General Manager - Consumer Products Division

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Business Growth

• Division Vision & Strategy: Define and implement the 3-to-5-year strategic roadmap for CPD in South Africa, aligning local plans with global brand identities and regional zone objectives.
• P&L Ownership: Full accountability for the division's Profit & Loss (P&L) statement. Optimize top-line sales growth, market share, gross margins, and profitability (operating profit) while managing advertising and promotion (A&P) budgets.
• Market Share Expansion: Identify, evaluate, and capture new market opportunities, consumer segments, and product categories to solidify the Client’s leadership position in South Africa.

Brand Portfolio and Marketing Excellence

• Portfolio Management: Drive the localized marketing strategies for all CPD beauty brands, ensuring sharp brand positioning, relevant consumer messaging, and highly successful product launches (O+O - Online + Offline).
• Consumer Insights: Deeply understand the diverse and evolving South African consumer base to ensure product offerings, pricing, and messaging resonate with local culture, hair types, and skin tones.
• Digital and Media Transformation: Champion digital marketing, social commerce, influencer strategies, and data-driven marketing to maximize brand equity and consumer lifetime value.

Commercial and Route-to-Market Strategy

• Key Account Partnerships: Establish and cultivate high-level relationships with major South African retail partners (e.g., Clicks, Dis-Chem, Shoprite/Checkers, Pick n Pay, Woolworths).
• Joint Business Planning (JBP): Oversee the development of strategic JBPs to maximize in-store visibility, trade marketing execution, and promotional effectiveness.
• E-Commerce Strategy: Accelerate the division’s e-commerce and digital commerce footprint (clicks-and-mortar, pure players, and quick-commerce channels).
• Traditional Trade / Informal Sector: Lead and adapt distribution models to penetrate traditional trade and informal cosmetic markets, expanding product accessibility across all socio-economic landscapes.

Operational Excellence and Supply Chain Alignment

• Demand Planning: Collaborate closely with Operations, Supply Chain, and Demand Planning teams to ensure optimal inventory levels, high service levels, and accurate forecasting.
• S&OP Leadership: Play a central role in the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process to minimize out-of-stock occurrences and reduce slow-moving inventory.

People and Talent Development

• Inspiring Leadership: Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing, diverse team of marketing, sales, digital, and administrative professionals.
• Succession and Culture: Build a strong internal talent pipeline, fostering a culture of agility, collaboration, high performance, and psychological safety.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Drive local initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in alignment with the Client’s global values.

Qualifications and Experience:

Required Education and Experience:

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or a related field. An MBA or post-graduate qualification is highly preferred.
• Experience: 12+ years of progressive commercial and marketing leadership experience within the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) or Beauty industry, with at least 5 years in a senior executive role (e.g., Commercial Director, Marketing Director, or Country Manager).
• Market Knowledge: Extensive, proven experience operating within the South African retail landscape, with deep existing relationships among major retail stakeholders.

Technical and Professional Competencies:

• P&L and Financial Acumen: Advanced financial understanding with a proven track record of successfully managing large budgets and delivering complex P&L targets.
• Omnichannel Strategy: Deep expertise in both modern brick-and-mortar trade and digital/e-commerce distribution channels.
• Brand Building: Strong creative and analytical marketing capability, with experience handling multi-brand portfolios.
• Agility and Change Management: Demonstrated ability to navigate complex matrix organizations and steer teams through market disruptions.

Soft Skills and Behavioral Attributes:

• Entrepreneurial Spirit: A proactive, innovative mindset ("run it like your own business") combined with the operational rigor of a multinational corporation.
• Influencing and Collaboration: Superb communication and negotiation skills, capable of influencing both local retail executives and global brand teams.
• Resilience and Drive: High energy, emotional intelligence, and resilience to lead a fast-paced division under ambitious targets.

Please note:

Should you not meet the minimum requirements or hear from us within 14 days from date of advertising, please accept your application as being unsuccessful.

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