Sales Lead: Gauteng at PepsiCo

Responsibilities

Sales Lead: Gauteng

• We are seeking a dynamic and results-driven Sales Lead to take full accountability for sales performance across our Gauteng Bakeries Cluster, including Modern Trade (MT) and Traditional Trade (TT) channels.
• The successful candidate will be responsible for designing and executing robust sales strategies that drive revenue growth, enhance customer experience, and meet or exceed Annual Operating Plan (AOP) targets.
• This role also involves leading and developing a high-performing sales team and managing distributor relationships to ensure operational excellence and market competitiveness.

Key Responsibilities:

Sales Strategy & Planning

• Develop and implement actionable 90-day sales plans aligned with business priorities.
• Set and cascade clear sales goals and KPIs for the cluster, ensuring alignment with SASKO’s strategic objectives.
• Conduct comprehensive market analysis and historical data review to forecast future sales trends accurately.
• Identify untapped sales potential across all cluster areas and routes.

Market Intelligence & Execution

• Lead market research initiatives to track industry trends, customer needs, and competitor activity.
• Develop and execute customer-centric strategies to increase revenue and expand market share.
• Create and maintain an active trade calendar to ensure effective promotional execution.

Performance Management

• Monitor and drive sales team performance against set KPIs.
• Ensure distributor performance is tracked, optimised, and aligned with cost and service expectations.
• Oversee sales budget management, including promotional spend and pricing strategies, ensuring commercial effectiveness.

Business Development & Customer Relationship Management

• Acquire new business through micro-market development and strategic targeting.
• Drive customer retention and growth via loyalty programmes and tailored value propositions.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers, ensuring top-tier service and partnership growth (WEC – Win Every Customer).

Qualifications

What will qualify you for the role?

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related commercial discipline is essential.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant sales experience, ideally within a unionised FMCG environment.
• At least 5 years of leadership experience, including managing geographically dispersed sales teams.
• Demonstrated expertise in customer engagement, business development, and distributor management.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Experience working with SAP or equivalent ERP systems is required.
• Other Requirements
• Strong analytical thinking, commercial acumen, and a track record of exceeding revenue and volume targets.
• A collaborative leader who is passionate about people development, driving results, and growing market presence.
• Project management skills and ability to drive process improvements.