Assistant Business Development Manager – East Africa

About the role

Unilever is seeking an Assistant Business Development Manager to drive sustainable and profitable growth across its East African markets. The role combines hands‑on business delivery with the development of capabilities for broader regional leadership.

Key responsibilities

• Own turnover, growth, profitability and market execution targets for an approximately EUR 7 M business.
• Lead annual planning, monthly performance reviews and corrective actions.
• Build and execute joint business plans with distributors, governing performance and capability.
• Manage forecasting, demand planning, pricing, portfolio mix, trade investment and promotional planning.
• Identify and convert growth opportunities across geographies, brands, customers and channels.
• Maintain healthy inventory, service levels, working‑capital and order discipline while managing supply risks.
• Partner with Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing and Customer Operations to remove execution barriers.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, controls and regulatory requirements.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Commerce, Marketing or related field (post‑graduate qualification a plus).
• 5‑8 years progressive FMCG commercial experience in sales, customer development or distributor management.
• Proven record of delivering sales and business targets through distributors.
• Strong commercial acumen and analytical capability with understanding of P&L drivers.
• Ability to operate independently across multiple markets and influence without direct authority.
• Experience in East Africa or comparable emerging markets strongly preferred.
• High ownership, learning agility, resilience and entrepreneurial mindset.

Required skills