Customer Relationship Manager - FMCG

CHEP helps move more goods to more people, in more places than any other organization on earth via our 300 million pallets, crates and containers. We employ 11,000 people and operate in more than 55 countries. Through our pioneering and sustainable share-and-reuse business model, the world’s biggest brands trust us to help them transport their goods more efficiently, safely and with less environmental impact.

What does that mean for you? You’ll join an international organization big enough to take you anywhere, and small enough to get you there sooner. You’ll help change how goods get to market and contribute to global sustainability. You’ll be empowered to bring your authentic self to work and be surrounded by diverse and driven professionals. And you can maximize your work-life balance and flexibility through our Hybrid Work Model.

Job Description

Position Purpose

CHEP is looking for a self-motivated, strategic, and forward-thinking leader who challenges organizational norms. This role requires an individual with the ability to build strong collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with key accounts and strategic partners, while driving profitable growth across the specified portfolio through the implementation of an aligned sales strategy with national key account customers and cross divisional departments. The successful candidate will embody the core values of ownership, partnership, determination and accomplishment.

Our goal is to develop our joint business with key accounts, creating strategic plans that delight customers through building collaborative working relationships, deep business understanding and driving additional customer value through supply chain solutions. Value creation will be a key enabler of engagement which is critical to growth.

This individual should display a passion for winning!

Major/Key Accountabilities

National Strategy Development

1. National/global account coordination
2. Implement and drive key account joint business plans to achieve annual revenue objectives within respective growth and value categories
3. Developing, selling, implementing, and evaluating business plans to meet or exceed financial goals
4. Collaborating with multi-functional teams (Marketing, Finance, Logistics, Operations, among others) to develop strategies and plans
5. Responsible for annual SLA’s
6. Own, lead and participate in the identification of new business projects and opportunities within the National Key Accounts level.
7. Negotiate at the head office level to drive sales strategy and growth opportunities through commercial negotiations with key accounts
8. Establish sustainable long-term customer relationships and partnerships
9. Create and exploit collaborative relationships utilizing CHEP Joint Value Creation and Extended Services Teams
10. Complete and reinforce all Zero Harm policies
11. Drive rate negotiations in partnership with the commercial manager
12. Biannual top to top reviews with key customers (high level engagement)
13. To develop productive working relationships with key contacts at all accounts within the national group
14. To establish clear, measurable, and attainable goals for each account within the group and conduct regular evaluations/business reviews to ensure objectives are being achieved
15. Facilitate collaboration workshops with key customers to drive a joint strategy for the year, driven through the account plan (comprising cost avoidance, growth and savings initiatives)

Position Purpose

1. Annual revenue budget
2. Revenue management and profitability growth

1. Cash improvement targets of responsible account(s)
2. Customer specific JBP plans
3. National Sales Strategy
4. Asset productivity
5. Customer Satisfaction – NPS – Target of top quartile
6. Employee satisfaction – Glint – Target of top quartile

Scope

1. Responsible for the Sales, Customer Experience, and Joint Value Creation Strategy
2. Annual Revenue Budget: R900m, across Manufacturers and Distributors affiliation’s

Authority/ Decision Making

1. In line with internal authority levels

1. Customer authority: customer proposals and pricing within agreed department parameters

Challenges

1. High profile/ focus role.
2. Dynamic and demanding market and customer environment- increasing competitor activity and potential new entrants.
3. Large market share of the South African business in current FMCG sector makes core business growth difficult.
4. Changes in customer’s organisations leading to customer decisions being managed by central procurement teams rather than our day to day contacts/decision makers.
5. CHEP’s service offer now being seen as a commodity rather than an added value service proposition.
6. The increase of automation in Manufacturer plants and Retailer DCs and the impact that may have on our current product quality offer.
7. Change in mind-set and culture within teams, aligning our employees to our vision and strategy.

Key contacts

Internal

1. Manufacturers and Distributors team
2. Global Key Account Managers
3. Asset Management function
4. Supply Chain function
5. Strategic Marketing function
6. Finance
7. HR

External

1. Senior level customer contacts.
2. Industry bodies (CGCSA, SAPICS)
3. Other supply chain product and service providers.

Qualifications

1. Preferred degree qualified in a commercial or sales related area
2. Essential Bachelor’s degree in commercial or business or related field of comparable experience
3. Desired post graduate qualification

Experience

5+ years’ experience within:

1. FMCG sales and account management
2. Solution and strategic selling and/or Logistics/ Supply Chain
3. People management

Skills and Knowledge

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate a successful track record of:

1. Delivering high levels of customer satisfaction.
2. Cross-functional key stakeholder management.
3. Identifying new business opportunities.
4. Go to market implementation execution.
5. Results oriented.
6. High accountability.
7. Building strong customer relationships.
8. Strategic Selling in complex environments.
9. Leading in a matrix organization.
10. Negotiating large complex agreements.
11. Successful conflict management.

Preferred Education

Bachelors

Preferred Level of Work Experience

5 - 7 years

Remote Type

Hybrid Remote

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to developing a diverse workforce in which everyone is treated fairly, with respect, and has the opportunity to contribute to business success while realizing his or her potential. This means harnessing the unique skills and experience that each individual brings and we do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class.