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Unilever is currently hiring for Sales Operations Manager – Future Channels
Function: Customer Development
Work Level: WL2
Reports to: Head of CD Excellence
Scope: National - Pakistan
Location: Karachi Head Office
Terms & Conditions: Full-Time
ABOUT UNILEVER
With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.
At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.
FUNCTION INTRODUCTION
Customer Development Team serves as the growth engine for the organization and our mission is to be the number one partner for sustainable category growth powered up by Unilever’s category expertise and capabilities to serve shoppers every day and everywhere. As a function, we put people first, grow categories with our customers and execute brilliantly every day.
JOB PURPOSE
To lead and optimize the end-to-end Modern Trade operating model by driving cross-functional collaboration, retail execution excellence, customer planning, and commercial governance. The role is responsible for delivering sustainable channel growth through effective demand and supply alignment, data-driven decision-making, best-in-class in-store execution, visibility management, and disciplined investment governance, while building high-performing teams and ensuring superior customer and shopper outcomes
WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE
• Lead the end-to-end Modern Trade operating model, ensuring alignment across Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, and Category teams to deliver channel growth and business objectives.
• Drive S&OP integration to ensure demand-supply alignment, channel readiness, service excellence, and achievement of commercial targets.
• Own channel planning, performance management, and governance routines through robust KPI tracking, analytics, and reporting frameworks.
• Ensure high standards of data governance and decision-making through effective use of EPOS data, dashboards, and performance insights.
• Lead the Perfect Store agenda by establishing and embedding best-in-class execution standards across merchandising, pricing, assortment, and in-store compliance.
• Manage external merchandising and execution partners to deliver consistent, high-quality retail execution at scale.
• Drive the adoption and effectiveness of execution dashboards and performance trackers to improve visibility, accountability, and field execution.
• Develop and execute in-store visibility strategies that enhance shopper experience, strengthen brand presence, and maximize conversion opportunities.
• Oversee the end-to-end visibility lifecycle, including planning, design alignment, approvals, execution, performance tracking, and commercial closure.
• Partner with Key Account Management teams to develop and deliver Joint Business Plans (JBPs) aligned to customer and company growth strategies.
• Govern trade investments, promotional spend, and customer incentives to ensure compliance, financial accuracy, and optimal return on investment.
• Establish and continuously improve operational frameworks, processes, and governance mechanisms to drive efficiency, scalability, and execution excellence.
• Lead, coach, and develop cross-functional teams across operations, retail execution, and visibility, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and high performance
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO SUCCEED
Experiences & Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, or a related discipline.
• Significant experience in Sales Operations, Modern Trade, Customer Development, Commercial Excellence, or Channel Management within a FMCG environment.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale retail execution, perfect store, and in-store visibility programs.
• Experience managing S&OP processes, demand planning integration, and cross-functional business planning.
• Strong experience in customer management, Joint Business Planning (JBP), trade investment governance, and commercial performance management.
• Demonstrated success in leading external agencies, third-party partners, and cross-functional stakeholder networks.
Skills
• Strong commercial and business acumen with the ability to translate strategy into actionable plans and measurable results.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to leverage data, EPOS insights, and dashboards for decision-making.
• Expertise in performance management, KPI governance, forecasting, and business reporting.
• Strong project management and operational excellence capabilities with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across multiple functions and seniority levels.
• Strong financial and trade investment management capabilities, including ROI evaluation and budget governance.
Leadership
• Ability to inspire, coach, and develop diverse teams to achieve exceptional business outcomes.
• Drives a culture of ownership, accountability, and execution excellence.
• Demonstrates strong collaboration and partnership-building across internal and external stakeholders.
• Leads through change and ambiguity with resilience, agility, and a growth mindset.
• Acts as a role model for continuous improvement, customer focus, and results-oriented performance.
• Builds organizational capability through talent development, coaching, and succession planning.
• Champions a high-performance culture that balances strategic thinking with flawless execution.
• Critical SOL (Standards of Leadership) Behaviors
o Deliver With Excellence
o Staying 3 Steps Ahead
o Care Deeply
o Focus on What Counts
Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.