Yee Lee Marketing Hiring! Full Time Head of Modern Trade in Federal Territory - Ricebowl

Purpose of the Position

The Head of Modern Trade is responsible for developing and executing the Modern Trade sales strategy to achieve sales growth, market share expansion, profitability, and customer excellence across all Modern Trade channels. The role leads the Modern Trade team in managing key customer relationships, joint business planning, trade investment optimization, and execution excellence while ensuring alignment with overall company objectives.

The incumbent will work closely with Trade Marketing, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Distributor partners to deliver sustainable business growth and strengthen the company's position within key retail customers.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

1. Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the annual Modern Trade business strategy aligned with company goals.
• Establish sales, distribution, profitability, and market share targets across all Modern Trade channels.
• Identify growth opportunities through customer development, category expansion, and channel innovation.
• Lead annual business planning, forecasting, and budgeting activities for the Modern Trade business.
• Drive sustainable revenue and profit growth while balancing customer investments and ROI.

2. Key Account Management

• Build strategic partnerships with major retailers including Convenience Stores, Cash & Carry, and Petrol kiosk
• Lead annual negotiations on trading terms, promotions, rebates, listings, and commercial agreements.
• Develop and execute Joint Business Plans (JBP) with key customers.
• Conduct regular business reviews with customers to monitor performance and identify growth opportunities.
• Resolve customer issues and strengthen long-term business relationships.

3. Sales & Revenue Growth

• Deliver sales volume, value, profit, and distribution targets.
• Drive category leadership and maximize share of shelf, visibility, and promotional effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to improve assortment, pricing, and customer profitability.
• Monitor sales performance and implement corrective actions where necessary.
• Lead new product launches and market expansion initiatives within Modern Trade channels.

4. Trade Investment & Financial Management

• Manage Modern Trade trade spending and customer investment budgets.
• Ensure all promotional activities deliver positive return on investment.
• Monitor customer profitability and recommend improvement actions.
• Partner with Finance to optimize trade terms and commercial arrangements.
• Ensure effective governance and compliance of trade investments.

5. Execution Excellence

• Collaborate with Trade Marketing to ensure flawless execution of promotions, POSM, merchandising, and activation programs.
• Ensure compliance with agreed planograms, pricing, and visibility standards.
• Conduct regular market visits to review execution quality and identify opportunities.
• Drive execution excellence across all Modern Trade outlets.

6. Customer & Channel Development

• Develop channel-specific growth strategies.
• Identify emerging retail trends and shopper behaviours.
• Lead category management initiatives with key customers.
• Partner with Trade Marketing and Marketing teams to strengthen customer engagement and shopper activation programs.

7. Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead, coach, and develop the Modern Trade organization.
• Establish clear KPIs and performance expectations.
• Build succession plans and talent pipelines within the function.
• Foster a high-performance, customer-focused sales culture.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration and accountability.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, or related discipline.
• Minimum 10-15 years of FMCG commercial experience.
• At least 5 years in a senior Modern Trade leadership role.
• Strong experience managing major retail accounts.
• Proven track record of achieving sales growth and profitability targets.
• Strong commercial negotiation and customer management skills.
• Experience leading large cross-functional teams.

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Health insurance
• Opportunities for promotion
• Professional development
• Work from home

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur)