CATEGORY MANAGER – MULALORAKH CAREERS

Ref: 3845
Location: Johannesburg
Salary: R50 000 to R55 000 per month commensurate with experience and qualification including pension fund

Email your updated CV to recruit@onlinepersonnel.co.za

Qualifications / Requirements:
• Valid drivers license and own vehicle essential
• Tertiary qualification or relevant marketing degree / diploma advantageous
• Proven track record with progression within a company
• 5 to 10 years’ experience in the DIY/Tooling/Hardware Industry preferable
• Sound knowledge of the retail and industrial sector
• Advanced knowledge of marketing principles and pricing strategies
• Knowledge of market conditions and trends
• Knowledge of competitor products
• Excellent business acumen (i.e. numeracy skills, generation of profit and loss, cash flow, margin)
• Understanding of the business model and business process value chain
• Communication skills
• Negotiation skills
• Ability to identify market trends
• Ability to build lasting relationships
• Problem solving skills
• Computer literacy Advanced Excel, Outlook, Power point, Word
• Advanced skills in data analysis

Key Performance Areas:
• Effectively manage budgets for category:
– Achieve and exceed targeted turnover
– Maintain and exceed GP %
– Successful launch of new products, increasing the ratio of sales of new products as a % of total sales
– Achieve forecast unit sales
– Maintain stock turn and inventory days
– Submit reports
– Monitor the accuracy of Contract Price List and maintain margins in line with company policy
• Product development:
– Analyse markets to identify market threats and opportunities
– Identify opportunity for new product introduction from current customers, new customers, or any other sources such as trade shows
– Assess the market size for the identified new product and sales of major competitor in market
– Prepare and update – product manual as a ready reckoner for internal stakeholders that will include the technical specifications, USP of product and comparison with major competitors on features and prices
– Provide in-store merchandise support by ensuring the best product presentation in stores
– Actively manage the product portfolio to optimize total profitability
– Serve as spokesperson and ensure communication with all stakeholders
• Manage customer and supplier relationships:
– Negotiate with and build relationships with suppliers.
– Design buying and planning strategies regarding supplier’s alliances
– Ensure the efficient negotiation, establishment and maintenance of excellent service levels by planning and buying managers
– Deal with escalated supplier queries and problems
– Address customer technical queries and complaints
– Build relationship with top customers and adhere to call cycle
– Train on product related topics to customer
– Drive awareness of products to customers and industry events and across all channels
• Develop sales and marketing strategy:
– Provide product related support for any new product launch campaigns
– Create and update product manual for sales training
– Provide regular analysis on top customers, top selling products, top segments to consistently monitor growth and decline
– Provide sales training on product related training, and during new product launches
– Conduct on the job training by co-travelling with sales team according to call cycle
– Mediate product availability issue, and works with supply chain to ensure that all logistics are resolved
– Meet all marketing promotions and advertising deadlines
– Adhere to all requirements of Consumer Protection Act
– Develop the marketing strategy, by brand, in the line with company objectives
– Responsible for marketing of brand corporate identity, both internally and externally
– Co-ordinate with external agencies, government to get requisite licenses/approvals such as – SABS, etc. and patents (if required)
– Handle any product compliance related queries
• Pricing:
– Devise pricing strategies to win new and retain existing customers
– Responsible for setting minimum pricing, pricing maintenance, and approving price exceptions or price discounts
– Calculate the product profitability and ROI and suggest corrective action as required