Retail Category Commercial Manager
Nairobi
/
Full-Time /
About KOKO Networks
KOKO Networks is a venture-backed climate-tech company with 1,800+ employees across East Africa, India, and the United Kingdom. Our mission is to imagine and deliver technology that improves life in the world’s fastest growing cities. We offer a fast-paced and highly collaborative work environment with significant opportunities for professional growth. Our core lines of business currently include: (1) KOKO Fuel, an ultra-clean liquid bioethanol cooking fuel solution delivered via a network of smart fuel ATMs and leveraging existing downstream liquid fuels infrastructure; and (2) KOKO Climate, which retails the emissions reductions that occur from switching households from deforestation-based charcoal to KOKO Fuel. In 2021, KOKO was selected as the world’s leading emerging markets climate technology solution by FT/IFC.
Your Role:
As a Retail Category Sales Manager you will develop our category strategies anchored in data insights and supported by strong partnerships with our suppliers. This is a key leadership position where you will shape KOKO’s Club long term success as we expand assortment and physical footprint.
You will be a member of the Commercial team, working directly with the KOKO Club leadership team and closely with Field Sales, Marketing, Logistics, Analytics and Finance.
This is a role that requires strategic thinking, business analysis, clear communication and persuasion skills. We are looking for an individual with a strong track record in delivering sales targets and margin improvement. The candidate should have a minimum of 5 years experience in sales roles in both Kenya modern and traditional trade.
What You Will Bring To KOKO:
- You will be a senior leader in the organization, defining the KOKO Club category assortment vision and roadmap, identifying opportunities to innovate and drive value for our consumers, agents and suppliers.
- You will be responsible for identifying and closing joint business plan agreements with the right suppliers, always ensuring trade terms are competitive with other industry players.
- You will be responsible for a number of categories, where you will define the distribution, pricing, promotion, shelving and merchandising strategies in close partnership with our suppliers.
- You will lead the overall business review process to ensure we surface learnings quickly and keep moving in line with our growth targets.
- You’ll create an environment that fosters high quality, metrics-driven experimentation and sets high standards for how we measure success.
- You’ll work closely with supply chain to aid demand forecasting, with field sales to ensure deployed strategies are executed seamlessly, with marketing to coordinate consumer activities, with research & analytics to guide what metrics to monitor, and with finance & accounting for budgeting and payment purposes.
- You will bring and build deep retail knowledge and experience; people across the company will look to you as an expert; and you leverage it through teaching, guiding and coaching others.
- You will develop strong partnerships with the broader KOKO networks team so that we keep growing the KOKO brand and find synergies with existing and future businesses.
What You Will Bring To KOKO
- We are looking for a hands-on leader that is both business savvy as well as a strategic thinker and who is passionate about shaping a new business.
- Minimum 5+ years experience in retail sales roles with exposure to both Kenya modern and traditional trade.
- Strong track record in delivering sales targets and margin improvement.
- Excels in business analysis, concept selling, spotting market trends and unveiling shopper insights.
- You are a strong leader, very confident and competent at interacting with other individuals, especially external stakeholders.
- You have excellent communication and persuasion skills in any medium.
- You have a growth mindset; a willingness to own problems.
- You are comfortable with ambiguity, have a passion to roll up your sleeves and get things done, improve processes, and have a natural sense of optimism.
- You're able to easily switch between long-term strategic thinking and short-term tactical planning.
We believe that our people are critical for our ambitious growth plans in Kenya and beyond. We want to build an organisation where people thrive, feel included, grow professionally, and enjoy having high impact through their work.
KOKO is committed to gender and racial diversity in the workplace. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply!
KOKO is committed to gender and racial diversity in the workplace. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply!
