Job Description – Sales Manager

Reporting to: Commercial Director

Direct Reports: Key Accounts Sales Supervisor(s), General Trade Sales Supervisor, B2B Sales Supervisor

Purpose of the Position:

• The Sales Manager is accountable for delivering sustainable, profitable revenue growth across Modern Trade, General Trade, and B2B channels across both domestic and export markets. This role offers the opportunity to shape and scale Kentaste’s commercial footprint across Kenya and export markets.

• The role holds commercial ownership of top-line performance, gross margin integrity, and in market execution. The Sales Manager drives disciplined sales planning, performance management, and data-led decision-making to ensure consistent achievement of revenue, distribution, and profitability targets. The role is additionally responsible for effective distributor performance management and alignment with company commercial objectives.

• Through strong leadership of the sales team and close alignment with operations, marketing, and finance, the Sales Manager ensures sales strategy is translated into measurable results and long-term commercial value for the business.

• Success in this role requires strong field engagement, commercial judgement, and the ability to translate strategy into disciplined execution.

Success in the Role

Success in this role will be demonstrated by consistent delivery of strong commercial results and effective leadership of the sales function. Specifically:

• Consistent achievement of monthly and quarterly revenue targets, with sustained growth across Modern Trade, General Trade, and B2B channels
• Maintenance or improvement of gross margins through disciplined pricing, trade spend control, and commercial decision-making
• Measurable improvement in on-shelf availability, share of shelf, and numeric distribution across key markets
• Strong alignment between sell-in, sell-out, and inventory levels, resulting in reduced stock imbalances and improved working capital efficiency
• Improved distributor performance, including adherence to performance standards, healthy stock holding levels, and reduced credit risk
• High-quality execution in-market, with visible improvements in retail standards and promotional effectiveness
• Development of a high-performing, accountable sales team with clear targets, strong execution discipline, and continuous capability improvement
• Identification and implementation of meaningful growth initiatives, including expansion into new regions, channels, or customer segments

Duties and Responsibilities

Revenue & Commercial Ownership

• Own and deliver monthly, quarterly, and annual revenue targets while driving sustainable sell out growth across all retail channels.
• Ensure all confirmed customer orders are accurately captured, validated, and formally handed over into company systems, with full alignment on pricing, volumes, and delivery timelines.
• Set and manage distributor performance standards including availability, stock holding, financial exposure, and sales growth.
• Lead collaborative demand planning and performance monitoring to ensure forecast accuracy, alignment with production planning, and identification of incremental growth opportunities.
• Protect profitability through disciplined pricing execution, trade spend control, and enforcement of credit control policies to minimise overdue receivables and stock ageing risk.

Retail Execution & Account Management

• Drive on-shelf availability (>95%), share of shelf, and product visibility across Modern Trade and General Trade.
• Lead distributor execution of agreed coverage plans, merchandising standards, and route-to market optimisation.
• Maintain senior relationships with key Modern Trade and strategic B2B accounts, ensuring compliance with agreed trade terms and promotional execution.
• Conduct regular market visits to verify execution standards, identify performance gaps, and implement corrective action plans.

Team Leadership & Performance Management

• Lead, coach, and manage direct supervisors and their teams.
• Set clear performance expectations and review performance weekly and monthly.
• Build, develop, and manage a high-performing sales organisation through recruitment, coaching, capability development, and performance management.
• Foster collaboration between Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Operations.
• Drive accountability culture within the sales team.

Strategic Growth & Business Development

• Identify and develop structured retail and regional expansion opportunities.
• Support development and expansion of export channel opportunities.
• Evaluate new product launch readiness from a commercial execution perspective.
• Ensure operational readiness for scaling (distribution, pricing, trade terms).
• Provide data-backed recommendations to Management.
• Perform any other duties reasonably required by Management to support commercial performance and company objectives.

Data, Reporting & Commercial Insights

The Sales Manager is responsible for delivering structured weekly, monthly, and quarterly performance reporting covering revenue, margin, distribution, credit exposure, trade spend, inventory position, competitive activity, and strategic growth initiatives.

Weekly Reporting

• Sales performance (weekly and month-to-date) vs target
• Key account performance and on-shelf availability
• Credit exposure and overdue status
• Competitive activity, key risks, and required support

Monthly Reporting

• Channel performance and gross margin analysis
• Trade spends and promotional ROI review
• Inventory and distributor stock position
• Credit control update and team performance overview
• Key challenges and action plan

Quarterly Reporting

• Performance vs quarterly targets and growth vs baseline
• Incremental growth and incentive performance validation

Authority & Decision-Making

The Sales Manager is authorised to make commercial decisions relating to pricing execution, customer negotiations, promotional activities, and distributor management within approved company policies and budgets. Final commercial authority remains with the Commercial Director or Chief Executive Officer where required in accordance with company governance. The role is expected to exercise sound commercial judgement in balancing growth, profitability, and risk.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s):

Performance will be measured using the following quantitative and qualitative indicators. KPIs will be reviewed monthly and quarterly as part of structured performance reporting. Weightings and targets may be adjusted annually based on company priorities.

Revenue & Growth

1. Revenue Target Achievement
   • Measurement: Actual net revenue vs approved monthly and quarterly targets
   • Reporting: Weekly (MTD) and Monthly
   • Target: ≥ 100% achievement
2. Growth vs Baseline
   • Measurement: % growth vs six-month rolling average baseline
   • Reporting: Monthly and Quarterly
3. Forecast Accuracy & Sell-In/Sell-Out Alignment
   • Measurement: Forecast accuracy % (target ≥90%) and alignment between distributor sell-in and retail sell-out trends
   • Reporting: Monthly
4. Gross Margin Performance
   • Measurement: Actual gross margin % vs budgeted margin
   • Reporting: Monthly

Retail Execution

1. On-Shelf Availability
   • Measurement: % availability in agreed key outlets
   • Target: ≥95%
   • Reporting: Weekly and Monthly
2. Share of Shelf Growth
   • Measurement: Shelf space allocation vs prior period and competitor benchmarks
   • Reporting: Monthly
3. Promotional Compliance Rate
   • Measurement: % of promotions executed as agreed
   • Reporting: Monthly
4. Numeric Distribution Growth
   • Measurement

• Own and deliver monthly, quarterly, and annual revenue targets while driving sustainable sell out growth across all retail channels.
• Ensure all confirmed customer orders are accurately captured, validated, and formally handed over into company systems, with full alignment on pricing, volumes, and delivery timelines.
• Set and manage distributor performance standards including availability, stock holding, financial exposure, and sales growth.
• Lead collaborative demand planning and performance monitoring to ensure forecast accuracy, alignment with production planning, and identification of incremental growth opportunities.
• Protect profitability through disciplined pricing execution, trade spend control, and enforcement of credit control policies to minimise overdue receivables and stock ageing risk.
• Drive on-shelf availability (>95%), share of shelf, and product visibility across Modern Trade and General Trade.
• Lead distributor execution of agreed coverage plans, merchandising standards, and route-to market optimisation.
• Maintain senior relationships with key Modern Trade and strategic B2B accounts, ensuring compliance with agreed trade terms and promotional execution.
• Conduct regular market visits to verify execution standards, identify performance gaps, and implement corrective action plans.
• Lead, coach, and manage direct supervisors and their teams.
• Set clear performance expectations and review performance weekly and monthly.
• Build, develop, and manage a high-performing sales organisation through recruitment, coaching, capability development, and performance management.
• Foster collaboration between Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Operations.
• Drive accountability culture within the sales team.
• Identify and develop structured retail and regional expansion opportunities.
• Support development and expansion of export channel opportunities.
• Evaluate new product launch readiness from a commercial execution perspective.
• Ensure operational readiness for scaling (distribution, pricing, trade terms).
• Provide data-backed recommendations to Management.
• Perform any other duties reasonably required by Management to support commercial performance and company objectives.
• Responsible for delivering structured weekly, monthly, and quarterly performance reporting covering revenue, margin, distribution, credit exposure, trade spend, inventory position, competitive activity, and strategic growth initiatives.

• Sales planning
• Performance management
• Data-led decision-making
• Distributor performance management
• Leadership
• Commercial judgement
• Field engagement
• Pricing execution
• Trade spend control
• Credit control policies
• Merchandising standards
• Route-to market optimisation
• Account management
• Coaching
• Recruitment
• Capability development
• Collaboration
• Accountability
• Business development
• Reporting
• Commercial insights

• Strong field engagement
• Commercial judgement
• Ability to translate strategy into disciplined execution