818 Key Account jobs in Kenya

Unilever is currently hiring for
Key Accounts Manager, Naivas
Function
:
Customer Development

Reports to:
Head of Modern Trade, Kenya

Scope:
Local

Location:
Nairobi, Kenya

Terms & Conditions:
Full time

About Unilever
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.

UNILEVER KENYA – CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT
Unilever Kenya is a subsidiary of Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company headquartered in the United Kingdom. Unilever Kenya is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and employs over 2,000 people directly and indirectly. The company has a portfolio of over 50 brands, including Dove, Omo, Vaseline, Geisha, Royco, and Sunlight.

Unilever Kenya is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of Kenyans and the environment with a number of sustainability initiatives in place through their brands, including a plastic waste reduction program with Mr. Green to help reduce the impact of plastics in the environment and providing recycled plastic for some of Unilever Kenya's products.

The Key Account Manager should be passionate about building and maintaining strong customer relationships, developing customer growth strategies, data driven decision-making, and have a strong desire to learn and grow in the field of customer and account management.

As a Key Account Manager, your primary responsibilities will include cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with our customers and driving triple-win growth. You'll also play a crucial role in strategically enhancing our business by bringing the voice of the customer and the consumer to all discussions, collaborating with internal teams, and ensuring timely delivery of products and services to meet shopper needs.

This is a great opportunity to grow through driving business growth and intelligence, data analysis and customer driven growth in a fast-paced, collaborative environment

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 self-driven and hungry to grow then this role is just for you

What Will Your Main Responsibilities Be

• Develop and execute a customer strategy and business plan with a strong collaboration of his/her team.
• Responsible for the achievement of turnover and the P&L of his/her customers for the category as well as for the implementation and the optimization of the category strategies within the customer.
• Work in close collaboration with the Marketing team for the category input, and with customer strategy and planning for the customer/channel plan.
• Develop optimal integrated promo plan (incl. selling the plan to the customer) and manage promo investments.
• Close the deal with the customer by negotiating the trade terms, trade funding, and counterparts according to the strategy on all categories.
• Prepare detailed analyses on projects, NPDs or on any sales data to bring data-driven decision making alive.
• Monitor customer performance by tracking customer business performance (both primary sell-in and till sales sell-out) and market share for all categories and support in collecting market insights.
• Strong liaison with internal business support from Marketing, Customer Strategy and Planning and related functions in order to ensure smooth and efficient operations to support the business and customer growth plan.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with the customer strategy and planning, marketing, and other business teams to ensure alignment and effective communication to meet the customer growth needs and how we through business intelligence sharing and data-driven decision making.
• Participate in meetings and contribute to discussions related to modern trade customers & data.

Essential
Experiences & Qualifications

• At least 5 years' customer-facing experience.
• Strong track record of performance

Desirable

• 6-8 years in a customer-facing role, managing tier 1 supermarkets.

Skills

• A degree from a reputable college or university.
• At least 5 years in customer management or key account management.
• Strong planning skills.
• Innovation mindset
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel.

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 applicates 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.

• Developing and maintaining strong, long-term relationships with key clients.
• Identifying and pursuing new business opportunities within existing accounts.
• Understanding client needs and proposing solutions that meet their objectives.
• Negotiating contracts and service level agreements.
• Achieving and exceeding sales targets and revenue goals.
• Collaborating with marketing and product teams to ensure client satisfaction.
• Providing regular reports on account status and sales performance.
• Acting as a liaison between the client and internal departments.
• Resolving client issues and ensuring a high level of customer retention.
• Staying abreast of industry trends and competitor activities.

Job Purpose:

The National Key Account Manager role's primary purpose is to grow the business revenue and market share in all Modern Trade and Key Accounts through maintaining excellent relationships with customers, excellent Key Account Team Leadership and Management and great in trade and in store execution.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Management - 30% of Time

• Lead the key accounts team to deliver exceptional results by making sure team members are clear on their role, have clear KPIs and targets and the same are monitored and assessed frequently (Daily, Weekly and Monthly) and corrective actions taken
• Develop and train on sales routines for the Key Account Managers and Merchandisers
• Mentor and coach the team and ensure capability development happens
• Ensure adherence to company policies and processes by the team
• Effective management of all agencies providing manpower resources to the business specifically merchandising and brand ambassadors

Financial Management - 25% of Time

• Deliver volume and revenue target within Modern Trade and Key Accounts
• Achieve targeted margins by focusing on the sales mix
• Ensure adherence by customers to the company's accounts receivables policy
• Develop and effectively managed customer marketing support budgets
• Effective management of market returns
• Effectively monitor and motivate for price adjustments to ensure we remain competitive in the trade

Relationship Management 25% of Time

• Build deep and maintain lasting relationships with key chains decision makers to ensure we are top of mind and are considered valued partners
• Schedule and arrange Top to Top meetings and market visits to foster good working business relationships between key chains and top management of the company
• Development, execution and management of joint business plans based on pay for performance model to achieve company objectives
• Be the champion of Excellent Customer Service within the company by ensuring Modern trade customers issues are documented, understood and resolved within the shortest time possible as per SLAs
• Address and resolve any customer quality concerns with the help of the Quality Manager

Trade Execution – 20% of Time

• Develop and implement channel strategies for the different sub channels within Modern Trade
• Together with the respective Key Account Manager, develop chain specific strategies and plans to ensure collaboration and achievement of company plan
• Develop, Deploy and maintain picture of success within the chains with special focus on key metrics of OSA, SOS and SOVI
• Management of trade offers to drive revenue, loyalty, visibility, volume and share
• Development and execution of shop in shop strategies to increase points

Experience required for this Role

• Degree in business related field
• 10+ years' experience in FMCG within Sales with at least 5+ years in Key Account Management
• Good knowledge of trade partner operations
• Good trade relationships built over time

Skills, Behaviours and Competencies required for this Role

• Effective leader and people manager
• Excellent Customer Engagement and Relationship skills
• Drives High standards and strives for excellence
• Advanced Negotiation and Persuasion skills
• Self drive
• Problem solving ability
• Advanced communication skills

• Develop and implement strategic sales plans to achieve assigned sales targets within key accounts.
• Build and maintain strong, long-lasting relationships with major retailers and distributors.
• Negotiate favorable terms, pricing, and promotional activities with key clients.
• Analyze sales data, market trends, and competitor activities to identify growth opportunities.
• Manage product assortment and ensure optimal shelf space and visibility for company products.
• Develop and deliver compelling sales presentations to key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with marketing and supply chain teams to ensure effective execution of sales strategies.
• Resolve customer issues and address client concerns in a timely and effective manner.
• Accurately forecast sales performance and manage account budgets.
• Stay informed about industry trends and product developments.

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in key account management or sales, preferably within the FMCG industry.
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and presentation skills.
• Strong understanding of sales principles, market dynamics, and retail strategies.
• Proficiency in CRM software and sales analytics tools.
• Ability to build rapport and foster strong relationships with clients.
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple accounts effectively in a remote environment.

• Manage and grow a portfolio of key client accounts.
• Develop and maintain strong, long-lasting client relationships.
• Understand client needs and objectives, and translate them into solutions.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities within existing accounts.
• Achieve and exceed sales targets and objectives.
• Prepare and deliver compelling sales presentations and proposals.
• Negotiate contract terms and close agreements.
• Act as the main point of contact for client inquiries and issues.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure client satisfaction.
• Provide regular reports on account status and sales performance.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in sales, account management, or business development.
• Proven track record of meeting and exceeding sales quotas.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Strong negotiation and closing abilities.
• Ability to build and maintain strong client relationships.
• Experience with CRM software.
• Self-motivated with a results-driven approach.
• Ability to work effectively in a hybrid work environment.