National Key Account Manager (Wholesale) – Libstar Perishable Products / Western Cape

National Key Account Manager (Wholesale) – Libstar Perishable Products / Western Cape

Reports to: Channel Manager

Location: Bellville, Cape Town

Purpose of the Role:

Responsible for developing, implementing and managing the strategic wholesale account plan at National
and Regional levels to deliver sustainable, profitable growth across Modern and Independent Wholesale
customers.

This role carries full commercial ownership for the wholesale account portfolio, including delivery of
revenue, gross margin, customer profitability, trade investment and agreed financial targets. The role will
grow sales, gross profit, market share, distribution and product availability through strong customer
partnerships, category-led commercial planning and excellent in-market execution, while supporting
Lancewood’s broader Dairy category strategy and objectives.

Key Performance Indicators for this role (but not limited to):

  • Manage National and Regional wholesale accounts, ensuring alignment between Lancewood’s business
    and Dairy category objectives and each customer’s strategy.
  • Build and maintain successful commercial relationships with National and Regional wholesale customers
    to ensure sustainable and profitable growth.
  • Own and deliver the full commercial performance of the wholesale portfolio, including revenue, gross
    margin, net profitability, distribution, trade spend, working capital objectives and return on investment.
  • Lead the Regional Wholesale team to deliver regional sales plans, customer execution standards,
    profitability objectives and service-level outcomes.

Job Summary (but not limited to):

  • Build and maintain successful commercial business relationships with wholesale customers and key internal and external stakeholders.
  • Formulate customer strategies and deliver annual Joint Business Plans aligned to wholesale channel
  • priorities and the Lancewood Dairy category strategy.
  • Negotiate trading terms, rebates, promotional investment, pricing, ranging, space, new product listings
    and customer-specific growth initiatives.
  • Develop comprehensive National and Regional account plans to deliver agreed account, channel and
    category KPIs annually.
  • Analyse and review customer performance, profitability, competitor activity, market trends, category
    dynamics, shopper needs and consumer preferences to identify growth opportunities and guide datadriven
    decisions.
  • Translate Dairy category priorities into customer-specific range, assortment, pricing, promotional and
    innovation plans that grow both the customer’s category and Lancewood’s share.
  • Identify gaps in product availability, customer coverage and regional distribution, and develop plans to
    reach new wholesale customers, outlets and market segments.
  • Drive the successful launch and distribution of new products, working with Category, Marketing, Trade
    Marketing and Product Development teams to ensure customer relevance and execution readiness.
  • Manage the annual promotional grid and approved trade investment, ensuring alignment to company
    marketing plans, customer events and perishables seasonality.
  • Complete pre- and post-promotion evaluations to measure volume uplift, profitability and return on
    investment, and apply learnings to future activity.
  • Manage customer and account profitability, including gross profit, rebates, claims, promotional spend,
  • debtors and other trade investments, implementing corrective action where required.
  • Work closely with customer distribution centres and internal Supply Chain, Demand Planning and
    Customer Service teams on forecasting, order management, replenishment and service-level
    improvement.
  • Protect product quality and availability by actively managing the perishables value chain, including coldchain
    execution, shelf life, stock rotation, freshness, returns and waste.
  • Partner with the Channel Manager, Field Sales, Merchandising and Regional Wholesale teams to ensure
    national agreements are implemented consistently at depots and outlet level.
  • Manage, coach and mentor Regional Wholesale Key Account Managers, setting clear objectives,
    reviewing performance and building customer-management capability.
  • Develop an appropriate cross-functional contact strategy for assigned customers, including key
    stakeholder mapping, engagement frequency and executive business reviews.
  • Ensure all trading terms, customer agreements, rebates, pricing decisions and promotional
    commitments are commercially sound, approved, documented and compliant with internal governance
    requirements.
  • Prepare accurate forecasts, monthly performance reviews, customer presentations and
    recommendations for senior management.
  • Identify commercial, supply, customer concentration and execution risks within the wholesale portfolio
    and coordinate practical mitigation plans.
  • Continuously review customer and internal processes to improve speed, service, cost efficiency and ease of doing business.

Qualifications and Experience:

  • Relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Marketing, Commerce or a related field.
  • Computer literacy with advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office programmes, particularly Excel,
    PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.
  • Minimum five years’ relevant Key Account Management experience within an FMCG environment.
  • Experience within the dairy or perishable FMCG sector will be strongly advantageous.
  • Demonstrated experience managing National Wholesale accounts and negotiating annual trading
    agreements.
  • Experience across Modern and Independent Wholesale customers within the South African route-tomarket.
  • Proven track record of delivering sales growth, gross profit, distribution, promotional effectiveness and
    customer profitability.

Role Capabilities:

  • Excellent communication skills (both oral and written) and facilitation skills with the ability to work with
    others to achieve objectives.
  • Excellent Management skills whilst adhering to standards, efficiency, effectiveness, and results
    orientated.
  • Excellent negotiation skills.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills as well as interpersonal communication skills.
  • Excellent presentation and report writing skills.
  • Excellent commercial acumen.

Personal Capabilities:

  • Ability to work effectively within a diverse and cross-functional team environment.
  • Customer-focused, commercially driven and results orientated.
  • Ability to effectively build relationships.
  • Strategic thinker with strong attention to detail and the ability to make sound decisions.
  • Proactive, action orientated and able to take initiative.
  • Resilient and able to perform effectively in a dynamic, competitive and pressured environment.
  • High energy, self-motivated, enthusiastic and passionate.
  • High integrity with the ability to build trust and influence without direct authority.
  • Excellent leadership skills with the ability to build high impact teams to drive performance.
  • Experience in leading and sustaining change effectively.
  • Must have a valid driver’s licence and own vehicle.
  • Must be willing to travel nationally.

Application:

Please e-mail your CV to Nwabisa Qona at nwabisa.qona@lancewood.co.za; with a motivation highlighting
why you should be considered for the position.
Application deadline: 23 August 2026
If you have not received a response within four weeks of the closing date for applications, kindly consider
your application unsuccessful.

Please note:
In order to consider any application for employment, we will have to process your personal information. The Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA), provides that when one processes another’s personal information, such collection, retention, dissemination and use of that person’s personal information must be done in a lawful and transparent manner.

To give effect to the above, we are required to provide you with information regarding the processing of your personal information. This information is recorded under the HR Processing Notice, which can be accessed and viewed on the Company website at https://www.libstar.co.za/legal/. Printed copies of this Processing Notice can also be accessed from the HR department. We kindly request that you read the HR Processing Notice to ensure that you understand how Libstar uses and processes your personal information.

National Key Account Manager (Wholesale) – Libstar Perishable Products / Western Cape

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