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Unilever is currently hiring for a Key Account Manager
Function: Customer Development
Reports to: National Account Manager
Location: Durban
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.
Customer Development (CD) is Unilever’s Sales organisation — the team that brings our brands to life in-store and online. We partner closely with retailers and customers to pioneer new products, grow categories, and deploy best‑in‑class retail and shopper solutions. If you love building relationships, influencing strategy, and winning in market, this team is the place to be.
We’re looking for a Key Account Manager (KAM) to lead strategic customer relationships and drive profitable growth. You will collaborate with key customers, shape joint business plans, optimize assortment and pricing, and ensure flawless delivery of Unilever’s commercial strategy. This role requires someone who is both strategically strong and operationally excellent.
Key Responsibilities:
External Customer Management & Execution
Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers.
Lead commercial conversations and negotiations within agreed parameters.
Develop and implement customer business plans aligned to category and channel strategies.
Drive category growth through assortment optimization, pricing strategy, and promotional planning.
Own the end-to-end sales process: pricing, orders, delivery, and all related administration.
Partner with the Unilever Field Sales (UFS) team to ensure perfect execution in-store, including stock management, rotation, availability, and claims reduction.
Deliver national category targets, KPIs, and commercial objectives.
Monitor and analyse sales performance, identifying risks and opportunities.
Use market, shopper, and category data to build insights-driven strategies.
Provide clear, actionable recommendations to enhance customer performance.
Work closely with Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance, and Category teams to deliver customer‑centric solutions.
Align with the Customer Business Development Manager (CBDM) on turnover assumptions, budgets, and S&OP forecasting through a robust bottom‑up build.
Participate in cross-functional meetings to find the best solutions for the business.
Manage business tools and overheads effectively (vehicle, phone, travel, etc., where applicable).
A completed degree in a related field is.
2–3 years’ experience in Key Account Management or Category Management.
Experience in Customer Marketing or Trade Category Management is beneficial.
Strong understanding of customer Profit & Loss and category financials.
Proven ability in customer strategy development and execution.
Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills.
Data-driven with the ability to translate insights into action.
Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder-management skills.
Execution-focused with strong problem‑solving ability.
Care deeply: caring deeply about how consumers experience our brands every day, everywhere; about our people’s growth and development, and our impact on the planet. You care about your performance, to a point where it hurts when you don’t win. Always brings their best self. Has emotional intelligence to take feedback, manage mood and motivations and build empathy for others. Sets high standards for themselves. Has humility, understanding that leadership is service to others, inside and outside of Unilever.
Focus on what counts: we set clear and stretching goals and recognise maximum performance impact. Generates intensity and focus to motivate people to deliver results at speed.
Stay three steps ahead: we think boldly and creatively to make breakthroughs in performance. We are always curious and confident – anticipating and staying ahead of consumer needs and external trends to beat the competition. Approaches delivery with an iterative and incremental, test - do - learn approach. Has an owner’s mindset, using data and insight to make decisions.
Deliver with excellence: we deliver everything we do with excellence and pace. We take personal ownership and hold each other to account – always finding a way to do what we said we will do. Takes personal responsibility and accountability for execution and results.
Unilever is an equal opportunities employer and committed to diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. We are intentional in employing the best talent that reflects the demographics of our country, and which will help build representation of currently under-represented groups. We therefore invite applications from all candidates representing diversity of age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief. When appointing potential candidates, the South African Employment Equity and Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Legislation will be considered.
We are required by law to verify your ability to work lawfully in South Africa. If you are applying as a foreign national, please note that you may be requested to provide supporting documents supporting this.
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.
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.