OVERVIEW OF ROLE:
The National Channel and Operations Manager provides strategic leadership and operational oversight to ensure that the team has the necessary sales tools, resources, and processes to achieve commercial objectives. They implement strategies to boost sales and meet financial targets, and partner with key accounts, marketing to execute brand and product strategies at the store. This role is pivotal in maintaining high performance and morale among the sales representatives, internal sales team, merchandising agents and external sales agents; ultimately contributing to the company’s overall success.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Lead and ensure the implementation of in-store excellence standards across all retail environments.
• Oversee and manage sales representatives and agents, guiding them to identify and secure new business opportunities within assigned territories.
• Provide leadership for the day-to-day operations of the sales department, while maintaining focus on the teams’ strategic goals.
• Develop and execute strategies to increase sales and achieve financial targets, increasing order value per store and depth of distribution.
• Partner with key accounts and marketing teams to implement brand and product strategies effectively at the store level.
• Maintain high performance and morale among the sales representatives, internal sales team, merchandising agents, and external sales agents.
• Sales tracking and reviewing priorities, strategies, tactics, resource/investment allocation, supply and trading agreements to ensure achievement of the sales target
• Regularly assess and report on the performance of sales teams and agents, providing feedback and support to ensure continuous improvement.
• Management of the business relationship with the 3rd Party Sales and Merchandising company (ies).
• Ownership of the sales forecasting process (inventory and sales tracking) for the buying groups and Independents channel.
• Develop reports and dashboards to track performance metrics to enable operational effectiveness that is aligned to the company’s overarching commercial strategy.
• Management of the Sales Operating Expenses within Plan.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
• +10 years managing a team with sales functions, including cross-functional experience within the sales functions as well as Management and Negotiation of Contract of 3rd Party Sales and Merchandising Company.
• Relevant tertiary degree (Business, Marketing etc) would be advantageous.
• Proven experience in Sales Operations Management, preferably with the Household Durables industry.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills to build strong cross functional relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:
• Leadership and Team Management: Ability to lead, motivate, and manage a diverse team of sales representatives, internal sales staff, and agents.
• Strategic Thinking: Strong strategic planning skills to develop and implement effective sales and operational strategies.
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact with team members, key accounts, and other stakeholders.
• Sales Acumen: Deep understanding of sales processes and techniques to drive business growth and achieve financial targets.
• Operational Efficiency: Expertise in optimizing sales operations, ensuring processes are efficient and effective.
• Collaboration: Ability to work collaboratively with marketing and other departments to execute brand and product strategies.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to address challenges and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Customer Focus: Commitment to enhancing the customer experience and ensuring customer satisfaction.
• Adaptability: Flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions and business needs.
• Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with sales tools and technologies to support sales operations and reporting