Area Sales Manager – Shakaskraal Bakery

Company: PepsiCo

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed more than one billion times a day across over 200 countries and territories. In 2021, PepsiCo generated over $79 billion in net revenue through its portfolio of beverages and convenient foods, including iconic brands such as Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s vision is to be the global leader in beverages and convenient foods through PepsiCo Positive (pep+), a strategic transformation that places sustainability and human capital at the center of value creation and growth, while inspiring positive impact for people and the planet.

In South Africa, PepsiCo products are enjoyed across the day—from breakfast to dinner, at the gym, on the field, or in the office. Key brands include Simba, Lay’s, Liqui Fruit, and Bokomo cereals. PepsiCo SA employs more than 13,000 people across Bakeries, Grains, Foods, Fruit, Snacks, Juice & Beverages.

Responsibilities

• Manage area sales objectives, develop and execute area sales plans, and oversee 3rd party distributors (IDP).

• Lead and manage a team of sales representatives and sales supervisors.

• Maintain key customer relationships and drive net revenue growth.

• Implement and monitor promotion and marketing initiatives.

• Oversee sales and operations in KZN, including both IDP and company-owned routes.

• Analyse regional sales forecasts, competitor activities, and market trends.

• Formulate and manage regional plans including volume, pricing, and promotions.

• Negotiate trading terms, pricing, shelf space, and promotional agreements.

• Manage sales in versus sales out, order processes, and route-to-market data extraction.

• Monitor numeric distribution, promotional distribution, stock expiry, and damages.

• Coordinate logistics, deliveries, scheduling, and confirmation processes.

• Manage out-of-stock situations both internally and externally.

• Oversee sub-agent performance, promotions, stock, pricing, and deliveries.

• Control promotional assets, equipment, and regional promotional grids.

• Manage internal, key account, 3rd party, and agent performance.

• Monitor working capital items such as debtor days and product returns.

• Approve functional plan promotions and funds, and implement projects effectively.

• Utilize SAP functionality and optimize use of functional resources.

• Maintain strong stakeholder relations, both internal and external, and establish functional networks.

• Drive change processes, continuous improvement, and consumer marketing data sharing.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of sales and operations management experience in FMCG.

• Minimum 5 years of key account management experience in FMCG.

• Strong industry knowledge, including customer insights from top-tier to bottom-tier segments.

• Understanding of consumer behavior patterns and market data analysis.

• Experience in planning, ROI analysis, and mathematical evaluation of sales strategies.

• Strong negotiation skills and ability to influence internal and external stakeholders.

This role offers the opportunity to lead sales and operations at Shakaskraal Bakery, driving market growth, team performance, and customer engagement within PepsiCo’s FMCG portfolio.