Sales & Marketing Jobs. Highlands Drinks Jobs. Looking for a sales and marketing job in Kenya? Highlands Drinks is hiring a Sales Excellence Manager to Identify distribution gaps and implement corrective action plans. The role is based in Nairobi and experience in FMCG sales is required.

Key Responsibilities

Distribution Management

• Drive numeric and weighted distribution to maximize product availability and market penetration across the assigned territory.
• Monitor product availability and inventory levels to minimise out-of-stock situations and improve on-shelf availability.
• Identify distribution gaps and implement corrective action plans to expand outlet coverage and improve service levels.
• Support the implementation and continuous improvement of Route-to-Market (RTM) strategies to enhance sales productivity and operational efficiency.
• Monitor route productivity, call frequency, outlet coverage and route compliance to ensure efficient territory execution.
• Analyse sales, distribution and market performance data to identify opportunities for growth, optimise territory performance and improve customer reach.
• Work closely with distributors and sales teams to ensure consistent product availability, effective territory management and achievement of distribution targets.

Market Execution

• Drive excellence in the execution of trade promotions, commercial initiatives and in-market activation programmes to maximise sales performance.
• Monitor and enforce compliance with the Company’s visibility standards, merchandising guidelines and execution requirements across all outlets.
• Ensure the effective placement, utilisation and maintenance of Point of Sale Materials (POSM) to maximise brand visibility and shopper engagement.
• Monitor retail pricing compliance and promptly identify and address pricing deviations that may impact competitiveness and brand positioning.
• Conduct regular market audits to assess execution quality, promotional compliance, merchandising standards and overall customer experience.
• Monitor route compliance and field execution to ensure sales representatives adhere to approved route plans, outlet call cycles and service standards.
• Identify execution gaps, conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective action plans in collaboration with distributors and sales teams.
• Monitor competitor activities, trade initiatives and in-market execution to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and competitive advantage.

Distributor relationship management

• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with assigned distributors to drive sustainable business growth and operational excellence.
• Partner with distributors to improve sales execution, market coverage, product availability and overall commercial performance.
• Monitor distributor inventory levels, stock rotation and replenishment planning to ensure optimal stock availability and minimise stock-outs.
• Support effective credit management by monitoring collections, following up on overdue accounts and working with distributors to improve payment performance.
• Align distributor sales teams with the Company’s commercial objectives, execution standards and performance expectations.
• Conduct regular distributor business reviews to evaluate sales performance, service levels, operational effectiveness and compliance with agreed performance targets.
• Identify capability gaps within distributor operations and implement initiatives to improve execution, productivity and customer service.
• Provide market insights and performance feedback to distributors to support continuous improvement and achievement of territory objectives.

Sales Performance & Territory Management

• Monitor territory sales performance against agreed targets and identify opportunities to drive sustainable sales growth.
• Analyse sales trends, market intelligence, competitor activities and customer insights to support informed commercial decision-making.
• Identify performance gaps and implement corrective action plans in collaboration with Regional Sales Managers, distributors and sales teams.
• Monitor and report on key sales execution KPIs, including distribution, product availability, route compliance, visibility, strike rate and sales productivity.
• Coach, support and develop distributor sales teams to improve execution capability, customer service and overall commercial performance.
• Conduct regular market visits to validate sales performance, identify business opportunities and strengthen customer and distributor relationships.
• Track the effectiveness of commercial initiatives and recommend improvements to maximise return on investment and sales performance.
• Prepare accurate and timely sales and execution reports to support business reviews and performance management.

Reporting Systems & Data Integrity

• Prepare accurate and timely weekly and monthly sales, distribution and execution performance reports to support business reviews and decision-making.
• Maintain accurate market intelligence, execution records and territory performance data to support commercial planning and continuous improvement.
• Monitor compliance with Company sales policies, Route-to-Market standards, trade execution guidelines and operational procedures.
• Identify, escalate and support the resolution of operational, commercial and execution risks that may impact sales performance or customer service.
• Monitor the implementation of agreed corrective actions and provide regular updates on execution performance and improvement initiatives.
• Ensure the accuracy, integrity and timely submission of sales and execution data in line with Company reporting requirements.

Working relationships

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Sales & Marketing, Commerce or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in FMCG sales, distribution or commercial execution.
• Experience managing distributors and Route-to-Market operations.
• Experience driving sales execution within a multi-distributor environment.
• Good understanding of trade promotions, merchandising and market execution.
• Experience analysing sales and execution data.
• Experience working with Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems will be an added advantage.

• Drive numeric and weighted distribution to maximize product availability and market penetration across the assigned territory.
• Monitor product availability and inventory levels to minimise out-of-stock situations and improve on-shelf availability.
• Identify distribution gaps and implement corrective action plans to expand outlet coverage and improve service levels.
• Support the implementation and continuous improvement of Route-to-Market (RTM) strategies to enhance sales productivity and operational efficiency.
• Monitor route productivity, call frequency, outlet coverage and route compliance to ensure efficient territory execution.
• Analyse sales, distribution and market performance data to identify opportunities for growth, optimise territory performance and improve customer reach.
• Work closely with distributors and sales teams to ensure consistent product availability, effective territory management and achievement of distribution targets.
• Drive excellence in the execution of trade promotions, commercial initiatives and in-market activation programmes to maximise sales performance.
• Monitor and enforce compliance with the Company’s visibility standards, merchandising guidelines and execution requirements across all outlets.
• Ensure the effective placement, utilisation and maintenance of Point of Sale Materials (POSM) to maximise brand visibility and shopper engagement.
• Monitor retail pricing compliance and promptly identify and address pricing deviations that may impact competitiveness and brand positioning.
• Conduct regular market audits to assess execution quality, promotional compliance, merchandising standards and overall customer experience.
• Monitor route compliance and field execution to ensure sales representatives adhere to approved route plans, outlet call cycles and service standards.
• Identify execution gaps, conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective action plans in collaboration with distributors and sales teams.
• Monitor competitor activities, trade initiatives and in-market execution to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and competitive advantage.
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with assigned distributors to drive sustainable business growth and operational excellence.
• Partner with distributors to improve sales execution, market coverage, product availability and overall commercial performance.
• Monitor distributor inventory levels, stock rotation and replenishment planning to ensure optimal stock availability and minimise stock-outs.
• Support effective credit management by monitoring collections, following up on overdue accounts and working with distributors to improve payment performance.
• Align distributor sales teams with the Company’s commercial objectives, execution standards and performance expectations.
• Conduct regular distributor business reviews to evaluate sales performance, service levels, operational effectiveness and compliance with agreed performance targets.
• Identify capability gaps within distributor operations and implement initiatives to improve execution, productivity and customer service.
• Provide market insights and performance feedback to distributors to support continuous improvement and achievement of territory objectives.
• Monitor territory sales performance against agreed targets and identify opportunities to drive sustainable sales growth.
• Analyse sales trends, market intelligence, competitor activities and customer insights to support informed commercial decision-making.
• Identify performance gaps and implement corrective action plans in collaboration with Regional Sales Managers, distributors and sales teams.
• Monitor and report on key sales execution KPIs, including distribution, product availability, route compliance, visibility, strike rate and sales productivity.
• Coach, support and develop distributor sales teams to improve execution capability, customer service and overall commercial performance.
• Conduct regular market visits to validate sales performance, identify business opportunities and strengthen customer and distributor relationships.
• Track the effectiveness of commercial initiatives and recommend improvements to maximise return on investment and sales performance.
• Prepare accurate and timely sales and execution reports to support business reviews and performance management.
• Prepare accurate and timely weekly and monthly sales, distribution and execution performance reports to support business reviews and decision-making.
• Maintain accurate market intelligence, execution records and territory performance data to support commercial planning and continuous improvement.
• Monitor compliance with Company sales policies, Route-to-Market standards, trade execution guidelines and operational procedures.
• Identify, escalate and support the resolution of operational, commercial and execution risks that may impact sales performance or customer service.
• Monitor the implementation of agreed corrective actions and provide regular updates on execution performance and improvement initiatives.
• Ensure the accuracy, integrity and timely submission of sales and execution data in line with Company reporting requirements.

• Experience managing distributors and Route-to-Market operations.
• Experience driving sales execution within a multi-distributor environment.
• Good understanding of trade promotions, merchandising and market execution.
• Experience analysing sales and execution data.
• Experience working with Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems will be an added advantage.

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Sales & Marketing, Commerce or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in FMCG sales, distribution or commercial execution.