Sales Director – East Africa (FMCG)

About the role

As our Sales Director East Africa at Mars, you will lead our East Africa Sales organization to drive sustainable, profitable growth across core markets, including Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. You will own the customer and distributor agenda, oversee end‑to‑end commercial operations and P&L delivery for the Mars Snacking portfolio, and act as a pivotal enterprise leader representing East Africa on the Africa Business Team and Sales Leadership Forum.

Key responsibilities

• Lead formulation and execution of short‑ and long‑term sales strategies across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to deliver category and market‑share growth.
• Strengthen strategic partnerships with distributors and retail customers, implementing optimized route‑to‑market, cost‑to‑serve and category solutions.
• Maintain full accountability for East Africa P&L delivery, managing Net Sales Value, Gross Margin, Controllable Contribution and operational efficiency.
• Partner closely with Strategic Demand, Supply and Marketing teams to embed shopper and trade‑partner insights into commercial plans and forecasts.
• Lead, inspire and develop a team of 17 associates (including 5 direct reports), fostering an inclusive, high‑performance culture.
• Represent East Africa on the Africa Business Team and Sales Leadership Forum, contributing to Sub‑Saharan strategic initiatives.

Required profile

• 15–20 years of commercial and sales leadership experience in FMCG, with proven distributor management and route‑to‑market strategy across African markets.
• A university degree is required; an MBA or relevant postgraduate business qualification is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated full P&L ownership, financial acumen and resource allocation across Traditional Trade, Modern Trade and D‑Commerce channels.
• Values‑led people manager with experience recruiting, mentoring and developing diverse teams and driving high associate engagement.
• Strategic thinker with strong negotiation, stakeholder engagement and collaborative leadership capabilities.

What we offer

• Work with over 130,000 diverse associates guided by the Five Principles.
• Purpose‑driven company focused on building a better future.
• Best‑in‑class learning and development from day one, including access to Mars University.
• Industry‑competitive salary and benefits package, including a company bonus.