Channel Lead Retail

We Go Places! How about you? Immediate Superior: Head of Trade Marketing

Job Grade: 25

Location: Sandton

Function: Commerce

Type of Contract: Permanent

Reference Number: 57032771

Closing Date: 2 November 2026

Purpose Of The Role

• Develops channel segmentation and tiering parameters.
• Sets the portfolio strategy in a channel.
• Provides the salesforce with insights, activation programs & materials to win market share and grow brand power in the specific channels of responsibility.
• Translates the brands ‘Must Win Battles’ into specific channel strategies.
• Develops channel targets including output KPIs (e.g. Market Share, Channel profitability) and input KPIs (e.g. PICOS).
• Builds channel insights (customer, shopper, consumer), monitors performance and builds relationships with key accounts.
• Supports brand, account and regional planning.

Key Result Areas Key Performance Areas would include, but are not limited to: Category, Portfolio and Brand understanding

• Ensures team understanding of category, portfolio and brand strategies and plans.
• Develops channel plans incorporating category, portfolio and brand strategies and plans.
• Optimises portfolio and brand profitability in a sustainable way, incorporating Rev Man guidelines into TM plans.

Shopper and Off- Premise Consumer understanding

• Applies learnings from research, time in market and multiple data sources to create strategic insights that anticipate shopper/consumer behaviour.
• Creates shopper/consumer profiles that identify prioritised value drivers at point of purchase and consumption.
• Ensures all channel plans reflect shopper/consumer understanding and opportunities, leveraging data and insights.

RTM, Channel and Customer understanding

• Demonstrates an understanding of priority channels, value drivers and activation pillars by channel as well as OpCo trade terms and investment guidelines.
• Develops channel plans that consider key customer strategies, needs and execution capabilities across direct, in-direct and digital RTM.
• Anticipates future opportunities based on channel and customer needs and trends.
• Understands key competitor strategies and execution capabilities to identify commercial opportunities.
• Considers OpCo sales organisation capacity and needs when building plan.

Channel strategy development

• Develop winning channel strategies and plans with SMART objectives.
• Prioritize channels and tier customers for investment.
• Ensures that channel strategies support delivery of 3 year OpCo plan.
• Translates category, consumer and customer value drivers into relevant channel strategy.
• Coaches team in strategy development, project briefing and management.

Annual Planning

• Builds segment plan by channel that reflects the 3 year channel strategy, leveraging value drivers via outlet execution standards.
• Translates top-down channel objectives into objective-driven activities, allocating budgets in line with Rev Man principles.
• Manage the channel budget cross functionally.
• Develops PICOS for all channels, utilising category management and Rev Man insights.
• Develop the cold strategy for the channels.
• Drive category management principles and plans for channels, key accounts, new launches.
• Ensures development of practical, implementable plans, materials and promotions that make for ease of execution.
• Leads and coaches the team creation of the channel plan.

Excellence in execution

• Ensures execution is in line with strategy, brand plans, calendar and budget.
• Ensures cross-functional alignment and commitment to execution of the channel plans.
• Delivers sales tools and information to support delivery of the channel plans.
• Drives delivery of channel plan using execution reporting data.
• Continuously evaluates execution performance by weekly market visits and demonstrates agility in adapting plans based on sales and customer feedback.
• Champions EoE purpose and process within the team.

Channel, outlet and consumer segmentation

• Ensures trade census data is up to date, valid and fit for purpose.
• Uses shopper/consumer, channel and customer information to prioritise value drivers.
• Leverages database to enable matching of priority value drivers by channel with brand activation selection.
• Enables targeted equity building in Gold /Silver/Bronze outlets for OpCo brand priorities.
• Ensures that quantified segmentation is reflected in channel plans.
• Ensures segment plans link to prioritised channel opportunities and investment allocation.

Commercial Acumen

• Demonstrates understanding of profitability and drivers by channel to optimise investment.
• Recommends investment choices by channel/customer/brand based on commercial jobs to be done and ability to execute.
• Evaluates the segment plan against channel strategy and financial objectives.
• Performs pre & post activity ROI analysis, generating recommendations for improvement.
• Monitors and responds to competitor activity across the value chain.

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION

• Relevant tertiary qualification, preferably Bachelors Degree or Honours in Commerce.

Professional Experience And Personal Attributes

• 7+ years experience in the FMCG environment.
• Sales experience.
• Strong marketing, key accounts, channel and merchandising capability.
• Exhibit strong leadership, problem solving, and time management capabilities.
• Experienced managing multiple sales channels.
• Strategic and commercial acumen.

The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply. HEINEKEN Beverages is committed to an organisational culture that recognises, appreciates and values inclusion and diversity.

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