Head of Modern Trade (Strategic & Commercial Lead) — People FOCO (Nairobi)

Head of Modern Trade (Strategic & Commercial Lead)

Role Overview

This is a senior commercial role focused on building a Modern Trade engine that scales. The mandate is governance and profitability: define the rules, lead senior relationships, protect margins, and build a leadership layer that executes without constant oversight.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Commercial Ownership

• Own Modern Trade P&L performance including margins, rebates, and trade investments
• Translate company strategy into Modern Trade choices on where to grow, protect, or exit
• Design price architecture, promotional ladders, and trade terms governance
• Act as the final escalation point for high-stakes commercial risk decisions

Executive Account Leadership

• Lead senior relationships with Modern Trade chains including Naivas, Quickmart, Chandarana, Clean Shelf, Eastmatt, and others
• Own Joint Business Planning including targets, assumptions, risk, and ROI clarity
• Negotiate annual contracts, rebates, claims, and deductions with disciplined documentation

Governance, Not Micromanagement

• Define execution standards and build dashboards that replace day-to-day supervision
• Ensure credit, claims, and pricing compliance through process design and reporting control

Leadership, Delegation & Scale

• Lead and develop Key Account Executives as owners of outcomes
• Delegate execution while maintaining clear decision rights and escalation paths
• Build succession depth and reduce dependency on single individuals

Cross-Functional Authority

• Drive alignment with Finance on margin and trade spend governance
• Align with Supply Chain on OTIF performance and availability discipline
• Align with Marketing on NPD and activation priorities with Modern Trade realities
• Provide executive insight and recommendations that inform leadership decisions

Qualifications

• 10+ years FMCG experience with senior Modern Trade exposure
• Demonstrated Joint Business Planning ownership
• Proven P&L and trade spend governance experience
• Track record leading managers and building leadership capability
• Comfort prioritising margin protection over volume when required

How to Apply

Apply online via: People FOCO on peoplefoco.etalent.net