Regional Sales Operations Assistant Manager – East Malaysia

Unilever; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 72,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

Unilever Malaysia is seeking a Regional Sales Operations Assistant Manager for East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). You will drive operational excellence across sales processes, systems, and in-store execution, collaborating with Sales, CSP and distributors to ensure accurate forecasts and optimal resource deployment.

The role covers merchandising strategy, third‑party merchandiser management, KPI reviews, and field reporting using Power BI.

Qualifications

• Diploma or Bachelor's Degree completed.
• 2-3 years’ work experience in Account Management or Field Sales in FMCG.
• Experience in Customer Marketing / Trade Category Management preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead merchandising agenda across channels in East Malaysia.
• Ensure Perfect Store KPIs: shelf availability, planogram compliance, pricing, POSM, visibility.
• Manage third-party merchandiser agencies with clear KPIs.
• Drive route optimization and productivity tracking; conduct market visits and audits.
• Lead KPI reviews with distributors and address bottlenecks with timelines.
• Provide timely field reports using Power BI.

Skills

Analytical

Stakeholder management

Communication

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's or Diploma

Tools

Power BI

Job description

JOB TITLE: REGIONAL SALES OPERATIONS ASSISTANT MANAGER - EAST MALAYSIA

LOCATION: SABAH AND SARAWAK MALAYSIA

Who You Are And What You'll Do

Support the execution of the customer business plan by driving operational excellence across sales processes, systems, and in-store execution.Collaborate closely with Sales, CSP and distributor partners to ensure seamless operations, accurate forecasting, and effective resource deployment in East Malaysia.To increase our brand's market share at point-of-sale level by building excellent business relationships at store level, managing the store ordering process and ensuring high-quality in-store presence of our brands.

Your Role And Responsibilities

Merchandising Strategy & Field Execution

• Lead overall merchandising agenda across all channels (DT, MT and H&B) in East Malaysia.
• Ensure Perfect Store KPIs are met:
• Core-range on shelf availability
• Planogram compliance
• Pricing accuracy
• POSM placement
• Visibility standards
• Work with Distributor Trade Manager/Channel Development Manager to roll out activation plans and promotional visibility tools seamlessly in trade.
• Conduct regular market visits and retail audits to assess execution quality.

Third-Party Merchandiser Management

• Manage and oversee third-party merchandiser agencies in both Sabah and Sarawak.
• Develop clear KPIs and scorecards for merchandiser performance (i.e. call compliance, execution quality).
• Lead onboarding and continuous training programs to build frontline capability.
• Drive route optimization, coverage planning, and team productivity tracking.

KPI Review with both Internal & External

• Set up and lead structured bi-weekly performance reviews with distributor Point of Contacts.
• Review field performance, outlet coverage, planogram execution and campaign rollouts.
• Address operational bottlenecks and agree on corrective actions with clear timelines.
• Track merchandisers' attendance, attrition and outlet revisit frequency to ensure effectiveness.

Merchandising Efficiency & Problem Solving

• Identify operational gaps and propose practical solutions for field productivity.
• Benchmark best practices from other regions and pilot new ways of working where applicable.
• Provide timely and accurate field execution reports using Power BI.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

Internal

• Customer Development
• Finance
• Marketing

External

• Key Distributive Trade and Modern Trade Key Account Customers

What You'll Need To Succeed

• Candidate must possess at least a Diploma or Bachelor's Degree in any field.
• Minimum 2-3 years' work experience relevant to Account Management or Field Sales in the FMCG industry.
• Work experience in Customer Marketing / Trade Category Management is preferable.
• Demonstrate self-driven, analytical, able to build relationships, and results-oriented.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.
• Proven track record of delivering top-line and bottom-line results.
• Proven track record of managing multiple stakeholders and delivering operational excellence.

Curious about what it's really like to work at Unilever? Explore our Life at Unilever Malaysia and meet the people shaping our culture.

Unilever is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our diverse employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. At Unilever we are interested in every individual bringing their 'Whole Self' to work and this includes you! Thus if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.