Director, Channel Strategy, Traditional Trade & Wholesale

The Coca-Cola Company; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 500,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading beverage corporation in Johannesburg seeks a Director of Channel Strategy for Traditional Trade and Wholesale. The role focuses on designing transformative strategies driven by shopper insights and managing relationships between brand teams and commercial operations. Candidates should have strong leadership in channel marketing and a proven ability to drive long-term strategic initiatives within the African Operating Unit.

Benefits

Iconic Brand

Exposure to World Class Leaders

Creative Team Culture

Qualifications

• Mastery in Commercial Channel Strategy and Execution.
• Experience in Analytics/Data-Based Decision Making.
• Strong Leadership and Influence at Senior Level.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement Traditional Trade and Wholesale channel strategies.
• Collaborate with networks, franchises, and bottling partners.
• Define execution guidelines for quarterly platforms and develop value-added programs.

Skills

Brand Management

Category Management

Communication

Competitor Analysis

Digital Marketing

Finance Strategy

Financial Forecasting

Integrated Marketing

Leadership

Sales Analysis

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Location(s):

South Africa

City/Cities:

Johannesburg

Travel Required:

00% - 25%

Relocation Provided:

No

Job Posting End Date:

August 21, 2025

Shift:

Job Description Summary:

ROLE PROFILE

Director, Channel Strategy TRADITIONAL TRADE & WHOLESALE

REPORT TO: SENIOR DIRECTOR, CHANNEL STRATEGY & E2E

Our vision is loved brands, done sustainably, for a better shared future. We strive to provide cutting-edge excellence in ingredients, innovation, design, and marketing. This role serves as the lead in the organization between the category/brand teams and commercial operating teams to communicate initiatives to bottlers and customer teams. The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate, relationship building and leadership capabilities while working across multiple channels.

In this role, you will design and implement transformative Traditional Trade and Wholesale channel strategies driven by deep shopper and channel insights to accelerate sustainable growth. You will set long-term strategic plans, collaborating across networks, franchises, and bottling partners to create winning execution strategies and capability development. Additionally, you’ll define execution guidelines, including the Picture of Success for quarterly platforms (4x4), develop value-added programs, and optimize market dynamics to drive revenue growth and enhance system performance.

The role of the Traditional Grocery Channel Strategy Director for the Africa Operating Unit (AOU) is undergoing a transformation, with over 60% of its scope being redefined to include a completely new mandate: leadership of the Wholesale Channel in addition to Traditional Grocery with complexity and strategic significance. The pivot in this role is transformative because it refocuses from a channel-specific lens to a multi-channel leadership mandate, tasked with driving long-term strategies for the AOU and Top 10 markets.

Focus, Scope & Impact: Mastery Of (Required):

Commercial Channel Strategy, Planning & Execution Channel & Shopper/Trade Marketing Leadership & Influence at Senior Level Analytics/Data-Based Decision Making Operational Experience

Broad Expertise In (Good to Have):

Customer Management Bottler Experience VTM/RGM Marketing

What We Can DoForYou

• Iconic Brand:Work on the most recognized brand in the world and be part of developing the brands next chapter.
• Exposure to World Class Leaders:Availability to global marketing leaders that will expand your network and exposure you to emerging digital platforms and marketing insights.
• Creative Team Culture:Be inspired by the best brand leaders and agencies in the world, which creates a creative culture that supports taking risks and innovation.

Skills:

Brand Management, Category Management, Communication, Competitor Analysis, Digital Marketing, Finance Strategy, Financial Forecasting, Integrated Marketing, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Leadership, Marketing Campaigns, Marketing Strategies, Media Planning, Microsoft Office, People Management, Price Management, Product Roadmapping, Promotional Strategies, Sales Analysis, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Teamwork, User Experience Analysis

Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.