Manager, Instore Excellence-Africa

JOB SUMMARY 

Acts as the Commercial Excellence center of expertise for In-Store Excellence & Distributor Capabilities across Africa by:

• Advising on Perfect Store standards and supporting their consistent implementation across priority outlets
• Building distributor capability and fostering accountability through structured Joint Business Planning
• Coaching market teams on field force effectiveness
• Influencing the adoption of execution playbooks and best practices across 47+ markets
• Ensuring category and commercial strategies are translated into consistent, effective execution at point of sale

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES / TASKS 

Perfect Store & In-Store Execution Excellence

• Guide the definition and continuous improvement of Perfect Store standards.
• Support local teams in deploying and sustaining Perfect Store standards across priority outlets
• Support market teams with data-driven insights and best-practice recommendations

Route-to-Market Optimization

• Support the optimization of Route-to-Market models by market type.
• Monitor and advise on key metrics: Numeric Distribution Growth, Market Coverage Rate, Sales Force Call Compliance
• Partner with local GMs on RTM implementation strategy

Distributor Excellence & Joint Business Planning

• Guide the deployment and adoption of the BIC Distributor Playbook.
• Develop Distributor tiering & performance Scorecard: quantitative (sell-out, distribution, compliance) + qualitative (capability, partnership) assessment
• Guide and facilitate JBP process: annual business planning, quarterly reviews, and accountability cadence with key distributors

Trade Activation Excellence

• Partner with teams to translate category/brand priorities into market-level activation calendars
• Guide the development of activation playbooks: POSM specifications, promotional mechanics…
• Coach continuous improvement through post-activation reviews and best-practice capture

Field Execution Capability Building

• Develop and recommend execution playbooks tailored to different market contexts
• Guide the design, deployment and continuous improvement of training programs.
• Advise on SFA adoption: monitor field utilization rates, data quality, and usage patterns
• Facilitate cross-market best-practice forums and peer-learning sessions
• Document and share case studies and playbooks from top performers for Africa-wide learning

Candidate Profile: Qualifications / Technical Skills

R= Required D = Desired

Mandatory Requirements (R)

• 7–10 years of experience in Sales, Trade Marketing, or Route-to-Market in an FMCG company
• Bachelor's or master’s degree in business, Marketing, Sales or equivalent (BAC+5 preferred)
• Pan-African or multi-market experience, ideally covering both subsidiaries and distributor markets
• Proven track record in distributor management, field force management and Perfect Store deployment
• Proven experience influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority
• Experience with SFA tools
• Fluent in English and French

Desired (D)

• Experience in Sales management or Key Account Management
• Experience working in a matrix organization with strong cross-functional stakeholder management

FUNCTIONAL SKILLS

Execution & RTM Expertise:

• Deep understanding of Route-to-Market models across Africa (traditional trade, modern trade, distributors)
• Expertise in Perfect Store deployment, outlet segmentation and in-store compliance
• Strong command of JBP design, distributor scorecard management and performance governance
• Ability to translate category and brand priorities into executable field programs

Analytics & Performance Management :

• Ability to analyze sell-out data, field execution reports and distributor performance to drive corrective action
• Experience building and monitoring execution dashboards and scorecards
• Strong budget management and ROI evaluation skills for trade programs

Communication & Stakeholder Influence :

• Strong ability to influence without direct authority in a matrix organization
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; confident presenting to GMs, distributors and leadership
• Proven ability to align internal and external stakeholders on commercial priorities
• Strong facilitation and change management skills.

Personal Skills

• Strong drive for results and accountability- delivers on commitments in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment
• Ability to influence and drive alignment across diverse stakeholders without direct reporting lines.
• Field-oriented mindset- comfortable with high travel requirements across Africa
• Team player with strong cross-functional collaboration skills (Sales, Marketing, Finance, supply…)
• Strategic agility- ability to adapt execution models to diverse market contexts
• Respects diversity and manages cultural differences across 47+ African markets
• Self-motivated, takes initiative and demonstrates project management expertise with minimal supervision

Additional Information

No direct report

Location: Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Business travel according to needs of the business.

BIC World is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly commit to hiring people with different backgrounds and experiences to help us build better products, make better decisions, and better serve our customers. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability status, or similar characteristics. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need.

BIC World is not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms for this employment opportunity. Regardless of past practice, all resumes submitted by search firms to any team member at BIC via email, or directly to a BIC team member in any form without a valid written search agreement in place for that position will be deemed the sole property of BIC, and no fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by BIC as a result of the referral or through other means.