drive sales team performance against set KPIs.
• Ensure distributor performance is tracked, optimised, and aligned with cost and service expectations.
• Oversee sales budget management, including promotional spend and pricing strategies, ensuring commercial effectiveness.

Business Development & Customer Relationship Management

• Acquire new business through micro-market development and strategic targeting.
• Drive customer retention and growth via loyalty programmes and tailored value propositions.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers, ensuring top-tier service and partnership growth (WEC – Win Every Customer).

Qualifications

What will qualify you for the role?

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related commercial discipline is essential.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant sales experience, ideally within a unionised FMCG environment.
• At least 5 years of leadership experience, including managing geographically dispersed sales teams.
• Demonstrated expertise in customer engagement, business development, and distributor management.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Experience working with SAP or equivalent ERP systems is required.
• Other Requirements
• Strong analytical thinking, commercial acumen, and a track record of exceeding revenue and volume targets.
• A collaborative leader who is passionate about people development, driving results, and growing market presence.
• Project management skills and ability to drive process improvements.

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The purpose of the job is to enable and build the growth potential of the Bakeries BU. The person will fulfil the marketing lead for this extensive portfolio. A high degree of co-ordination will be expected of the incumbent in developing strategy and executing plans to build national brands within the context of regional dynamics. The incumbent will bring in-market, in-category market capability and ensure more strategic coherence and more synergies across the portfolio offerings that do exist today.

Practical Tips:

• Responsible for brand development, brand building, category growth strategy for full suite of brands and sub-categories across South Africa.

This marketing leader would be responsible for Category strategy with GM alignment, AOP planning and translation into Marketing Strategy, marketing campaigns and activation plans for the category.

• Own and drive brand equity, SOM and appropriately launch new brands or brand extensions, in conjunction with Commercialization and R&D.
• Liaise with SA CMO in developing and utilizing the support marketing ecosystem, developing and deepening consumer intimacy programmes, and building out consumer engagement platforms.
• The role incumbent will partner with Regional Bakery leadership teams to develop on the ground and BTL support for the Bakery GMs in each region.
• Lead innovation agenda for growth and market relevance.
• Leadership of external stakeholders (agencies) and internal leadership of cross functional teams.
• Works within the SA CMO matrix marketing organization, and aligned to AMESA marketing as required. PepsiCo marketing principles are followed in utilizing the marketing ecosystem, developing and deepening consumer intimacy programmes, driving the innovation agenda with Commercialization, and building out consumer engagement platforms utilizing TCP and other PepsiCo templates.

Accountabilities: 

• Set strategic agenda and commercials plans to accelerate growth, in alignment with the Category GM and the SSA CMO
• Leads development of the long term strategic frame work for SA, including portfolio strategy and pricing strategy. Partners with key functions to build and share the best internal and external thinking.
• Business Performance - Decision (D) Leads, directs, and controls marketing policies, programs, and activities to meet business objectives for local brand portfolio. Creates effective and efficient brand support and prioritizes brand investments in line with long term strategies and growth objectives. Decision rights are per SA Marketing agreed DICE.
• Align Brand calendars with GTM and DX teams
• Strategic Business Planning - Decision (D), Execute (E)
• Supports delivery of Annual Operating Plan (AOP) - Decision (D)
• Leads PSP translation to the effective Annual Operating Plans in category local brands.
• Develops communication strategy for portfolio brands - Decision (D), Execute (E)
• Drives investments efficiency across SA via strategic partnerships, relevant activations and by lifting and adapting proven models.
• People Management - Decision (D), Execute (E)
• Leads, coaches and develops team members to sustainably deliver against long term strategic goals.
• Drive SOM gains in priority categories
• Deliver NR & NOPBT growth targets with Category GM
• Drive Brand Health & Loyalty metrics with SA CMO and SA Insights & Analytics Senior Director
• Execute Innovation & Pipeline priorities with Commercialization and R&D partners
• Management of complex matrix of internal and external stakeholders

Qualifications

• 8 – 10 years experience in brand marketing, preferably within FMCG
• Honours (4 year) Degree in Marketing or Business Management/ Economics with a focus on Marketing, Masters a plus
• Track record of developing and deploying effective communication assets across all media channels.
• Relevant experience in managing agency relationships (creative, digital, media buying)
• Provide assumptions for long term brand growth, planned innovation, promotional guideline
• Proven portfolio management
• Proven leadership skills
• Functional Excellence, recognized by peers and leaders in previous roles
• Demonstration of strategy and commercial track record on complex portfolio
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills
• Excellent commercial acumen and demonstrated ability to deliver results
• Strong expertise and skills in Brand Purposeful positioning, TCP and 360 Brand communications
• Experience in Digital and programmatic content
• Strong Innovation skills
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to influence a broad set of senior stakeholders
• Strong matrix management skills
• Agency management
• Demonstrated ability to lead a large team