National Sales Manager - General Trade

• Strong track record in sales leadership within the Dairy or FMCG industry
• Distributor management experience in the GT channel
• Commercial acumen and customer management & sales strategy

About the Opportunity

Reporting to the Consumer Sales Director/ Sales & Marketing Director, you will be responsible for leading, planning and developing strategic plans, overseeing activities of General Trade (Including LKA, Groceries, Large Community Stores and Drug Stores) and overall sales performance in line with agreed Lead and Lag Metrics to achieve company and channel objectives.

The role is a data-driven and requires commercial acumen, a deep understanding of the Customer landscape, consumer base, competitive market, and an ability to analyze overall channel performance relative to Macro and regional environments.

Role Accountabilities

• Develop and implement sales targets, strategies, and customer plans aligned with company objectives.
• Create winning customer value propositions and allocate resources accordingly.
• Manage departmental calendar for trading priorities and new product launches.
• Identifies new growth opportunities and channels.
• Lead GT sales team to meet or exceed annual targets and address performance variances.
• Day to day management of distributor of ambient business.
• Align cost structures and operational capability/efficiency with required returns.
• Manage change impact and risks associated with new processes and solutions.
• Ensure an optimal organizational structure to meet business needs.
• Utilize analytics tools to analyze sales performance and identify improvement areas.
• Establish actionable insights for improving sales and business profits.
• Monitor brand performance and forecast trends to maintain a competitive advantage.
• Collaborates with Category Team to achieve monthly and annual targets.
• Partner with distributors to align strategies and ensure execution.
• Develop strong working alliances with key customers and internal functions.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with partner distributors.
• Collaborate with internal functions to deliver on the Customer Value Proposition and facilitate continuous improvement across the business.

About You

• Over 10 years of sales experience in the Dairy or FMCG industry.
• Proven track record in sales within a fast-paced and dynamic business environment, with experience as a Senior Sales Manager preferred.
• Good commercial acumen with strong understanding of market dynamics, financial metrics, and business strategies.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with customers and internal stakeholders.
• Knowledge of commodity markets, including pricing trends and supply chain dynamics.
• Understanding of end-consumer market trends and issues.
• Ability to develop and maintain excellent relationships internally and externally.
• Demonstrated ability to lead sales teams towards growth in sales volume and revenue generation, while displaying exceptional leadership skills and confidence.

Our Co-operative

Te Mātāpuna toa takitini

Fonterra’s strength is in the collective.

We are a Co-operative created and owned by Aotearoa New Zealand dairy farmers. Our rich history is built on farming families working together to share the natural goodness of our dairy with the world.

Collaboration, innovation, and passion was the cornerstone of our creation and something we continue to value today through our commitment to care for the land, our animals, and every drop of milk. Our milk creates goodness through nutritious food with safe, quality ingredients that are loved in New Zealand and around the world.