Field Manager at Smollan

Job Summary

• An operational leader who ensures growth for clients, customers and Smollan by proactively influencing and managing relationships between the client, customers and employees;
• Spotting opportunities and providing insights;
• Managing the resources required to ensure efficient and effective day-to-day operations; and
• Acting as a Smollan people custodian, leader and people manager.

Key Responsibilities and Deliverables
Manage Promotional Activity:

• Facilitate the implementation of promotion grids
• Ensure field force are informed about time frames for promotions
• Communicate promotional activities to field force
• Ensure understanding of objectives of various promotions
• Ensure POS material is delivered to stores
• Ensure sufficient stock has been ordered within required timeframes
• Ensure promotional activities have been implemented and maintained
• Provide feedback to relevant stakeholders
• Monitor competitor’s new innovations
• Analyses and manage data integrity (Field comms).

Achieve POP Objectives:

• Ensure generic Planograms are implemented
• Ensure store-specific planograms and category flows are implemented and maintained
• Provide feedback to Clients with regards to forward share changes
• Ensure forward share is reflected on shelf as per rate of sale
• Ensure market share is reflected in the category
• Ensure shelf health is implemented and maintained.

Effective and Efficient Achievement of Targets:

• Communicate sales targets to the Field Force
• Increase volumes in stores
• Identify in-store cross-merchandising opportunities
• Ensure stock pressure is applied
• Ensure forward share reflects Rate of Sales (ROS)
• Monitor in-store pricing
• Ensure out-of-stocks are limited
• Ensure sufficient ordering of stock on Nominated Order Day (NOD)
• Ensure delivery of stock as per Nominated Delivery Day (NDD)
• Minimise credit notes
• Monitor sales to ensure sales targets are achieved
• Drive ad-hoc promotions to increase sales
• Develop alternative strategies to increase sales
• Ensure timeous promotional activities are implemented
• Control Expenses.

Pro-active Operational Excellence:

• Manage the resources required to ensure efficient and effective day-to-day operations of store execution
• including flexible people and resource allocation
• Continuous monitoring of service delivery
• Ensure implementation of systems to promote efficiency
• Implementation of sales initiatives and value-adding store operations
• Ensure all company assets are maintained according to company policy
• Manage staff in-store book communication and feedback
• Highly effective business insights and execution
• Identify and act on new business opportunities
• Share information with relevant stakeholders
• Effective data collection and analysis
• Provide insights for improvements and new ways of driving sales
• Plan and implement sales operations for clients and customers based on the analysis of sales data
• Monitor and evaluate new innovations
• Monitor competitor’s new innovations.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Pro-actively influencing and managing relationships between the client, customers and operational staff to ensure growth for clients and customers
• Provide continuous feedback as per client requirements
• Compile regular reports to relevant stakeholders
• Provide continuous feedback as per client requirements (competitor activities, promotions, ROS, product
• recalls, innovations, pricing, planograms, urgent deliveries)
• Liaise with customers and depot’s (stock pressure, stock holdings, new innovations, deliveries, credit notes, special deliveries, staff, ROS, price, reviews, category flows, planograms)
• Compile trade visit reports
• Compile trade contact reports
• Compile regular reports to Regional Managers
• Conduct review meetings with client
• Provide feedback via feedback platform (e.g. IVR/Grapevine/Field Comms/Manual tracking).

Monitor New Innovation:

• Inform field force of new innovations
• Monitor speed to market
• Monitor stock in DC
• Negotiate new or existing listings in stores with store managers
• Distribute trade presenters to Field Force and customers
• Provide feedback to clients
• Monitor sales
• Manage staff in-store book comm. and feedback.

Effective People Management:

• Take full responsibility for performance management of all direct reports, managing their performance in relation to quality standards and agreed benchmarks and objectives, focusing on all aspects of sound people management:
• Recruitment and selection, induction and orientation, training and development, rewards and remuneration, succession planning and performance management
• Ensure compliance with regards to leave, adherence to dress code, management of health and safety and adherence to staff welfare
• Ensure accurate in-store administration, provide updated stocking files and support staff with in-store conflict/issues
• Ensure appropriate levels of management and accountability
• Motivate, delegate and empower appropriately, enabling direct reports to take responsibility and display creativity and initiative
• Ensure effective knowledge sharing
• Effective teamwork and self-management
• Follow through to ensure that personal quality and productivity standards are consistently and accurately maintained
• Demonstrate consistent application of internal procedures
• Plan and prioritise, demonstrating abilities to manage competing demands
• Demonstrate abilities to anticipate and manage change
• Demonstrate flexibility in balancing achievement of own objectives with abilities to understand and respond to organisational needs
• Manage own career development by staying abreast of any technical and industry changes.

Requirements

• Degree in Sales & Marketing / Business Management / Commerce or any relevant Degree
• Valid Driver’s license and own vehicle
• 2-3 years’ sales experience in FMCG environment at a managerial/supervisory level.

Salary
Market Related