National Distribution Manager | Non Liquor

Red Bull; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading energy drink company based in Johannesburg is seeking a National Distribution Manager to lead a team focused on density and distribution growth across South Africa. The successful candidate will have extensive FMCG sales experience, strong communication and negotiation skills, and the ability to manage key partnerships to ensure availability and visibility of products in store. This role requires a strategic mindset and a hands-on approach to leading and optimizing distribution efforts.

Qualifications

• 6–8 years sales experience in FMCG.
• Strong track record of growing product distribution.
• Previous management or leadership role.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor the DPM team for performance.
• Define and optimize route-to-market distribution.
• Drive profitable and sustainable volume growth.
• Create business plan in coordination with DPM team.
• Allocate time for analysis, planning and reporting.

Skills

Sales experience in FMCG

Understanding of RTM environment

Problem‑solving skills

Strong communication skills

Analytical and financial understanding

Negotiation skills

Advanced experience with Excel

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

National Distribution Manager | Non Liquor

Leading and mentoring a team responsible for ensuring that Red Bull is the #1 distributed energy drink in South Africa, by developing and owning the strategy through horizontal and vertical reach opportunities.

Our goal is to make Red Bull available and within arm's reach of every consumer in South Africa every day, displayed in a premium way.

A key element to achieving this objective includes identifying, selecting, negotiating and managing the right partners to deliver profitable and sustainable growth.

Responsibilities

People : Lead the DPM team by focusing on their strengths to maximize performance; coach and develop individuals to step up the ladder of mastery in managing partners and accounts; define and execute routines and call cycles for optimal DP management; own the relationship to the top accounts and business partners; be hands‑on for building strategy while also demonstrating and showcasing how it is done; analyze geographic areas to understand outlet and sales opportunity through trade visits.

Route to Market : Define new and continually optimize existing route‑to‑market distribution partner model to meet business growth targets; innovate in a profitable way for Red Bull to win market leadership within the main market and independents; own the management of business within defined pricing and profitability guidelines and budgets.

Direct Distribution Partner Management : Create and develop a model to improve and win distribution; build strong commercial relationships with partner sales teams across all regions based on a win‑win focus; drive profitable and sustainable volume growth through distribution initiatives; build initiatives to drive reach, sales targets and execution in all channels; define and implement initiatives to constantly improve outlet / store visibility and performance tied to store standards; negotiate overall distributor KPIs tied to sales targets; fuel passion for Red Bull at customer levels through trade‑marketing initiatives; undertake systematic store visits to identify gaps and opportunities; prepare and lead monthly and quarterly reviews; lead the contract negotiation process.

Strategy and Planning : Responsible for creating a business plan in close coordination with the larger DPM team; set, track, and drive all DP sales regions against the annual business plan; create and develop a strong commercial plan to grow distribution and SKU listings (horizontal and vertical).

Admin : Allocate 20% of time in field and 80% in analysis, planning and reporting; manage the stock forecast process with the DP and the internal operations team; manage the yearly regional budget and control of all free goods; prepare review meetings on a monthly or quarterly basis to evaluate performance versus joint business plan objectives; report to the head of distribution and share internally with key stakeholders; secure efficient POS stock and handling and ROI management; close alignment of pricing and promotions with key stakeholders to minimize cross‑channel cannibalization and maintain profitability.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree
• 6–8 years sales experience in FMCG
• Excellent understanding of RTM environment in South Africa / the region (ideally on‑premise RTM)
• Strong track record of growing product distribution in South Africa
• Clear understanding of markets, sales & distribution, competitor activity and consumer behavior
• Strong track record of successful price increase implementation
• Previous management / leadership role
• Strong communication skills (verbal and written)
• Strong analytical and financial understanding
• Excellent problem‑solving skills
• Advanced experience with Microsoft Excel
• Self‑starter with initiative & attention to detail
• Well organized & able to handle multiple priorities in a relaxed manner
• Able to see tasks through from inception to completion
• Professional, focused, responsible & passionate approach to tasks—excellent negotiation skills to lead negotiations with our partners

This job description is not exhaustive of the potential duties that the successful applicant will be required to perform, and is provided solely to assist potential job applicants in determining their suitability for the role and to apply for the job.

It is not an offer of employment and Red Bull is under no obligation to hire an applicant who submits an application.