Brand Portfolio Manager – Cloud

First Distribution; Midrand; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

First Distribution is seeking a Brand Portfolio Manager for the Cloud division to oversee a portfolio of cloud vendors. You will drive growth, vendor engagement, and operational excellence across multiple brands, ensuring alignment with Cloud Leadership.

The role requires strong vendor management, sales enablement, marketing coordination, and cross-functional collaboration with internal teams and resellers. Office-based in Gauteng with regular regional travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent
• Experience in cloud or IT distribution is preferred
• Excellent analytical, communication and stakeholder management skills
• Proven track record in growing portfolio revenues and managing vendor relations

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage a portfolio of cloud vendor brands.
• Drive revenue growth and profitability across the portfolio.
• Coordinate with internal teams (sales, marketing, operations) for execution.
• Engage vendor channel managers and leadership; manage vendor programmes.
• Monitor performance, forecasts, and KPIs; report findings.
• Lead pricing, deal structuring and partner enablement; support reseller growth.

Skills

Vendor management

Strategic planning

Cloud vendor relations

Sales enablement

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical & reporting

Negotiation

Communication skills

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, IT, or related field

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

BRAND PORTFOLIO MANAGER – CLOUD

Please note that the responsibilities listed below are not exhaustive and may be expanded or modified as necessary to meet the evolving needs of the organization.

MAIN PURPOSE OF POSITION

As a Brand Portfolio Manager, you will be responsible for the strategic, commercial, operational, marketing, and vendor management functions for a portfolio of cloud vendors assigned by the Cloud Leadership Team. The portfolio may change from time to time in line with the operational needs of the Cloud Division.

The purpose of this role is to drive growth, profitability, partner enablement, vendor engagement, and operational excellence across multiple developing and emerging cloud brands within the Cloud Division.

Unlike a traditional Brand Manager role focused on a single vendor, the Cloud Brand Portfolio Manager will manage a portfolio of brands and vendors, ensuring that each vendor receives appropriate business focus, sales support, reseller engagement, and operational management while contributing to the overall growth objectives of the Cloud business.

The role serves as the primary liaison between vendors, resellers, internal sales teams, operations teams, marketing teams, and Cloud leadership.

The Cloud Brand Portfolio Manager is accountable for achieving vendor objectives, driving revenue growth, increasing partner adoption, supporting vendor programmes, and ensuring effective execution of business strategies across all assigned brands.

PORTFOLIO STRUCTURE

Brand Allocation

The Brand Portfolio Manager will oversee a portfolio of emerging and developing cloud vendors, with allocations shaped by the evolving priorities and opportunities of the Cloud Division. The role offers scope to grow brands, build strong vendor and partner relationships, and broaden commercial impact across the portfolio.

The portfolio may evolve over time as business needs, market opportunities, and vendor requirements change. Cloud Leadership will periodically review portfolio composition and priorities to support effective focus, collaboration, continuity, and growth.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS (KPAs)

1. Portfolio Management & Commercial Performance

• Drive revenue growth across all assigned cloud vendors.
• Achieve assigned sales and profitability .
• Develop annual and quarterly business plans for portfolio vendors where there is a specific vendor requirement.
• Execute vendor growth strategies and initiatives.
• Monitor revenue, margin, consumption, and performance trends.
• Identify growth opportunities within existing and new reseller accounts.
• Work with internal account management and sales teams, and external partner teams, to drive adoption of vendor programmes and incentives.
• Maintain regular vendor performance reporting.
• Conduct business reviews with vendors and internal stakeholders, where required by the vendor.
• Monitor and report deviations from target performance with recommended corrective actions.
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and commercial planning cycles.
• Identify opportunities for portfolio optimisation and expansion.

1. Vendor Management & Strategic Alignment

Relationship & Alliance Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned vendors.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with vendor channel managers and leadership teams.
• Align vendor strategies with Cloud Division objectives.
• Participate in vendor planning, reporting, and review cycles.
• Ensure vendor programmes are effectively executed.
• Support vendor growth and market expansion objectives.
• Manage vendor escalations and resolution processes.
• Work collaboratively with internal stakeholders to ensure successful vendor outcomes.

Vendor Governance

• Maintain awareness of vendor agreements, rebates, incentive structures, and programme requirements.
• Ensure adherence to vendor operational and commercial obligations.
• Support vendor audits, compliance requirements, and reporting obligations where required.

1. Sales Enablement & Partner Development

Working and collaborating closely with internal account management and sales teams:

• Drive sales motions and partner engagement for allocated brands.
• Recruit, onboard, and enable new reseller partners.
• Support cloud account managers with pricing, quoting, and deal structuring.
• Assist with vendor deal registration programmes, where applicable.
• Increase partner activation and cloud consumption.
• Develop reseller enablement plans.
• Conduct regular partner business reviews.
• Support partner certification and competency growth.
• Identify sales risks and proactively implement mitigation actions.
• Work closely with sales teams to accelerate opportunity conversion and pipeline growth.

1. Marketing Management

Working and collaborating closely with the internal marketing team:

• Conduct quarterly and annual marketing planning sessions with assigned vendors.
• Develop vendor-specific go-to-market plans.
• Execute demand-generation activities and campaigns.
• Manage vendor-funded marketing initiatives and available MDF investments.
• Coordinate product and service launches.
• Collaborate with marketing teams on awareness, enablement, and lead-generation activities.
• Measure and report on campaign effectiveness and commercial outcomes.
• Ensure marketing activities align with vendor objectives and budget availability.

1. Operational & Business Management

Working and collaborating closely with the internal cloud billing, procurement and operations teams:

• Support smooth execution of cloud operational processes.
• Coordinate provisioning, renewals, subscriptions, and lifecycle management activities.
• Monitor licensing, consumption, and commercial compliance.
• Maintain pricing accuracy and catalogue integrity.
• Resolve operational bottlenecks and escalations.
• Support stock forecasting and management requirements where applicable.
• Work across finance, operations, sales, and marketing functions to optimise execution.

Forecasting & Reporting:

• Conduct regular forecasting sessions.
• Maintain accurate sales and revenue forecasts.
• Track vendor performance metrics.
• Deliver monthly, quarterly, and annual portfolio reporting.
• Present portfolio performance updates to leadership when required.

1. Channel Enablement & Technical Readiness

• Coordinate vendor sales and technical training programmes.
• Facilitate certification initiatives for internal and external stakeholders.
• Support access to proof-of-concept environments and vendor resources.
• Drive reseller competency and readiness development.
• Ensure internal teams remain informed of vendor product changes, incentives, promotions, and roadmap developments.

1. People Development & Internal Collaboration

• Develop and support Cloud Account Managers and internal stakeholders responsible for assigned vendors.
• Share best practices across the Cloud business.
• Participate in cross-functional planning activities.
• Collaborate with account management, partner success, sales, marketing, operations, finance, vendor management, and leadership teams.
• Contribute to the achievement of broader Cloud Division objectives.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Success in this role will be measured against:

• Achievement of brand revenue objectives in the portfolio.
• Gross profit and margin performance.
• Vendor growth and retention.
• Rebate and incentive attainment.
• Partner recruitment and activation.
• Reseller engagement and enablement outcomes.
• Accuracy of forecasting and reporting.
• Successful execution of marketing programmes
• Vendor satisfaction and relationship strength.
• Operational excellence and issue resolution.
• Achievement of strategic cloud division and vendor growth objectives across all assigned brands.

REQUIREMENTS

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Commerce, Information Technology, or a related discipline preferred.

Experience

• Minimum three to five years' experience in channel sales, cloud sales, vendor management, or IT distribution.
• Experience managing multiple stakeholders and vendor relationships.
• Understanding of cloud technologies and vendor ecosystems.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve revenue and growth targets.
• Experience within IT Distribution will be advantageous.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Strong commercial and business acumen.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Strong organisational and planning capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Vendor management expertise.
• Analytical and reporting capability.
• Negotiation and influencing skills.
• Self-motivated and results-driven.
• Strong problem-solving ability.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure.
• High attention to detail.
• Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills.

OFFICE REQUIREMENTS

• Office-based working environment.
• Working hours 08:00 to 17:00.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Reliable transport to and from the office.
• Ability to travel when required for vendor, partner, or company engagements.

NOTE

• This is a permanent opportunity within the Cloud Division.
• As the business grows, the scope of the role and its portfolio may evolve to reflect changing priorities, vendor needs, and market opportunities.
• Material changes affecting performance objectives or incentive arrangements will be discussed and communicated as part of any transition.
• The role is well suited to someone who brings a professional, collaborative, and adaptable approach to supporting shared business goals.