VP Sales (Head of Sales)

Unilever is proud of its Tea business, the biggest in the world, with world class purpose driven brands such as Lipton, TAZO, PG tips and Pukka. Recently, Unilever decided to separate the Tea business to ensure it can best achieve its potential. Unilever is currently reviewing several options for separation, including a demerger, an initial public offering, a disposal or through partnership models. The Tea businesses in India and Indonesia, and the partnership interests in the ready-to-drink Tea joint ventures will be retained.

The balance of the Tea brands and geographies and all Tea estates, with generated revenues of €2 billion in 2019, is growing and profitable with proven potential both pre- and post-COVID-19. As a standalone entity, the Tea company remains number one in the world and is even better positioned to lead the industry and take full advantage of the opportunities in the category, with more focus and entrepreneurship driving greater growth and value.

The current vision for the Tea company is to champion a tastier, healthier, more sustainable world of plant-based drinking. Purposeful thinking will be the core anchor of the business, its brands as well as its culture, and enables simple and agile decision making, supports an entrepreneurial mindset and is driven by passion for our consumers.

As we move through this journey towards separation, we are seeking employees with a passion for exciting entrepreneurial experiences, who want to pursue unique career opportunities and have a desire to be an integral part in building the bright future of this plant-based company.

Tea Company Mission

Prosperity for everyone connected to our business and greater value for our consumers, our communities, our climate and our company.

CONSUMER: We will become the universal beverage of choice: picking, creating and serving only the tastiest plant based beverages that delight consumers and enrich their physical, emotional and social wellbeing.

CLIMATE: We have a deep and enduring connection to the land and the communities in which we do business. we shall lead the way and create a net positive by giving back to nature much more than nature is giving us.

COMMUNITY: We will ensure growth for all by delivering more value per cup and share that growth amongst growers, blenders, customers, employees, and shareholders.

Tea Company Vision:

To serve the best cup of wellbeing, in the most delicious and sustainable way
To champion a healthier future for people and the planet through plants
To grow a world of wellbeing through the power of plants

Your Key Responsibilities

Resource and cultivate talent to build a fully operational Sales/Customer Development organization
Sales: Lead development, execution and signoff of business plans including a growth and profitability management and negotiation with strategic partners, customers & distributors / wholesalers. Retail, Away from home, E-commerce
Define new go to market business models and partners EG: AFH, Digital/E-comm
Act like an owner: Responsible for all sales activities and growth of the business including
P&L end-to-end. Directly responsible for driving business competitive growth and profitability
Lead and motivate Field Sales, Category Strategy, Sales Strategy and Sales Operations teams to build winning market positions & drive growth agenda through developing and nurturing strong business relationships with leading customers & distributors
Leverage the full strength of capabilities of a pure play TeaCo Division to develop new and winning approaches
Lead & execute annual planning, trade marketing budget & negotiations with the trade
Inspire Field Sales teams through annual National Sales Meeting planning and execution
Own S&OP process and coordination of full cross functional support team
Use NRM, channel, customer & shopper insights to identify & implement new growth opportunities through driving right pack / price architecture by channel
Lead the Channel Development agenda (Retail, AFH, E-commerce)
Drive & monitor consistently great execution through ensuring the right metrics framework is in place
Drive market development through becoming preferred partner for the trade for the tea category and lead implementation of category management initiatives
Oversee Daily Sales Reporting and Sales Analytics such as NRM and trade marketing trends
Champion evolution of sales system improvements geared to unlock future growth
Talent catalyst: Responsible for growing and nurturing talent including succession planning ensuring organization is fit to win short and long term
Key representative of Tea Co within organization as well as externally across various key stakeholders and organizational bodies.

Your Key Tasks:

Leadership and Stakeholder management:

Collaborate at regular cross functional leadership team meetings monthly.
Develop and sign off annual and strategic business plans.
Represent direct market and assigned distributor markets in business reviews to lead MU and Global team.

Key interfaces:

Internal: Management Unit Leadership Team including cross functional teams such as Supply Chain and FInance
Internal: Global cross functional teams including Design for Channel, Tea export company, Brand leads
Internal: Head of Sales Leaders in other markets
External: Customers: Wholesalers, distributors, key accounts, e-commerce in Retail & AFH
External: Industry forums and trade events

Requirements

Bachelors Degree required
12+ years’ experience in a FMCG business including 5+ years of experience in a leadership role within customer development (sales)
Experience and understanding of the local Americas market
Functional and technical knowledge including P&L (financial acumen)
Proven track record of delivery of business results
Experience leading a cross functional team
Experience building and leading high-performing teams
Experience within the beverages/ tea category a plus
Digital/online sales and marketing experience a plus
Proven track record of strong leadership and strategic influencing skills towards multifunctional stakeholders
Communication and sales & negotiation skills
Problem solving skills and crisis management skills

Excited about the Role?

Please apply online. Your application will be reviewed against our requirements and we will be in touch to provide you with an update on the status of your application.

By applying for this vacancy, you are confirming that you have made your Line Manager aware of your application and you are eligible to apply for new internal opportunities.

Unilever is an organization committed to diversity and inclusion 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. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. For more information, please see Equal Employment Opportunity Posters

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses.