Key Account Manager Trade

Location: Brussel - CityDox

37hrs

Local conditions apply  

For the recruitment of this position, we would like to emphasize that local conditions apply to the position and for this vacancy in principle we will consider candidates based in the set locations. If you are based outside of these locations and you are interested to apply, please feel free to do so but at this stage we will not take your application forward. We will only consider your application if a decision is made to also recruit outside of the set locations.

Business context and main purpose of the job:

Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) Purpose is ‘We free you to love what you do’. Based on this mission, UFS offers culinary convenience products and solutions to professional Chefs. We serve Independent and Chain Operators in the Institutional Segment (Health, Canteens, Schools & Governmental) as well as in the Commercial Segment (Hotels, Restaurants, Snack bars, Butcher/Traiteurs).

Our team of 53 employees realizes a Turnover of € 66.7 million within the Belgian and Luxembourg ‘Away From Home’ market via a broad network of B2B Wholesalers. We hold leading positions in most of the markets in which we are active: Bouillons, Soups, Sauces, Binders,Meat replacers ,… Our branded product portfolio offers various degrees of convenience level, ranging from basic products to ready-to-use products, which helps Chefs to combine efficiency whilst continuing expressing his Chefmanship and creativity in the dishes.

UFS is accelerating its digital transformation to fuel growth through data driven and technology enabled Go-to-Market (GtM) capabilities. The focus of UFS marketing and sales is to engage with chefs & customers through an integrated communication system via visits by sales representatives and digital touchpoints like the UFS.com website / webshop, segmented & personalized campaigns and UFS apps.

UFS we intensively drive a cultural mix of Entrepreneurship, Start-Up mentality and Multinational expertise, which offers great opportunities for experimenting, collaboration, empowerment and to build further an interesting career within Unilever Foods.

Within the UFS Trade Team we are currently looking for a Key Account Manager National Trade. The Account Manager reports into the Trade Manager  UFS.

WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE?

In the Unilever Food Solutions Organization, you are responsible for 2 market leading Wholesalers within the B2B distribution, Bidfood (n°1) and Solucious/Colruyt (n°2). As both are responsible for more than 40% of the UFS T/0, we consider them as Strategic Partners to build fast mutual business within the Institutional Segment and the Commercial Segment, in which they are both active.

Bidfood Belgium is part of the international BidCorp group, active within foodservice. Bidfood is organized as follows:

• a central warehouse & offices in Kruibeke and Thuin,

• 4 affiliates (wholesalers) in the Commercial (horeca) segment: Bidfood Declerq (Oudenaarde), Bidfood Bestfood-Langens (Beringen), Bidfood Makady (Brussels), Bidfood VDS ( Brussels)

Bidcorp is an international broad-line foodservice group, listed on the JSE, South Africa, and present in developed and developing economies in five continents.

 Solucious is the foodservice division of the Colruyt group with a separate central warehouse & office in Bornem and dedicated management .

Colruyt want to develop the foodservice business by expanding their foodservice portfolio within the retail outlets . They believe that the retail outlets are an additionally route to market on top of their delivery leg Solucious to reach the independent Horeca market .

Key tasks

• The Key Account Manager is responsible for the development and execution of the customer and joint business plans for these customers, based on all relevant Key Activities defined with in the UFS Integrated Business Plan and related to Trade.

• Responsible for negotiation and closing of the contracts, ensuring that the Trade Terms Spent (conditions & budgets) is invested following the ‘pay for performance’ principle to create maximum impact and efficiency

• Cash Management: close monitoring of overdues, price and logistic claims in collaboration with Finance and the OTC Team.

• Secure and retain complete range listings (incl. listings & stocking of all new product introductions), promotional listings and price increases with these Strategic Partners

• Planning and superior execution of the agreed ‘on and offline’ activation & promotion plans in JBP’s, in cooperation with Trade Marketing. If required selectively tailored, to increase relevancy for the customer.

• Development of Category Management projects with relevant Strategic Partners, in collaboration with Trade Marketing to further grow our Category Leadership in UFS “Win" categories and Top 10.

• Implementation of the UFS Digital and eCommerce strategy & plans, tailored to eCom plans of the Strategic Partners, to drive digital buying behavior of both visited & non visited operators & deliver e-commerce turnover

• Analysis of customer results & data: selling in vs selling out, digital, category & product results, forecasting.

• Manage all relevant contacts at customer level in the context of the defined ‘contactmatrix’ and facilitate all other key-contacts as part of this strategy between the Wholesaler and the UFS Team: Customer Development-teams, Digital, Marketing, Finance, Logistics & Customer Service, ….

• To actively let resell UFS products by the Wholesalers (‘free trade’ strategy), you need to actively inform, train and motivate the WS Sales Management and DSR’s.

• Work closely together with the UFS Pull Team (Indep/Chains), Trade Marketing, the Digital/eCom and Business Intelligence Team , Customer Services Team.

• As KAM, you’re responsible for 1 Account Manager in the Trade team, supporting you on a daily basis in managing the customer relations, supporting the superior execution of our plans and the delivery of results. As Line Manager you’re responsible to steer, coach, develop and motivate the AM to deliver an outstanding performance.

EXPERIENCE YOU SHOULD HAVE/THE QUALITIES WE LOOK FOR

Special Skills or Knowledge

• You have a proven and strong track record in managing key accounts 

• You are strongly relational, contact-oriented, emphatic person and able to develop a  customer contact into a win-win relationship.

• You have the necessary dose of self-confidence and persuasivenessYou are a strong negotiator and capable to close deals

• You have a positive but realistic attitude

• You substantiate your case thanks to strong analytical skills

• You are flexible and creative

• You are meticulous, systematic & independent

• You are a strong ‘people coach’

• Strategic insight

• Affinity with Food is a must and knowledge of the food service market is a plus

• Trilingual Dutch – French& English

• Basic understanding of how eCommerce works (the role of a web shop, tactics to influence the n° of customers buying, buying frequency & basket size)

• Experience with digital marketing in a professional context. Ideal in collaboration with

• A digital expert/marketeer Leadership behaviours

• Purpose & Service: works from purpose for the good of others.

• Personal Mastery: always brings their best self.

• Agility: constantly curious & courageous.

• Business Acumen: generates value in channels & customers.

• Consumer Love: creates better futures for our customers every day.

• Passion for High Performance: inspires the energy needed to win & grow.

WHAT DOES UNILEVER OFFER/WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU?
Unilever is the place where you can be yourself and bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. We offer an exciting & dynamic work environment where you can make things happen. Furthermore, we offer some great reward and benefits!

• Attractive total remuneration package; excellent company pension, bonus, share scheme.

• Flexible cross-disciplinary career opportunities and a wealth of training opportunities & wellbeing resources whenever and wherever.

• Plenty of company-paid holidays to further ensure your work-life balance is maintained.

• We encourage an inclusive culture, which comes to life with interchangeable public holidays, paid paternity leave of 6 weeks and our transgender policy.

• Hybrid Working

• Informal culture and being the first one trying our new products.

• Home work allowance

• Company laptop and mobile phone

• Green Mobility Policy.   

EXCITED?

Join Unilever and our team! To apply, you must do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV and a motivation letter.  Your application will be reviewed against our requirements and we will be in touch shortly after the closing date to provide you with an update on the status of your application.

Looking forward to meeting you! 

Please note this is a Direct Search led by Unilever. Applications from agencies will not be accepted, nor will fees be paid for unsolicited CVs.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, parenthood, pregnancy or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against. 

By highlighting the gender diversity at the workplace, Unilever encourages women equally men to apply. If you look for a job after a long career break or after any type of leave, do not hesitate to apply.

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