Customer and Sales Operations Executive
- Randfontein, Gauteng
- Permanent
- Full-time
Reference Number RCL250901-1
Company RCL Foods
Job Title Customer and Sales Operations Executive
Functions Customer
Job Type Classification Permanent
Location - Town / City Randfontein
Location - Province Gauteng
Location - Country South Africa
Job DescriptionRCL FOODS is a deeply rooted South African food manufacturer that produces some of the country’s most-loved brands: Yum Yum peanut butter, Nola mayonnaise, Ouma rusks, Sellati sugar and our pet food brands : Bobtail ,Optimizor ,Canine Cuisine and Catmor just to name a few. At the heart of our culture and strategy is our Purpose – WE GROW WHAT MATTERS – which encapsulates our belief in collectively doing that little more to create a positive impact that matters.Visit our website at:We believe that the CUSTOMER is at the heart of our business, and we are looking for a Customer and Sales Operations Executive to effectively drive the Channel through focused customer insights and strategy, ensuring effective accounts management and customer relationship management to achieve customer and Channel objectives. In addition, develop business relationships by contracting new customers and expanding volumes/products with existing customers.
Minimum Requirements
- Post graduate degree (Veterinarian qualification would be advantageous but not compulsory)
- Valid Code EB drivers’ license
- Minimum 10 years' experience in a sales and or sales operations function that includes managing complex and/or significant customer relationships and key/national accounts with at least 5 years in a senior management role within the pet industry or related pet products..
- Strong Commercial and strategic thinking but bias in operations
- Formulate short and long-term channel strategies to deliver sustainable, profitable growth by key customers and distributors and prioritize services and initiatives by customer within the channels (vet, pet-shops and agricultural sector) on the basis of demand and opportunity.
- Determine the tone and direction the team takes with customers and work with cross functional teams to ensure alignment with supply chain initiatives.
- Monitor competitors, formulate proactive responses when required and perform an analysis for internal stakeholders.
- Manage key accounts and distributors at a strategic level and develop relationships that enable the achievement of channel plans.
- Research and analyze environmental and competitive conditions and customer needs.
- Analyze and track market, customer and channel trends and in-market measures at customer, distributor and channel level.
- Act as the pet market expert, understanding what drives service needs and customer behaviour.
- Meet new business sales targets as aligned with the growth strategy of the channel and design strategies to capitalize on sales opportunities.
- Network with industry leaders and stakeholders and build relationships to facilitate expanded sales opportunities.
- Develop proposals, contracts and lead contract negotiation with new customers and distributors
- Ensure that all accounts are profitably serviced for the company to achieve sales and revenue goals and leverage current alliances and customer relationships to further expand business development opportunities.
- Analyse sales statistics to determine business growth potential.
- Plot annual and long term objectives for accounts and ensure all volume and ‘basket’ and revenue targets are met.
- Facilitate the communication of a customer perspective to ensure that customer expectations are met.
- Manage all aspects of account profiles and ensure that customers have up to date knowledge of trends and performance statistics.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key opinion leaders in the market.
- Manage the presentations to and negotiation with key accounts.
- Lead the channel management planning process and performance reviews to create customer-specific priorities and plans.
- Understand key drivers of profit and loss and actively support the achievement of financial targets including driving profitable service options at the channel or customer level, maximizing profitability, and identifying business opportunities.
- Develop and manage the operations teams within the channels (vet, pet shops and agricultural) to ensure delivery of the agreed look of success by channel.
- Develop and maintain the optimal call cycles ensuring optimal coverage of the top outlets by channel, driving the agreed forecast.
- Participate in setting new service pricing to extract maximum value for key account customers.
- Track competitive price across customers within the channel and recommend pricing corrections.
- Recommend improvements to create greater value.
- Implement and simplify appropriate business processes to increase organizational effectiveness and efficiency in support of key account requirements.
- Support corporate strategy alignment and business update meetings.
- Manage staff activities, ensuring service levels are met and coach and support staff to achieve objectives.
- Manage and deliver on succession plans to enable development of a future generation of leaders and specialists.
- Champion staff training and development and conduct regular performance appraisals with subordinates.
- Drive employment equity within the team.
- Drive corrective action and gap closing initiatives within the operations teams across channels.