Director, Channel Execution, South Africa Franchise

Position Overview:

This role supports the Franchise in developing our channel commercial execution growth pillars. The role is required to solve complex business issues which involve multiple geographies, multiple bottlers, and the full value chain. The role requires deep subject matter expertise and a sound understanding of system value drivers, as well as proven analytical acumen at an advanced level. Exceptional information analysis and situational analysis are necessary to drive well-reasoned timely decision-making.

What You’ll Do for Us:

• Support the Franchise in developing our channel commercial execution growth pillars.
• Responsible for the channel plan ensuring alignment with commercial strategy guidelines in terms of opportunity, targets, Occasion Based Pack, Price, Promo, promotions, commercial practice, and Look of Success per category. Responsible for KPIs such as Share of Visible Inventory and Share of Cold Visible Inventory, Net Sales Revenue, and Volume. Ensure specific guidelines for strategy deployment in prioritized customers within the PFM channel to ensure bottler alignment in negotiations regarding terms, conditions, and tactical grid.
• Lead category deep-dives across channels and leverage the system to develop and execute plans.
• Manage portfolio according to relevance, collaboration level, and define level of interaction with The Coca-Cola Company and bottler.
• Lead bottler and customer integration in the relevant channel accounts by consulting bottler in customer management and alignment to channel plan in relevant customers.
• Lead customer capability building in bottler counterparts by defining basic curricula, tools, processes, and routines to ensure expanded value relationships and innovation.
• Project management of various channel initiatives.
• Define, track, and adjust the Channel plan with major customer specs for SBP and ABP ensuring alignment with commercial strategy guidelines and capitalizing on marketing assets and initiatives.
• Align bottler channel and customer plans to overall channel strategy definition. Track deployment and ensure pay-for-performance principles.
• Participate in evolved CMF bringing strategic and long-term vision to define specific corridors to collaborate with bottler.
• Assess, define, and align customer capability building with bottler and BU to ensure greater value relationships with major customers.
• Engage bottlers with a focus on bias for execution excellence.
• Conduct investment analysis to optimize ROI for commercial initiatives.
• Deliver higher ROI on our Cold drink investments and ensure that we are driving productivity gains.
• Bring a high level of innovation, particularly in processes for execution. As the BU extends into more categories and segments its approach to more detailed sub-channel levels, finding suitable ways of managing this complexity will be key for this role.
• Leverage technology to modernize our presence across channels to build competitive advantage working with the Commercial Execution Lead.
• Define and implement new processes, products, and commercial solutions to address complex business needs in terms of cooler models, procurement, placement, tracking, and process improvement, to secure horizontal expansion/growth while accelerating vertical growth with an enhanced execution model for a much broader portfolio.
• Lead all category workstreams across channels and direct the relevant stakeholders to develop and execute category-specific plans.
• Drive and track category projects by leading workstreams, stakeholders, and tracking.

Qualification & Requirements:

• University Bachelor’s degree minimum.
• Prior commercial/franchise operations experience is a plus.
• Proven ability to work across cultures and multiple functions.
• Strong, proven self-starter with superior leadership skills and capabilities.
• Proven ability to lead and influence teams to align resources towards a common goal, leveraging best-in-class approaches and methodologies; ability to effectively interact and influence various levels of management across the system.
• Strong project management skills.

Skills:

• Metrics Management
• Waterfall Project Management
• Commercial Strategies
• Commercial Execution
• Communication
• Commercial Leadership
• Planning Ability
• Analytical Thinking
• Personal Initiative
• Teamwork
• Process Improvements
• Relationship Management
• Metrics Development