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Unilever
UI Assistant Business Development Manager at Unilever
KenyaFull TimeMid-Senior Level
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Role Purpose
Drive sustainable and profitable growth across assigned East African markets by leading distributor performance, commercial planning, customer development and market execution. The role will combine hands-on business delivery with the development of capability for broader regional leadership responsibilities and operates within a regional business covering Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia
Core Responsibilities
**Business Delivery: **Own turnover, growth, profitability and market execution targets for the assigned approximately EUR 7M business. Lead annual plans, monthly performance reviews and corrective actions.
**Distributor Leadership: **Build and execute joint business plans, lead distributor governance, strengthen capability and hold partners accountable for agreed commercial outcomes.
**Commercial Planning: **Own forecasting, demand planning, pricing, portfolio mix, trade investment and promotional planning in collaboration with relevant functions.
**Market Development: **Identify and convert growth opportunities across priority geographies, brands, customers and channels. Expand distribution, coverage and execution quality.
**Operational Excellence: **Maintain healthy inventory, service, working-capital and order discipline. Proactively manage supply risks and prevent avoidable out-of-stocks.
**Cross-Functional Leadership: **Partner with Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing and Customer Operations to deliver end-to-end business priorities and resolve execution barriers.
**Governance and Compliance: **Ensure distributor operations, commercial investments and market activities comply with company policies, controls and regulatory requirements.
**Scale and Succession: **Demonstrate readiness to assume additional markets, customers and P&L responsibility as the East Africa business grows.
Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing or a related discipline; postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
Approximately 5-8 years of progressive FMCG commercial experience in Sales, Customer Development, Distributor Management or a related field.
Proven record of delivering sales and business targets through distributors and customers.
Strong commercial acumen, analytical capability and understanding of P&L drivers.
Comfort operating independently across multiple markets and influencing stakeholders without direct authority.
East Africa or comparable emerging-market exposure is strongly preferred.
High ownership, learning agility, resilience and an entrepreneurial growth mindset.
Skills and Experience
Distributor management - Joint business planning, governance, performance reviews and capability building.
Commercial delivery - Demonstrated delivery of growth, revenue targets and disciplined execution.
Planning and analytics - Forecasting, demand planning, performance analysis and action-oriented reporting.
Financial acumen - Working knowledge of P&L, gross margin, trade investment, ROI and working capital.
Route to market - Experience improving coverage, channel execution and distributor productivity.
Stakeholder leadership - Ability to align customers and cross-functional teams around clear decisions and actions.
Communication - Executive-ready written and verbal communication, including customer negotiation and business reviews.